Urban County Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government City Council met on February 7, 2023, under the presiding of Vice Mayor Gorton. The council addressed eight agenda items during the meeting, taking four motions to a vote. Six members of the public provided comments during the meeting.

The council approved five substantive items: the Approval of Meeting Summary, a Return of Default Housing Loan Budget Amendment, Building Renovations and Condition Assessment, Sidewalks at Tays Creek, and a Consulting Service Agreement for Banking Procurement. Additionally, the council received three informational updates: a General Government Committee Update, a Social Service Community Development Committee Update, and Council Member Reports.

Attendance

The following council members were present at the meeting on February 1, 2012:

• Council Member Henson
• Council Member Farmer
• Council Member Ellinger
• Council Member McCord
• Council Member Beard
• Council Member Lane
• Council Member Kay
• Council Member Martin
• Council Member Stenet
• Council Member Crosby
• Council Member Lawless

No council members were absent or late.

Votes and Decisions

The council took four votes during this meeting, all of which passed by voice vote.

Summary Approval with Correction 0:00 Council Member Henson moved to approve the summary with a correction regarding Council Member Martin's recusal. Council Member Farmer seconded the motion. The motion passed by voice vote.

Budget Amendment Return to Docket 2:38 Council Member Blues moved to return the budget amendment for the default housing loan to the docket. Council Member Beard seconded the motion. The motion passed by voice vote.

New Business Items Approval 13:35 Council Member Ellinger moved to approve new business items A through J. Council Member Beard seconded the motion. The motion passed by voice vote.

Neighborhood Development Funds Approval 14:05 Council Member McCord moved to approve the Neighborhood Development Funds. Council Member Blue seconded the motion. The motion passed by voice vote.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting addressed three financial items totaling $436,000 in expenditures and grants.

Item A: Building Renovation Consulting Services A contract for $56,000 was approved for consulting services related to building renovations and condition assessment. The consulting firm providing these services was not identified in the meeting materials.

Item B: Tays Creek Sidewalk Project A grant of $130,000 was allocated for right-of-way acquisition and construction of sidewalks at Tays Creek. This funding was provided through the Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Grant program.

Item D: Banking and Cash Flow Review A contract for $250,000 was approved for consulting services to conduct a comprehensive review of city banking accounts and cash flow restructuring. The third-party consultant selected for this work was not named in the meeting materials.

Public Comment

Several council members made announcements and updates during the public comment period.

Council Member Martin 21:15 announced that he will not seek re-election, citing personal reasons including family and career considerations. He expressed gratitude for his service.

Council Member McCord addressed two separate matters. First 17:01, he clarified the council's policy on golf subsidies, noting an annual subsidy of $1.2 million. He indicated that a resolution will be introduced to define this policy and proposed moving the subsidy to an enterprise fund to improve financial transparency. Later 32:17, McCord informed the council that Clay's Mill Road may experience a brief closure in the coming week to expedite construction, with advance notice to be provided to residents.

Council Member Henson 24:37 raised concerns about the hiring process for a new Community Corrections director. He noted that an ongoing governance study may deter qualified applicants and requested clarification on whether the position could be elevated to a commissioner-level role.

Council Member Kay 31:47 made lighthearted comments about the lame duck status of departing council members and invited colleagues to attend a whiskers competition at Cosmic Charlie's following the Tennessee game.

Council Member Lawless 34:25 informed the council that the Imperial Precinct and Triangle Park Precinct have been reassigned to the 3rd district and invited residents to update their representation information accordingly.

Appointments

Commissioner Mason was appointed to the position of Community Corrections Director.

Contested Items

Hiring of Community Corrections Director

A heated discussion arose regarding the hiring of a Community Corrections Director. Council members expressed concern that two factors could negatively impact the recruitment process and governance of the position: an ongoing governance study and the civil service status of the role.

Specifically, council members worried that these conditions might deter qualified applicants from applying for the position. Additionally, they raised concerns that the civil service designation could limit mayoral oversight of the director once hired.

In response to these concerns, council members called for a legal review to examine potential changes to the role's structure or requirements. The discussion reflected broader questions about balancing civil service protections with executive authority and the practical challenges of attracting strong candidates to a position whose governance framework remained uncertain.

Approval of Meeting Summary

The council discussed and approved an amended meeting summary during this agenda item 0:00.

Key Speakers

Council Member Henson, Council Member Ellinger, and Council Member McCord participated in this discussion.

Discussion and Outcome

The council reviewed the meeting summary and identified a comment regarding Council Member Martin's recusal that required amendment. The council determined this comment was out of context and moved to remove it from the summary. Following this discussion, the amended meeting summary was approved.

Return of Default Housing Loan Budget Amendment

2:38

The council voted to return a previously tabled budget amendment related to a default housing loan to the docket for further consideration. The amendment involved $443,000 in funding.

Key Participants

The discussion included Mr. Barrow, Council Member Blues, and Council Member Beard.

Outcome

The motion to return the budget amendment to the docket was approved.

Building Renovations and Condition Assessment

The council reviewed a proposal for consulting services related to the condition and renovation of city buildings. 4:42

Proposal Details

The council considered a proposal for $56,000 in consulting services to conduct a comprehensive condition assessment of city buildings and develop renovation options designed to extend their useful life.

Key Participants

Council Member Ellinger was the primary speaker on this agenda item.

Outcome

The proposal was approved by the council.

Sidewalks at Tays Creek

6:18

The council received a presentation on the Tays Creek sidewalk project. Keith Leving provided an update on the initiative, which included progress on right-of-way acquisition and details regarding project funding and construction timeline.

The project is being funded through a federal grant. Council members Council Member Beard and Council Member Lane participated in the discussion.

The council approved the sidewalk project at Tays Creek.

Consulting Service Agreement for Banking Procurement

10:13

The council discussed a proposal to engage a third-party consultant to restructure the city's banking operations. Jane and Cindy presented the rationale for this consulting service agreement.

Rationale for Consulting Services

The council identified inefficiencies in current banking operations and noted that the city was paying high fees under existing arrangements. The consultant would be tasked with helping to centralize procurement processes across city departments, with the goal of reducing overall costs.

Outcome

The consulting service agreement for banking procurement was approved.

General Government Committee Update

14:05

Council Member Lane reported on three meetings held by the General Government Committee regarding neighborhood development funds.

Committee Activities

The committee provided updates on the Parks Acquisition Fund and reviewed management plans for aquatics and golf operations.

Key Recommendation

The committee recommended developing policy flexibility for golf operations to allow for more adaptive management of these facilities.

Outcome

This was an informational report to the full council. No action was required at this time.

Social Service Community Development Committee Update

Council Member Henson reported on the Social Service Community Development Committee's activities 19:40.

The committee determined that no Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) projects were eligible for transfer to the Stormwater Quality Management Fund.

The committee scheduled a future meeting to discuss Section 108 CDBG loan funding.

This report was informational in nature.

Council Member Reports

During the Council Member Reports section, three council members shared updates on various matters 21:15.

Council Member Martin announced that he would not seek re-election.

Council Member Henson raised concerns regarding the hiring of a new Community Corrections director. The specific details of these concerns were not elaborated in the available information.

Council Member McCord discussed a resolution on golf subsidies, though the details of this discussion were not provided in the summary.

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