Urban County Council Meeting

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Council met on January 12, 2012, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers in Lexington, Kentucky, with Mayor Gray presiding. The council addressed three agenda items during the session and took three votes. The meeting included two public comments from members of the community.

All three items on the agenda were approved. The council approved the minutes from previous meetings, passed an ordinance amending budgets, and approved an amendment to the schedule of meetings.

Attendance

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

Absent: Kay

Late: None

Votes and Decisions

Ordinance 00531-11 2:46

An Ordinance amending certain of the Budgets of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government to reflect current requirements for municipal expenditures, and appropriating and re-appropriating funds, Schedule No. 49, was moved by Gorton and seconded by Lane. The ordinance passed by roll call vote with 14 ayes and 0 nays. All council members voted in favor: Ford, Gorton, Henson, Lane, Lawless, Martin, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, Beard, Blues, Crosbie, Ellinger, and Farmer.

Ordinance 0063-12 9:14

An Ordinance amending Section 1 of Ordinance No. 158-2011 amending the Schedule of Meetings for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council for the Calendar Year 2012 was moved by Gorton and seconded by Ellinger. The ordinance passed by roll call vote with 14 ayes and 0 nays. All council members voted in favor: Ford, Gorton, Henson, Lane, Lawless, Martin, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, Beard, Blues, Crosbie, Ellinger, and Farmer.

Resolution 0037-12 45:34

A Resolution authorizing the Division of Human Resources to make a conditional offer to various individuals for employment was moved by Ford and seconded by Blues. The resolution passed by roll call vote with 13 ayes and 1 nay. Council members voting in favor were: Ford, Gorton, Henson, Lane, Lawless, Martin, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, Beard, Blues, Ellinger, and Farmer. Crosbie voted against the resolution.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting included approval of three financial contracts:

Phoenix Parking Structure Demolition - Contract identifier: 0030-12 - Vendor: Superior Demolition, Inc. - Amount: $120,600

Health Services Agreement - Contract identifier: 00510-11 - Recipient: Corizon, Inc. - Amount: $2,883,924 - Purpose: Medical care services to inmates

Blue Grass Field Sanitary Pumping Station Upgrade - Contract identifier: 00525-11 - Recipient: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Airport Board - Amount: $600,000

The total value of contracts approved was $3,604,524.

Public Comment

Two members of the public addressed the council during this meeting.

Firearms Regulation 1:17:11

Bruce Lane expressed concerns about the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government's regulation of firearms in public spaces. Mr. Lane stated that these regulations violate Kentucky law KRS 65.870.

Traffic Concerns 1:21:40

Bernard McCarthy addressed the council regarding street configuration proposals. Mr. McCarthy urged the council not to convert one-way streets to two-way streets. He suggested an alternative approach: extending existing two-way streets to improve traffic flow in the area.

Appointments

The following individuals were appointed or reappointed to various boards and committees:

Agricultural Extension District Board - Carrie J. Johnson — appointed - Sherry E. Maddock — appointed

Animal Care and Control Oversight Committee - Ellen M. Sam — reappointed

CASA Board - James R. Rogers — appointed

Downtown Development Authority Board of Directors - Bob Estes — appointed

Greenspace Commission - Arthur Wrobel — reappointed

Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center Corporation - Natalie L. Barrett — appointed

Raven Run Citizens Advisory Board - Susan S. Beard — appointed

Social Services Advisory Board - Kenneth L. Demus — appointed

Contested Items

Agreement with Friends of Skateparks

A resolution to execute an agreement with Friends of Skateparks for website assistance generated significant disagreement among meeting participants. The contentious nature of this item centered on broader concerns about organizational precedent and external website linking practices.

The primary points of contention included:

• Precedent concerns — Participants worried that approving this agreement would establish a precedent for similar agreements with other community groups, potentially creating administrative complications or expectations for future requests.

• External website linking — There were concerns raised about the implications of linking to external websites through the agreement, suggesting uncertainty about appropriate protocols or potential risks associated with such links.

The item resulted in a split vote, indicating that meeting participants were divided on whether to proceed with the agreement. This division reflects the substantive disagreement about both the specific proposal and its potential downstream effects on organizational policy and practice.

Minutes of the Previous Meetings

The meeting included approval of minutes from six previous meetings held during late 2011. 2:15

Meetings Covered

The minutes under review were from the following dates: - October 13, 2011 - October 27, 2011 - November 3, 2011 - November 17, 2011 - December 1, 2011 - December 6, 2011

Key Participants

Ellinger and Myers were the key speakers on this agenda item.

Outcome

The minutes from the previous meetings were approved.

Ordinance amending Budgets

Identifier: 00531-11

Overview

The council considered an ordinance to amend certain municipal budgets to reflect current requirements for expenditures, with provisions to appropriate and re-appropriate funds as needed.

Discussion

Key speakers on this item included Gorton and Lane 2:46. The ordinance addressed adjustments to municipal spending allocations to align with current operational needs.

Outcome

The ordinance was approved.

Amendment to Schedule of Meetings

Identifier: 0063-12

Type: Ordinance

An ordinance amending the schedule of meetings for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council for the calendar year 2012 was presented to the council 9:14.

Key Speakers

The discussion on this agenda item involved Gorton and Crosbie.

Outcome

The ordinance was approved.