Council Committee of the Whole Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council met on May 10, 2012, at 6:00 p.m. in Lexington, Kentucky, with the Vice Mayor presiding. During the meeting, the Council took 9 motions and votes and heard 5 public comments. The agenda included 9 items covering legislative actions, budget matters, and departmental presentations.

The Council approved the First Reading of Resolutions and the Second Reading of Resolutions, while denying the Second Reading of Ordinances. The LexTran Budget Presentation was approved. Several items were presented for informational purposes, including Public Comment, Budget Amendments, Fire and E911 Presentations, the Downtown Lexington Corporation Presentation, and Committee Reports.

Attendance

The following individuals were present at the meeting on May 10, 2011:

Council Members: - Council Member Ellinger - Council Member Crosby - Council Member Beard - Council Member Kaye - Council Member Lawless - Council Member Martin - Council Member Farmer - Council Member Henson - Council Member Stinnett - Council Member Myers - Council Member Lane - Council Member Blues - Council Member Ford - Council Member Mills - Council Member Vlis

City Officials: - Mayor - Commissioner Mason - Commissioner Graham - CAO Richard Maloney - Chief Jackson

Other Attendees: - Glenn Brown - Jamie Emmons - Lori Houlihan - Renee Jackson - Richard Miller - Steve Feast - Martin - CEO Bill Farmer - Dean of the U.K. College of Social Work - Director of the University of Kentucky's Martin School of Public Policy - Chris King

No council members or other attendees were recorded as absent or late.

Votes and Decisions

Resolution 0033-11 – Motion to remove item 33 from the docket regarding keeping Berry Hill and Constitution pools open 9:37

Moved by Council Member Kaye and seconded by Council Member Crosby. The motion passed by electronic vote, 8 ayes to 7 nays.

Resolution 0042-11 – Motion to substitute revised agreement for the downtown Lexington Corporation contract 13:30

Moved by Council Member Martin and seconded by Council Member Lawless. The motion passed by voice vote, 14 ayes to 1 nay.

Ordinance 0006-11 – Motion to remove item 6 under second reading of ordinances 33:28

Moved by Council Member Crosby and seconded by Council Member Lawless. The motion failed by electronic vote, 5 ayes to 4 nays, with 10 abstentions.

Resolution 0073-26 – Motion to place on the docket the hiring of a full-time citizen advocate 1:21:08

Moved by Council Member Ford and seconded by Council Member Myers. The motion failed by electronic vote, 4 ayes to 11 nays.

Resolution 0073-26 – Motion to place on the docket a part-time citizen advocate position 1:40:26

Moved by Council Member Blues and seconded by Council Member Beard. The motion passed by electronic vote, 10 ayes to 5 nays. The position is effective upon hiring of the new citizen advocate after committee interviews.

Resolution 0073-26 – Motion to approve the LexTram budget as presented 2:11:06

Moved by Council Member Kaye and seconded by Council Member Blues. The motion passed by voice vote.

Resolution 0073-26 – Motion to hold a special meeting on June 21st for the Environmental Quality Committee 3:15:26

Moved by Council Member Farmer and seconded by Council Member Henson. The motion passed by voice vote.

Resolution 0073-26 – Motion to recommend funding a pilot grant program for chronic basement flooding 3:16:29

Moved by Council Member Martin and seconded by Council Member Lawless. The motion passed by voice vote.

Resolution 0073-26 – Motion to refer to full council a resolution on collective bargaining agreements 3:20:36

Moved by Council Member Martin and seconded by Council Member Farmer. The motion failed by voice vote, 2 ayes to 4 nays.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting addressed three significant financial actions:

Downtown Lexington Corporation Transfer A one-time transfer of $120,000 from the special events budget was allocated to Downtown Lexington Corporation under Resolution 0073-26.

Chronic Basement Flooding Pilot Program Resolution 0073-26 also appropriated $100,000 to the Division of Water Quality to fund a pilot grant program addressing chronic basement flooding.

