Urban County Council Meeting

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Council convened on September 23, 2010, at 7:00 P.M. in Lexington, Kentucky, with Mayor Newberry presiding. The meeting addressed two agenda items, both of which were approved: an ordinance amending Section 21-27(b) related to standby pay, and a resolution approving the Citizens' Advocate Professional Standards. Over the course of the meeting, the Council took 3 votes, and no public comments were heard.

Attendance

The following members were present at the September 23, 2010 Council meeting:

• Lane
• Lawless
• McChord
• Myers
• Beard
• Blues
• Crosbie
• Ellinger
• Feigel
• Gorton
• Gray
• Henson
• James

Absent: Martin, James

No members were recorded as late to the meeting.

Votes and Decisions

Three roll call votes were taken during the September 23, 2010 Council meeting.

• Approval of Ordinances (Second Reading) 0:05: Moved by Blues, seconded by Myers. The motion passed 13–0. Voting in favor: Lane, Lawless, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, Beard, Blues, Crosbie, Ellinger, Feigel, Gorton, Gray, and Henson. No members voted against.

• Approval of Resolutions (Second Reading) 19:45: Moved by Lawless, seconded by Gorton. The motion passed 12–0. Voting in favor: Lane, Lawless, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, Beard, Blues, Crosbie, Ellinger, Feigel, Gorton, and Henson. No members voted against.

• Motion to Remove Resolution from the Table 51:58: Moved by Myers, seconded by James. The motion to remove a resolution from the table and place it on the docket for first reading passed 10–5. Voting in favor: Lane, Lawless, Martin, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, Beard, Blues, Crosbie, and Ellinger. Voting against: Feigel, Gorton, Gray, Henson, and James.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council addressed three financial items at the September 23, 2010 meeting, covering equipment procurement and service reimbursement agreements related to the World Equestrian Games.

• Police Fitness Equipment: The Council approved a purchase of $39,030 from Scheller's Fitness & Cycling for fitness facility equipment for the Division of Police. No resolution identifier was recorded in the meeting data.

• Fire Overtime Reimbursement – World Equestrian Games: The Council approved a contract with the World Games 2010 Foundation, Inc. valued at up to $373,700 to reimburse the city for reasonable fire overtime expenses incurred while providing services at the World Equestrian Games. No resolution identifier was recorded.

• Police Overtime Reimbursement – World Equestrian Games: The Council also approved a separate contract with the World Games 2010 Foundation, Inc. valued at up to $336,380 to reimburse the city for reasonable police overtime expenses associated with services rendered at the World Equestrian Games. No resolution identifier was recorded.

Combined, the two World Equestrian Games reimbursement contracts with the World Games 2010 Foundation, Inc. total $710,080, with the Foundation responsible for covering the city's public safety overtime costs generated by the event. No timestamps were available in the source data for these items.

Appointments

The Council acted on several appointments to city boards and commissions during the meeting.

• Sandra Cowan was appointed to the Commission for Citizens with Disabilities.
• Mary Wathen was reappointed to the Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors.
• Timothy Davis was appointed to the Explorium Board.
• Gene Travers was appointed to the Explorium Board.

In total, the Council confirmed four appointments across three separate bodies, including one reappointment and two new appointments to the Explorium Board.

Contested Items

• Restructuring of Council Committees — The council debated a proposal to restructure its committee system, with discussion centering on concerns about communication and committee effectiveness. The item generated significant disagreement among council members, resulting in a split vote. A motion to amend the resolution ultimately passed by a vote of 10–5.

Ordinance amending Section 21-27(b) for standby pay

3:44

The Council took up an ordinance to amend Section 21-27(b) of the municipal code to provide standby pay for employees in the Division of Enterprise Solutions during emergency servicing of computer equipment.

Key speakers on this item included Blues and Myers. The ordinance was presented as a measure to formally establish standby pay provisions for the relevant employees, recognizing the on-call nature of emergency computer equipment servicing that staff in the Division of Enterprise Solutions may be required to perform.

The Council approved the ordinance.

Resolution approving Citizens' Advocate Professional Standards

13:20

The Council considered a resolution approving the Citizens' Advocate Professional Standards and the accompanying Citizens' Advocate Policy and Procedures Manual.

Key speakers on this item included Lawless and Gorton, who addressed the Council regarding the resolution. The discussion centered on formalizing the professional standards and procedural framework governing the Citizens' Advocate function.

The resolution was approved by the Council.