Urban County Council Meeting

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Council held a meeting on May 26, 2011, at 6:00 P.M. in Lexington, Kentucky, presided over by Mayor Gray. The meeting included three agenda items: an invocation, a presentation honoring Dave Sevigny, and a Budget Content Public Hearing. During the session, the Council took three votes, heard three public comments, and addressed three total agenda items. The meeting focused on informational matters, including the ceremonial honoring of Dave Sevigny and a public hearing regarding budget content.

Attendance

Present: Crosbie, Ellinger, Farmer, Ford, Gorton, Henson, Kay, Lane, Lawless, Martin, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, and Blues.

Absent: Beard.

Late arrivals: None.

Votes and Decisions

Ordinance 57-2011: Amending Municipal Expenditure Budgets 2:00:00

Ordinance 57-2011, which amends certain budgets for municipal expenditures under Schedule No. 118, was motioned by Gorton and seconded by Ellinger. The measure passed by roll call vote with 13 ayes and 0 nays. All voting members supported the ordinance: Ellinger, Farmer, Ford, Gorton, Henson, Kay, Lane, Lawless, Martin, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, and Blues.

Resolution 172-2011: Accepting Bluegrass Towing, Inc. Bid 1:08:22

Resolution 172-2011, accepting the bid of Bluegrass Towing, Inc. for towing services, was motioned by Gorton and seconded by Ellinger. The resolution passed by roll call vote with 13 ayes and 0 nays. All voting members supported the resolution: Ellinger, Farmer, Ford, Gorton, Henson, Kay, Lane, Lawless, Martin, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, and Blues.

Resolution 172-2011: Keeping Berryhill and Constitution Pools Open 1:08:22

Resolution 172-2011, regarding keeping Berryhill and Constitution pools open for fiscal years 2011 and 2012, was motioned by Gorton and seconded by Ellinger. The resolution passed by roll call vote with 9 ayes and 4 nays.

Members voting in favor: Ellinger, Farmer, Ford, Henson, Lane, Martin, McChord, Myers, and Stinnett.

Members voting against: Gorton, Kay, Lawless, and Blues.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting approved the following financial actions:

911 Infrastructure Network Equipment Ordinance 119-2011 authorized a $175,000 purchase of hardware, software, and network components for the 911 Infrastructure Network from AK Associates.

Recycling Center Wire Tie System Resolution 172-2011 approved a $25,030 purchase of a wire tie system for the Recycling Center from L&P Wire Tie Systems.

Materials Recovery Facility Baler Relining Resolution 147-2011 authorized a $28,000 contract with IPS Balers Manufacturing, Inc. for relining the baler at the Materials Recovery Facility.

Public Comment

Three members of the public addressed the meeting on May 26, 2011.

Building Safety

Ralph Rochelle raised concerns about building safety in Lexington 10:06. He referenced a concrete slab that fell off a building on Pine Street as an example of the safety issues affecting structures in the community.

IT Department Budget

Andrea Strasburg spoke against proposed cuts to the IT department's budget 13:53. She suggested that rather than reducing IT funding, the government should redirect resources from non-essential services to preserve the department's operations.

Meadowbrook Golf Course

Ronald Reinhardt advocated for keeping Meadowbrook Golf Course open 16:04. He emphasized the golf course's importance to seniors and novice golfers in the community.

Appointments

The following appointments and reappointments were made during this meeting:

Commission for Citizens with Disabilities - Traci Brewer was appointed

Corridors Commission - Steve Kay was appointed

Environmental Commission - James Rebmann was reappointed - Helen Weissinger was reappointed - Stephen Garland was appointed

Tree Board - Karen Miner was appointed

Contested Items

The May 26, 2011 meeting included two significant areas of disagreement among participants.

Towing Contract Bid

A heated discussion arose regarding the awarding of a towing contract. The dispute centered on concerns about the bid process itself and the qualifications of the bidders under consideration. Specific details about which bidders were involved, the outcome of the contract award, or the particular process concerns raised are not available from the meeting record.

IT Department Salary Supplements

The removal of salary supplements for IT Department employees generated significant discussion during the meeting. Participants expressed concerns about how the elimination of these supplements would affect the department's ability to retain current staff and recruit new employees. The specific arguments made by different parties, voting results, or final decision on this matter are not documented in the available meeting record.

Invocation

Reverend Nancy Jo Kemper from New Union Christian Church delivered the invocation for the meeting 1:03. The reverend's remarks emphasized themes of wisdom, hope, and compassion as the meeting convened.

Presentation honoring Dave Sevigny

Mayor Gray presented an award to Dave Sevigny of DMD Data Systems, recognizing the company as the 2011 Kentucky Small Business of the Year. 3:15

The presentation honored Sevigny's achievement and the accomplishments of his business. This was an informational item on the meeting agenda.

Budget Content Public Hearing

Mayor Gray opened the public hearing on the budget, during which several citizens spoke about various budget concerns. 6:05

The hearing was conducted as an informational session, allowing community members to voice their perspectives on budget-related matters. While the specific concerns raised by individual speakers are not detailed in the available meeting records, the public hearing format provided an opportunity for citizen input on the proposed budget.

The outcome of this agenda item was informational in nature, meaning the hearing served to gather public comment rather than to reach a final decision or vote on budget matters.