Paratransit Services Amendment An additional $346,000 was needed for paratransit services under the LexTram Budget due to increased cost per trip. The Red Cross, serving as the paratransit provider, received this budget amendment.

Public Comment

The meeting included comments from representatives of towing companies and council members addressing several topics.

Towing Contract Bid Process

Mr. Don Todd, representing CTS Towing, raised concerns about fairness in the bidding process 4:30. He argued that Bluegrass Towing had exclusive access to historical data that gave them an unfair advantage. Mr. Todd noted that CTS was the underbidder in all categories except city-issued tow requests, which were not disclosed during the bidding process.

In response, Rena Wiseman, representing Bluegrass Towing, spoke in support of awarding the contract to Bluegrass 5:36. She cited their low bid, extensive equipment, and proven service quality as reasons for the recommendation.

Citizens Advocate Office

Council Member Lane addressed the Citizens Advocate office 1:02:20, arguing that the position should be part-time rather than full-time. He cited low call volume as justification, noting only 37 calls received over 62 working days. Council Member Lane also suggested that technological advances have reduced the need for a full-time role.

Council Member Ford responded by defending the need for a full-time Citizens Advocate 1:08:49. He emphasized that the position is mandated by the city charter and serves an important function as an independent voice for citizens, regardless of call volume.

E911 Division

Council Member Henson offered positive comments about the E911 division 2:44:43. He praised the dramatic reduction in overtime costs and commended the division's leadership for improving both morale and operational efficiency.

Appointments

Penny Ebel was appointed to the Downtown Lexington Corporation.

Contested Items

The May 10, 2011 meeting included three significant areas of disagreement among council members and participants.

Towing Contract Bid Fairness

A heated discussion arose regarding the fairness of the towing contract bidding process. Mr. Don Todd accused Bluegrass Towing of having exclusive access to bid data, suggesting an unfair advantage in the procurement process. Bluegrass Towing and police officials defended the bidding process as fair and equitable, arguing that contract awards were based on service quality rather than cost alone. The dispute centered on whether the selection criteria and information access were transparent and equally available to all potential bidders.

Citizens Advocate Position Status

The council was deeply divided on the employment structure of the Citizens Advocate position. Members disagreed on whether the role should be full-time or part-time, resulting in a split vote. Arguments on both sides addressed cost implications, the actual workload requirements of the position, and obligations outlined in the city charter. The council could not reach consensus on how to balance budgetary constraints with the perceived needs of the position and charter compliance.

E911 Decentralization Proposal

Council members raised procedural and operational concerns about a proposal to decentralize E911 call centers. The primary questions focused on the feasibility of the decentralization plan and its broader implications for the city. Specific concerns included how oversight would function under a decentralized structure, whether audit access would be maintained, and whether the proposal would result in cost shifts rather than genuine savings. Council members questioned whether adequate safeguards and accountability mechanisms would exist under the proposed decentralized model.

Public Comment

During the public comment session, two speakers addressed concerns regarding the towing contract bid process.

Mr. Don Todd raised questions about the fairness of the bidding process, arguing that CTS Towing was disadvantaged due to lack of access to necessary data during the evaluation period. He contended this limited access affected the company's ability to submit a competitive bid.

Rena Wiseman responded to these concerns, defending the bid process and the selection of Bluegrass Towing. She emphasized that Bluegrass Towing's bid was the lowest received and highlighted the company's service quality as factors supporting the selection.

The discussion centered on the transparency and equity of the contract bidding procedures, with the two speakers presenting differing perspectives on whether all bidders had equal access to information needed to prepare their proposals.

This agenda item was informational in nature, with no formal action taken during the public comment period.

First Reading of Resolutions

9:37

During the First Reading of Resolutions, Council members discussed and voted on removing Resolution 0033-11 from the docket. This resolution concerned keeping Berry Hill and Constitution pools open.

Council Member Kaye and Council Member Crosby were the key speakers during this agenda item discussion.

