Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council met on September 27, 2011, under the presiding of the Mayor. During the meeting, the Council took 16 motions and votes, heard 10 public comments, and addressed 10 agenda items.

The Council approved several items including rezoning and docket matters, budget amendments, and new business. The Environmental Quality Committee Report was also approved. Several items were presented for informational purposes, including public comment, Program 6: Continuing Business and Presentations, an Airport Board Presentation, and Council Reports. One item—the Social Services Presentation on Partner Agency Compensation—was deferred to a later date.

Attendance

The following council members were present at the meeting on September 27, 2011:

• Council Member Farmer
• Vice Mayor Gordon
• Council Member McCord
• Council Member Stennett
• Council Member Ellinger
• Council Member Myers
• Council Member Beard
• Council Member Lawless
• Council Member Kay
• Council Member Ford
• Council Member Martin
• Council Member Henson
• Council Member Lane
• Council Member Blues
• Council Member Crosby

No council members were absent or late.

Votes and Decisions

The Council passed 16 motions during this meeting, with 14 decided by voice vote and 2 by electronic vote.

Traffic and Speed Limit Matters

Council Member Farmer moved to place on the September 29, 2011 Council meeting docket a resolution authorizing the Division of Traffic Engineering to install multi-way stop controls at Romney Road and Providence Lane. Vice Mayor Gordon seconded the motion, which passed by voice vote 3:37.

Council Member Farmer also moved to place on the docket a resolution designating the speed limit on Pepper Hill Road between Montevideo Road and Shinoahe Road as 25 mph and authorizing installation of appropriate signs. Council Member McCord seconded, and the motion passed by voice vote 4:39.

Business and Administrative Matters

Council Member Stennett moved to place on the docket a resolution revoking Resolution 262-2010 and replacing it with a resolution granting the 1% occupational license fee incentive to SIS Coding Company, LLC, and its affiliates. Council Member McCord seconded, and the motion passed by voice vote 5:11.

Council Member Ellinger moved to approve the docket as amended, seconded by Council Member Myers, and the motion passed by voice vote 6:13.

Council Member Ellinger moved to approve the summary, seconded by Council Member Crosby, and the motion passed by voice vote 6:44.

Council Member Farmer moved to approve a budget amendment (Journal 55-176) for community corrections to provide funding for the director of community corrections as a seasonal employee with no benefits. Council Member Crosby seconded, and the motion passed by voice vote 7:52.

Committee Referrals and Assignments

Council Member Beard moved to approve new business, seconded by Council Member Farmer, and the motion passed by voice vote 10:03.

Council Member Blues moved to assign the Valley View Ferry issue to the Planning and Public Works Committee, seconded by Vice Mayor Gordon, and the motion passed by voice vote 16:05.

Council Member Blues moved to assign the issue of renegotiating and expanding paving warranties to the Planning and Public Works Committee, seconded by Council Member Myers, and the motion passed by voice vote 16:38.

Council Member Blues moved to cancel the October 4 Environmental Quality meeting, seconded by Council Member Crosby, and the motion passed by voice vote 17:40.

Contested Votes

Council Member Myers moved to assign discussion on creating a policy for funding partner agencies regarding employee raises to the Social Services Community Development Standing Committee, seconded by Council Member Ellinger. The motion passed by electronic vote 11-4 1:07:44. Voting in favor were Council Members Myers, Ellinger, Blues, Crosby, McCord, Ford, Martin, Henson, Lane, Lawless, and Kay. Voting against were Council Members Stennett, Beard, Gordon, and Ford.

Council Member Beard moved to refer the issue of farm animals in residential areas to the Planning and Zoning Committee, seconded by Council Member Crosby, and the motion passed by voice vote 1:21:50.

Council Member Martin moved to refer examination of the existing tree ordinance and recommendations for increasing tree stock to the Planning and Public Works Committee, seconded by Council Member Ford, and the motion passed by voice vote 1:39:28.

