Urban County Council Meeting

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Council met on July 7, 2011, at 6:00 p.m. in Lexington, Kentucky, with Mayor Gray presiding. The meeting included four agenda items, all of which were informational in nature: an invocation, committee reports, a budget process update, and discussion of collective bargaining agreements. The Council took three votes during the session and heard one public comment. The meeting focused on providing updates and information to Council members rather than on legislative action or decision-making on substantive matters.

Attendance

The following individuals were present at the meeting on July 7, 2011:

• Mayor Gray
• Henson
• Kay
• Lane
• Lawless
• Martin
• McChord
• Myers
• Stinnett
• Beard
• Blues
• Crosbie
• Ellinger
• Farmer
• Ford
• Gorton

No absences or late arrivals were recorded.

Votes and Decisions

Approval of Minutes from April 12, 14, and 28, 2011 3:14

Motion by Ellinger, seconded by Gorton. The minutes were approved unanimously with 15 ayes and 0 nays.

Voting in favor: Henson, Kay, Lane, Lawless, Martin, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, Beard, Blues, Crosbie, Ellinger, Farmer, Ford, and Gorton.

Override Mayor's Veto on FY 2012 Budget 10% Cut for Outside Agencies 1:00:04

Motion by Stinnett, seconded by McChord. This roll call vote failed with 4 ayes and 11 nays.

Voting in favor: Stinnett, Kay, Martin, and McChord.

Voting against: Beard, Myers, Lawless, Henson, Gorton, Ford, Farmer, Ellinger, Crosbie, Blues, and Lane.

Approval of Ordinances on Second Reading 1:11:10

Motion by Crosbie, seconded by Myers. The ordinances on second reading were approved by roll call vote with 15 ayes and 0 nays.

Voting in favor: Henson, Kay, Lane, Lawless, Martin, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, Beard, Blues, Crosbie, Ellinger, Farmer, Ford, and Gorton.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting approved several financial actions and contracts as outlined in Resolution 0073-26:

Meadows-Northland-Arlington Neighborhood Improvements Project Phase 3D A contract valued at $787,999.10 was awarded to Claunch Construction, LLC for Phase 3D of the Meadows-Northland-Arlington Neighborhood Improvements Project.

Asphalt and Pavement Maintenance Contracts The meeting approved three unit price contracts for asphalt and pavement maintenance services:

• Crack Sealing: C & R Asphalt was contracted at $1.15 per pound
• Asphalt Emulsion Slurry Seal: American Pavements, Inc. was contracted at $2.18 per square yard
• Asphalt Surface Maintenance with Rejuvenating Agent: Pavement Technology, Inc. was contracted at $0.74 per square yard

All financial actions were approved under Resolution 0073-26.

Public Comment

Robert Dalton addressed the meeting at approximately 3:50:08 to promote a golf outing organized by American Legion Post 341. Mr. Dalton sought participants and sponsors for the event, which is intended to support veterans.

Contested Items

Override Mayor's Veto on FY 2012 Budget 10% Cut for Outside Agencies

The council voted on a motion to override the Mayor's veto regarding a 10% budget cut for outside agencies in the FY 2012 budget. The motion failed with a vote of 4-11, demonstrating significant disagreement among council members on whether to proceed with the proposed cut despite the Mayor's opposition. The narrow support for the override indicated that a substantial majority of the council sided with the Mayor's position on this budgetary matter.

Approval of Collective Bargaining Agreements

A heated discussion took place regarding the council's authority over collective bargaining agreements. Council members held differing opinions on whether the council should have the power to approve or disapprove such agreements. The debate centered on the appropriate scope of the council's role in labor negotiations and contract approval, with no clear consensus emerging on how this authority should be exercised or distributed among city government bodies.

Invocation

Reverend Nancy Jo Kemper from New Union Church provided the invocation for the meeting. 0:00

Committee Reports

Vice Mayor Gorton reported on the Committee of the Whole Work Session held on July 5, 2011. 4:56

This agenda item was presented for informational purposes.

Budget Process Update

Commissioner Janet Graham provided an update on the budget process and addressed the implications of the Mayor's veto. 7:46

This was an informational presentation with no formal action taken. The discussion focused on how the Mayor's veto would affect the ongoing budget process and the council's next steps in responding to it.

Collective Bargaining Agreements

2:01:13

The council discussed the procedure for approval of collective bargaining agreements during this agenda item. Senator Kathy Stein and Mike Sweeney provided input on the matter, along with union representatives who participated in the discussion.

The focus of the discussion centered on the approval process for collective bargaining agreements. While the specific details of the procedure were addressed, the outcome of this item was informational in nature, meaning the council received information and discussion on the topic without taking formal action at this time.