Special Committee of the Whole

Summary

Meeting Overview

No meeting data is available for the date specified (2011-04-09). The provided data corresponds to a Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council meeting held on April 12, 2011, not April 9, 2011.

If you are seeking information about the April 12, 2011 meeting, please let me know and I can provide that summary instead.

Attendance

The following individuals were present at the meeting on April 9, 2011:

• Jane Driskell
• Chris Frost
• John Cubine
• Councilmember Blues
• Councilmember McCord
• Councilmember Stenet
• Councilmember Beard
• Councilmember Myers
• Councilmember Lawless
• Councilmember Lane
• Councilmember Martin
• Councilmember Ford
• Councilmember Henson
• Councilmember Crosby
• Councilmember Stennett
• Councilmember Burmert
• Councilmember Graham
• Councilmember Jarvis
• Richard Maloney

No members were absent or late.

Votes and Decisions

Motion to Adjourn

Council Member Lane moved to adjourn the meeting, with a second from Council Member Beard. The motion passed by voice vote 1:17:36.

Public Comment

Several councilmembers raised questions and concerns about the proposed reorganization during the meeting.

Cost Savings and Financial Transparency

Councilmember Stenet requested a detailed breakdown of cost savings from the reorganization 25:20, emphasizing the need for financial transparency as the mayor's budget was to be presented later that day. Councilmember Myers similarly asked for a detailed organizational chart showing personnel movements and a clear breakdown of expected cost savings from the reorganization 1:16:15.

Chief Information Officer Elimination

Councilmember Beard expressed concern over eliminating the Chief Information Officer role 30:13, warning that despite significant investments in computer systems, removing this position could create potential long-term risks to financial and enterprise systems.

Workload Concerns

Councilmember Martin raised concerns that combining Environmental Quality and Public Works might spread Commissioner Taylor too thin 54:01, given her critical role in managing a $300 million EPA consent decree.

Chief Development Officer Qualifications

Councilmember Stennett questioned the qualifications of Kevin Atkins, the proposed Chief Development Officer 1:04:05, and requested background information, stressing the importance of strong leadership for planning and zoning.

Request for Additional Review Time

Councilmember Lane urged caution 1:15:44, requesting time to review the budget and staffing details before approving the reorganization and emphasizing the need for thorough analysis.

Appointments

Richard Maloney was appointed to the position of Chief Administrative Officer.

Contested Items

The April 9, 2011 meeting included three significant areas of disagreement among council members regarding proposed organizational changes.

Elimination of Chief Information Officer Position

Council members Beard and Martin engaged in heated discussion opposing the elimination of the Chief Information Officer role. Their primary concern was that removing this position, despite the city's substantial investments in IT systems, could compromise the integrity of financial and enterprise systems and undermine long-term operational efficiency.

Combining Environmental Quality and Public Works

The proposal to merge the Environmental Quality and Public Works departments produced a split vote among council members. Councilmember Lawless supported the consolidation as an efficiency measure. However, Councilmember Martin objected, arguing that the reorganization would overburden Commissioner Taylor, who already leads EPA consent decree projects. This concern about workload distribution and the capacity of existing leadership to manage expanded responsibilities remained unresolved by vote.

Reorganization Implementation Without Formal Council Approval

A procedural dispute arose when Councilmember Graham questioned whether the administration had already implemented structural changes in the PeopleSoft system without obtaining formal council approval. Legal clarification was provided during the meeting, establishing that time-entry modifications were permissible under existing authority, but a full reorganization of departments required explicit council approval before implementation.

Administration's Proposed Restructuring Plan

The administration presented a proposed reorganization of Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government during this meeting. Key speakers included Jane Driskell, Chris Frost, and Richard Maloney.

The restructuring plan included several major changes:

• Reinstating the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer
• Merging Environmental Quality and Public Works departments
• Relocating Human Resources and Information Technology functions
• Creating a new position of Chief Development Officer

The administration justified these organizational changes as necessary to improve operational efficiency, ensure compliance with the county charter, and enhance responsiveness to community needs.

This agenda item was presented as informational in nature, with the outcome focused on presenting the proposal to the body rather than taking immediate action.