Council Committee of the Whole Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington City Council met on June 21, 2011, at 3:00 p.m. in the Lexington City Council Chambers, with the Vice Mayor presiding. The council considered 10 agenda items during the session, taking 7 motions and votes and hearing 7 public comments.

The meeting included a mix of legislative actions at various stages. Two items received first readings: new business ordinances and resolutions, as well as a council staff reorganization proposal. The council approved three measures: the Open Data Resolution, the renaming of the Commission on Community Services for Older Persons, and the General Government Committee Report. The Public Safety Committee Referral was also approved. Two items were tabled for later consideration: the Resolution on E911 Addressing Process and the Special Social Services Committee Report. Additionally, the council received an informational presentation on Government Reorganization.

Attendance

The following individuals were present at the meeting on June 21, 2011:

Council Members: - Council Member Ellinger - Council Member Lawless - Council Member Lane - Council Member Stinnett - Council Member Martin - Council Member McCord - Council Member Crosby - Council Member Gordon - Council Member Kay - Council Member Ford

Commissioners: - Commissioner Maloney - Commissioner Graham - Commissioner Driscoll - Commissioner Sheed

Other Officials and Staff: - Mayor Gray - Kevin Adkins - Terry Moricle - Dr. Eric Ostertag - Howard Yellen - Peggy Malkins - Brad Patrick - Dale Williams - Jenna Greathouse - Kimberly Rossetti - Kelly Kane - Susan Lamb

No members were recorded as absent or late.

Votes and Decisions

Resolution 29 - Motion to Table 14:57

Council Member Lawless moved to table Resolution 29 until the August 16th work session to ensure proper notice to residents. The motion passed 7-4 on a roll call vote. Voting in favor were Council Members Ellinger, Lane, Stinnett, Martin, McCord, Crosby, and Gordon. Voting against were Council Members Kay, Ford, Blues, and Lawless. The tabled resolution is subject to the condition that residents must receive 30-day notice prior to the August 16th work session.

Item 3 - Government Reorganization: Division of Budgeting Transfer 18:32

Council Member Ellinger moved to amend and transfer the Division of Budgeting to the CAO's office, seconded by Dr. Blue. The motion failed 4-7 on a roll call vote. Voting in favor were Council Members Ellinger, Stinnett, Martin, and McCord. Voting against were Council Members Lane, Crosby, Gordon, Kay, Ford, Blues, and Lawless.

Item 3 - Government Reorganization: Office of Economic Development 22:11

Council Member Martin moved to eliminate the Office of Economic Development from the reorganization. This motion failed with no votes recorded in favor.

Ordinance Renaming Senior Services Commission 33:17

The Vice Mayor moved to rename the Commission on Community Services for Older Persons to the Senior Services Commission, seconded by Dr. Blue. The motion passed unanimously 10-0 on a roll call vote.

Resolution on Open Data 47:19

Council Member Lane moved to place a resolution promoting open and transparent government and open data on the docket, seconded by Council Member Martin. The motion passed unanimously 10-0 on a roll call vote.

Motion to Amend Referral to Public Safety Committee 52:45

Council Member Kay moved to amend the motion to refer a jail study to the Public Safety Committee by removing the direct reference to the sheriff's office, seconded by Council Member McCord. The motion passed unanimously 10-0 on a roll call vote.

Motion to Place Job Descriptions on Docket 31:41

Council Member Stinnett moved to place new council positions and rule changes on the docket for first reading, seconded by Council Member McCord. The motion passed unanimously 10-0 on a roll call vote.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting included approval of local financial incentives totaling $51,000,000 for five businesses. These incentives were authorized through Resolutions 39-43 and directed to the following recipients:

• Transposagen
• Lockheed Martin
• Neogen
• Tempur-Pedic
• ASC

The appropriation was structured as local financial incentives designed to support business operations in the area.

Public Comment

Council members made several announcements and requests during the public comment period:

Community Events and Activities

Council Member Lawless invited community members to participate in a work day at Goodrich Park on Saturday and Sunday for mulching activities. She also reminded the public about the farmer's market and Southland Jamboree 2:08.

Council Member Martin promoted upcoming community events, including the Southland Jamboree on Tuesday nights and Moon Dance at Midnight Pass on Thursday nights, highlighting live music and community programming 4:19.

NASCAR Events

Council Member Stenet announced that Lexington will host a NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Sparta on July 9th and will be a stop for NASCAR haulers on July 6th, with public viewing and a parade 47:53.

Council Member Lawless provided additional details about the NASCAR hauler visit, noting that 40 NASCAR haulers will visit Lexington on July 6th. Public viewing will be available at Hamburg Walmart and Lowe's parking lots, with a parade proceeding through downtown to the interstate 48:24.

Neighborhood Meetings

Council Member Blues notified the public that the Oakwood Neighborhood Association will meet on June 27th at 7 p.m. in the Oakwood Park Community Center 50:02.

Council Business Matters

Council Member Kay requested an amendment to remove direct reference to the sheriff's office in a jail study referral to ensure a neutral review by the Public Safety Committee 51:12.