Council Member Ford moved to refer examination of the recent history of cost of living adjustments and salary increases for LFUCG civil service employees to the General Government Committee, seconded by Council Member Ellinger. The motion passed by electronic vote 11-4 1:52:46, with the same voting pattern as the earlier contested motion.

Council Member Henson moved to move spay and neutering funding from Public Safety Committee to Budget and Finance Committee, seconded by Council Member McCord, and the motion passed by voice vote 1:57:07.

Council Member Ellinger moved to adjourn, seconded by Vice Mayor Gordon, and the motion passed by voice vote 2:03:04.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting included one financial amendment related to personnel funding.

Director of Community Corrections Position

An amendment (Journal 55-176) was approved to allocate $112,900 in funding for the director of community corrections position. This funding was designated for a seasonal employee with no benefits.

Public Comment

Council members offered remarks on airport operations, partner agency funding policies, community initiatives, and local development during the meeting.

Airport Operations and Community Engagement

Council Member McCord praised airport leadership and staff for their community outreach efforts, particularly the Second Sunday event, and commended their openness and collaboration with the city 31:54. Council Member Lawless expressed strong support for flying out of Lexington Airport, noting its affordability and excellent service compared to regional airports 32:58. Council Member Gordon thanked the airport for hosting the Sister Cities display, highlighting its importance for community representation and international goodwill 33:30.

Partner Agency Funding and Compensation Policy

Council Member Ford raised concerns about the fairness of funding partner agencies that give raises to employees while city employees have not received raises, calling for a broader policy review 1:08:16. Council Member Myers emphasized the need for a policy to guide funding decisions for partner agencies that plan to give employee raises, especially when city employees have not received raises 1:05:00. Council Member Lawless countered that partner agency employee compensation should not be over-scrutinized, comparing it to how the city contracts with other businesses 1:14:11.

Community Announcements and Development

Council Member Martin shared observations from a trip to Greenville, South Carolina, highlighting its tree-lined downtown and transportation planning, and urged Lexington to prioritize similar urban beautification and traffic management 1:36:46. Council Member Henson announced a poverty forum hosted by the Community Action Council to discuss rising poverty rates in Lexington 1:43:59. Council Member Stennett invited colleagues to attend the grand opening of a new Humane Society adoption center at PetSmart in Hamburg 2:01:26. Vice Mayor Gordon announced the grand opening of the Heisel Farm Archery Range and invited council members to attend 2:01:59.

Contested Items

The September 27, 2011 meeting included three significant areas of disagreement among council members.

Funding partner agencies that give employee raises

Council members were divided on whether to fund partner agencies that were providing raises to their employees at a time when city employees had not received raises. This disparity prompted heated debate about the fairness and appropriateness of allocating municipal resources to agencies increasing compensation for their staff while the city's own workforce faced a pay freeze. The disagreement resulted in a motion to study the issue further in committee rather than resolving it immediately.

Transparency of partner agency funding data

Council members raised concerns about the availability of salary increase information for partner agencies during the budget process. Specifically, they questioned why data on partner agency compensation increases had not been provided earlier, which would have allowed for more informed decision-making. This lack of transparency prompted discussion about fairness in how budget decisions were being made and whether the council had adequate information to properly evaluate funding requests.

Scope of committee review for partner agency compensation

Council members disagreed about the appropriate mechanism for addressing the partner agency compensation issue. Some argued the matter should be reviewed by the Social Services Community Development Committee, while others contended that the scope of the issue was too broad for a single committee to handle effectively. There was also discussion about whether the matter should be addressed through administrative channels rather than committee review. This split vote reflected uncertainty about the best process for investigating and resolving the underlying concerns about partner agency compensation practices.

Public Comment

The council opened the meeting to public comment on agenda items 3:00. No members of the public spoke during this portion of the meeting.

Rezoning and Docket Approval

3:37

The council approved three separate motions to place items on the September 29, 2011 docket for consideration.

The first motion addressed traffic stop controls at the intersection of Romney Road and Providence Lane. The second motion concerned speed limit designation on Pepper Hill Road. The third motion involved a resolution to revoke Resolution 262-2010, which had previously granted a 1% occupational license fee incentive to SIS Coding Company, LLC.