The council voted on a motion to remove Resolution 0033-11 from the docket via electronic vote. The motion passed with a vote of 8-7, resulting in the resolution's removal from consideration.

Second Reading of Ordinances

During the Second Reading of Ordinances (Agenda Item 145-11), council members debated a motion to remove Ordinance 0006-11 from the docket 33:28.

Discussion and Debate

Council Member Crosby and Council Member Lawless were key participants in the discussion regarding this ordinance.

Outcome

The motion to remove Ordinance 0006-11 from the docket failed by electronic vote with a result of 5-4-10. The ordinance therefore remained on the docket and proceeded through the second reading process.

Second Reading of Resolutions

During the second reading of resolutions 1:40:26, council members debated the structure of the Citizens Advocate position.

Discussion and Debate

Council members discussed whether the Citizens Advocate position should be established as full-time or part-time. Key speakers in this debate included Council Member Ford, Council Member Blues, Council Member Myers, and Council Member Lane. The discussion centered on the appropriate employment structure for this role.

Voting and Outcome

A motion to establish the Citizens Advocate position as full-time was put to a vote and failed 4-11. Following this outcome, a subsequent motion to establish the position as part-time was brought forward and passed 10-5.

The resolution was ultimately approved with the Citizens Advocate position designated as part-time.

Budget Amendments

Council members reviewed budget amendments during this agenda item, which was classified as informational in nature 49:04.

Key Participants

The discussion involved Council Member Myers, Council Member Ford, and Council Member Kaye.

Topics Discussed

The council addressed two primary matters:

• Citizens Advocate salary cap considerations
• Social services funding model changes

Outcome

The item resulted in an informational outcome. The council identified a need for a public forum to discuss the proposed changes to the social services funding model, indicating that further community input and formal discussion would be required before final decisions on these budget amendments.

LexTran Budget Presentation

Rocky Burke presented the LexTran budget to the board 1:47:01. The presentation highlighted several key developments for the transit system.

Key Points Presented:

• A 14% ridership increase was reported
• New fare boxes were included in the budget proposal
• A $346,000 shortfall in paratransit costs was identified

Outcome:

The budget was approved as presented.

Fire and E911 Presentations

2:13:16

Commissioner Mason and Chief Jackson presented updates on improvements within the fire department, focusing on three key areas: morale, communication, and infrastructure. The presentation highlighted progress made in these operational areas, though specific details of the improvements were not documented in the available materials.

Glenn Brown presented separate findings related to E911 services. His analysis included a recommendation to decentralize call centers, suggesting a shift away from a centralized model for emergency call handling.

The agenda item was classified as informational in nature, with no formal action or decision required from the body. All three speakers—Commissioner Mason, Chief Jackson, and Glenn Brown—participated in delivering their respective presentations to the meeting attendees.

Downtown Lexington Corporation Presentation

Jamie Emmons presented a proposal to transfer special events management from the mayor's office to the Downtown Lexington Corporation 2:55:43. The presentation focused on aligning this function with the organization's core competencies and achieving cost efficiency improvements.

Key Speakers

The presentation involved Jamie Emmons and Renee Jackson.

Proposal Overview

Emmons outlined the rationale for moving special events management responsibilities to the Downtown Lexington Corporation, emphasizing that this transfer would better position the function within an organization whose core mission centers on downtown development and programming.

Outcome

The agenda item was presented for informational purposes. No formal action or decision was recorded as part of this presentation.

Committee Reports

Council members received reports from four standing committees during this agenda item.

Committees Reporting

The Environmental Quality, Public Safety, Social Services, and Planning and Zoning committees each presented updates to the council.

Key Actions and Recommendations

The committees recommended two significant actions:

• A task force on stormwater infiltration
• A pilot grant program for basement flooding

Key Speakers

Council Member Blues, Council Member Lawless, Council Member Myers, and Council Member Farmer participated in the committee reports discussion.

Outcome

This agenda item was informational in nature, with no formal votes or binding decisions required. The council received the committee reports and recommendations for their consideration.