Urban County Council Meeting

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Council convened on September 27, 2007, at 7:00 PM with Mayor Jim Newberry presiding. The meeting addressed 2 agenda items, beginning with an invocation and proceeding to second reading ordinances. Council members took 3 votes during the session and heard 1 public comment from a community member. The primary business accomplished was the approval of ordinances during their second reading phase, representing the final step in the legislative process for these measures.

Attendance

The following council members were present at the September 27, 2007 meeting:

• Jim Newberry
• Myers
• Stinnett
• Beard
• Blevins
• Blues
• Crosbie
• DeCamp
• Ellinger
• Gorton
• Gray
• James
• Lane
• McChord

Absent: Moloney, Stevens

No council members arrived late to the meeting. A total of 14 members were present out of 16 total council members.

Votes and Decisions

The Council took action on three ordinances and resolutions during the September 27, 2007 meeting, with all items passing unanimously or with minimal abstentions.

Ordinance 199-2007 2:00 was moved by Mr. Beard and seconded by Ms. Gorton. This ordinance amended Section 22-5 of the Code of Ordinances to create one temporary position of Staff Assistant Sr., Grade 108N, in the Department of Environmental Quality. The measure passed unanimously on a roll call vote with 13 ayes and 0 nays. Voting in favor were Myers, Stinnett, Beard, Blevins, Blues, Crosbie, DeCamp, Ellinger, Gorton, Gray, James, Lane, and McChord.

Ordinance 200-2007 3:00 was moved by Ms. Gorton and seconded by Mr. Lane. This ordinance authorized the Mayor to accept a $100 donation from Gray Construction for use at the Safety City Program. The ordinance passed with 12 ayes, 0 nays, and 1 abstention. Council members voting in favor were Myers, Stinnett, Beard, Blevins, Blues, Crosbie, DeCamp, Ellinger, Gorton, James, Lane, and McChord. One member abstained from the vote.

Resolution 436-2007 6:00 was moved by Mr. DeCamp and seconded by Mr. Lane. This resolution approved the issuance of tax-exempt Industrial Revenue Bonds by the City of Stamping Ground, Kentucky, to finance an Industrial Building Project of Central Christian Church within Fayette County. The resolution passed unanimously on a roll call vote with 13 ayes and 0 nays. All Council members present voted in favor: Myers, Stinnett, Beard, Blevins, Blues, Crosbie, DeCamp, Ellinger, Gorton, Gray, James, Lane, and McChord.

All three items received strong support from the Council with no opposition votes recorded on any measure.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council addressed two financial items during the September 27, 2007 meeting, totaling $29,600 in expenditures and donations.

Donation Acceptance The Council approved Ordinance 200-2007 to accept a $100.00 donation from Gray Construction for the Safety City Program. This donation will support the city's educational safety initiative for residents.

Infrastructure Contract The Council authorized Resolution 437-2007, approving a $29,500.00 contract with SBR Machinery Movers, LLC for facility structural upgrades. This significant expenditure represents a substantial investment in the city's infrastructure maintenance and improvement efforts.

The combined financial actions reflect the Council's commitment to both community safety education through private partnerships and essential facility maintenance through professional contracting services.

Public Comment

One member of the public addressed the Council during the public comment period.

Mr. McCarthy spoke at 14:00 regarding two municipal policy issues. He focused primarily on sidewalk maintenance responsibilities, arguing that current ordinances requiring property owners to maintain sidewalks adjacent to their properties are unjust. Mr. McCarthy advocated for the government to take over sidewalk maintenance responsibilities instead of placing this burden on individual property owners.

Additionally, Mr. McCarthy addressed transportation policy, specifically criticizing approaches that would limit road construction as a traffic reduction strategy. He used an analogy to illustrate his opposition to this concept, comparing the idea of not building roads to reduce traffic to "not eating to avoid hunger," suggesting that such approaches fail to address underlying transportation needs.

Mr. McCarthy's comments touched on fundamental questions about the appropriate division of responsibilities between government and property owners for public infrastructure maintenance, as well as broader transportation planning philosophy regarding how municipalities should address traffic and mobility challenges.

Appointments

The Council approved three appointments to various city boards and commissions during the September 27, 2007 meeting.

Ethics Commission • Garry Perry was appointed to serve on the Ethics Commission

Board of Health • J. Michael Moore was appointed to the Board of Health

Emergency Medical Advisory Board • Steven J. Stack was appointed to the Emergency Medical Advisory Board

All three appointments were approved by the Council during the meeting proceedings.

Contested Items

The September 27, 2007 Council meeting featured one contested item that resulted in a split vote among council members.

Pipeline Crossing Agreement with CSX Transportation

The council considered resolutions authorizing pipeline crossing agreements with CSX Transportation, which generated disagreement among the members. Council Member Blues cast the sole dissenting vote against these resolutions, while all other council members voted in favor of the agreements.

The resolutions ultimately passed despite Council Member Blues' opposition, allowing the city to move forward with the pipeline crossing arrangements with CSX Transportation. The specific details of Blues' objections to the agreements were not captured in the available meeting data.

This represented the only contentious vote during the meeting, with all other agenda items appearing to receive unanimous or near-unanimous support from the council.

Invocation

0:30

The meeting opened with an invocation delivered by Associate Pastor Jay T. Silence from Beaumont Presbyterian Church. Pastor Silence provided the ceremonial prayer to begin the Council session.

This was a standard procedural item with no discussion or debate required from Council members.

Ordinances - Second Reading

2:00

The Council conducted second readings for several ordinances during this agenda item. The proceedings included both zoning modifications and budget amendments that required formal approval.

Mr. Beard and Ms. Gorton served as the primary speakers during the discussion of these ordinances. The items under consideration included changes to existing zoning regulations and various budget amendments that had previously received first reading approval.

The ordinances presented covered multiple areas of municipal governance, with zoning changes representing modifications to land use regulations within the city. The budget amendments addressed adjustments to the current fiscal year's appropriations and expenditures.

Following the formal second reading process, the Council moved to approve the ordinances. All items presented during this portion of the meeting received approval, allowing them to move forward in the legislative process.

The second reading represents a critical step in the ordinance approval process, providing Council members and the public with a final opportunity to review and discuss proposed changes before final adoption. The approval of these ordinances enables the city to implement the zoning modifications and budget adjustments as outlined in the legislation.