Council Member Ford advocated for improved budget communication, requesting that the council prepare a council-wide summary and press release following budget adoption to better communicate council actions to the public 56:09.

Contested Items

The June 21, 2011 meeting included three significant areas of disagreement among council members.

Government Reorganization - Budgeting Division

A motion to transfer the Division of Budgeting to the Chief Administrative Officer's office resulted in a split vote that failed 4-7. The disagreement centered on structural control and checks and balances within government operations, with council members divided over whether the proposed reorganization would appropriately distribute authority or compromise oversight mechanisms.

Open Data Resolution

Council members engaged in a heated discussion regarding an open data resolution. The debate focused on multiple concerns: the potential future costs of implementation, compatibility issues with existing IT systems, and whether the resolution would impose binding obligations on the city. Members expressed particular concern about the long-term budget impact of the proposed initiative.

Jail Study Referral

A procedural dispute arose over a jail study referral. Council member Kay moved to amend the referral by removing language that Kay characterized as bias toward the sheriff's office. This amendment motion proceeded to a formal vote, indicating substantive disagreement about how the referral should be framed and what perspective it should prioritize.

First Reading of New Business Ordinances

11:38

The Council proceeded with the first reading of new business ordinances (agenda items 16-19). The ordinances were reviewed and approved without objections from Council members present.

The first reading resulted in approval to move forward with the proposed business ordinances.

First Reading of Resolutions

12:12

The Council proceeded with the first reading of resolutions during this portion of the meeting. The resolutions under consideration included measures related to local financial incentives for businesses.

Key speakers during this agenda item included Kevin Adkins, Terry Moricle, Dr. Eric Ostertag, Howard Yellen, Peggy Malkins, Brad Patrick, and Dale Williams.

The Council approved the first reading of the resolutions with no objections raised by members present.

Resolution on E911 Addressing Process

13:16

Resolution 29 addressed the E911 addressing process. Council Member Blues and Council Member Lawless were the key speakers on this agenda item.

The council considered a motion to table the resolution until the August 16th work session. The motion was made to allow adequate time for proper notice to residents regarding the E911 addressing process changes. Additionally, the council requested a complete record of all contacts between the E911 division and property owners prior to further consideration of the resolution.

The resolution was tabled, meaning consideration was postponed to the scheduled August 16th work session to permit the requested notification period and documentation review.

Government Reorganization

The Council discussed a proposed government reorganization during this agenda item. 16:50

Key Proposals

The reorganization plan included two main components: - Transferring the Division of Budgeting to the Chief Administrative Officer's (CAO) office - Creating the Office of Economic Development

Discussion and Participants

Council Member Ellinger, Council Member Stinnett, Council Member Martin, and Commissioner Maloney participated in the discussion of the reorganization proposal.

Outcomes

Two motions were brought forward during the discussion: - A motion to transfer the Division of Budgeting to the CAO's office failed - A motion to eliminate the Office of Economic Development failed due to lack of a second

The item concluded as informational, with no reorganization measures approved by the Council.

Open Data Resolution

34:27

The Council considered and approved a resolution promoting open and transparent government and open data initiatives. The resolution directed the city to develop strategies for publishing public data sets and encouraged the creation of software applications based on publicly available data.

Council Member Martin, Council Member McCord, Council Member Lane, and Council Member Kay participated in the discussion alongside Mayor Gray. The resolution was approved by the Council.

Council Staff Reorganization

29:28

The Council discussed changes to council core staff positions during this agenda item. The discussion focused on new job descriptions for two positions: research analyst and council administrative specialist.

Council Members Stennett, Lane, and McCord participated in the discussion of the proposed reorganization.

The Council approved moving the staff reorganization items to the docket for first reading, advancing the proposed changes in the legislative process.

Renaming Commission on Community Services for Older Persons

32:46

The Council considered an ordinance to rename the Commission on Community Services for Older Persons to the Senior Services Commission.

Key Speakers

The Vice Mayor and Dr. Blue participated in the discussion of this agenda item.

Outcome

The Council approved the ordinance renaming the Commission on Community Services for Older Persons to the Senior Services Commission.

Special Social Services Committee Report

33:52

Council Member Lane moved to table the Special Social Services Committee Report to the next session. The report was not discussed further at this meeting and was postponed for consideration at a future session.

General Government Committee Report

34:27

The General Government Committee presented a report covering two main items: energy-efficient vehicles and an open data resolution.

Key Speakers

Council Member Lane, Council Member Martin, Council Member McCord, and Council Member Kay participated in the discussion of this agenda item.

Items Discussed

The committee reported on initiatives related to energy-efficient vehicles and presented an open data resolution for consideration.

Outcome

The open data resolution was approved by a vote of 4-2 and moved to the docket for further action.

Public Safety Committee Referral

51:12

The Council discussed a referral regarding a jail study to be sent to the Public Safety Committee. During the discussion, Council Member Kay and Council Member McCord participated in the deliberation.

The Council made an amendment to the referral to remove direct reference to the sheriff's office. This modification was made to ensure that the Public Safety Committee's review of the jail study would remain neutral and unbiased.

The referral was approved following this amendment.