Council Member Farmer and Council Member Stennett participated in the discussion of these items. All three motions were approved by the council.

Approve Docket as Amended

6:13

The council considered and approved the docket as amended. Council Member Ellinger presented amendments to the docket, which modified the agenda for the meeting. Following the presentation of these amendments, the council voted to approve the docket in its amended form, allowing the meeting agenda to proceed as revised.

The docket was approved by the council.

Budget Amendments

The council considered a budget amendment for community corrections during this agenda item 7:52.

Discussion and Presentation

Council Member Farmer and Mr. Barris were the key speakers on this matter. The amendment addressed funding for a director position within the community corrections department. A notable aspect of the discussion involved the amount being halved from a prior council action, which was acknowledged during the deliberation.

Key Issue

The proposed amendment would fund the director as a seasonal employee with no benefits, representing a change from previous staffing arrangements or budget allocations.

Outcome

The council approved the budget amendment for community corrections.

New Business

10:03

Council Member Beard presented a motion to fund new business initiatives. The council voted to approve the motion with no further discussion.

Outcome: Approved

Program 6: Continuing Business and Presentations

Council Member Farmer reported on two Planning and Zoning Committee meetings 10:35.

The first meeting addressed the Lexington Complete Streets Manual. The second meeting focused on comprehensive plan goals and objectives, which included discussion of public input on land use and downtown traffic management.

This agenda item was presented for informational purposes. No motions were made during this portion of the meeting.

Environmental Quality Committee Report

Council Member Blues presented the Environmental Quality Committee Report 14:19.

The committee received a presentation regarding the greenway system. Based on this presentation, the committee developed recommendations that included the establishment of a greenway coordinator position and the development of management policies for the greenway system.

The committee assigned two issues to the Planning and Public Works Committee for further consideration. Additionally, the committee canceled its scheduled October 4 meeting.

The report was approved.

Airport Board Presentation

The airport board presented an economic impact study demonstrating the airport's significant contribution to the community 18:49. Key speakers Richard Hopgood and Eric Frankel led the presentation.

Economic Impact Findings

The study showed that the airport contributes $370 million annually to the community and supports 3,500 jobs. The presentation also highlighted that the airport maintains strong air service.

Presentation Content

The airport board included praise for staff and employees as part of their presentation to the council.

Council Response

The council offered positive feedback on the airport board's presentation and findings.

Outcome

This agenda item was informational in nature, with no formal action required.

Social Services Presentation: Partner Agency Compensation

40:14

Commissioner Beth Mills presented data on eight social service agencies that had requested salary increases. The presentation prompted discussion among council members regarding transparency, policy, and fairness in how the city funds partner agencies compared to city employees.

Key Discussion Points

Council members, including Council Member Stennett, Council Member McCord, and Council Member Kay, engaged in debate about the compensation requests. The discussion centered on concerns about transparency in partner agency funding decisions and the principles that should guide salary increase approvals for these organizations relative to city staff compensation policies.

Outcome

The council agreed to defer the matter for further study. Rather than making an immediate decision on the salary increase requests, the council determined that the issue would be examined in committee, allowing for more detailed analysis of the funding policies and fairness considerations involved in compensating partner agencies.

Council Reports

Council members provided updates on various municipal matters during this informational segment of the meeting.

Topics Covered

Council members addressed several issues including:

• Animal ordinances
• Flu clinics
• Redistricting
• Candidate interviews
• Community events

Key Speakers and Contributions

The following council members participated in the reports:

• Council Member Beard
• Council Member Blues
• Vice Mayor Gordon
• Council Member Stennett
• Council Member McCord
• Council Member Lawless
• Council Member Martin
• Council Member Henson
• Council Member Ford

Notable Comments

Council Member Martin urged the city to emulate Greenville, South Carolina's urban planning approach.

Outcome

This agenda item was informational in nature, with council members sharing updates rather than taking formal action. 1:18:53