Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council met on February 21, 2012, under the presiding leadership of Mayor Gray. During this meeting, the Council addressed 12 agenda items, took 11 votes, and heard 2 public comment periods. The Council approved several significant items including requested rezonings and docket approvals, budget amendments, new business, the NDF List, and the Mayor's Report. The Council also received informational presentations on the HealthFirst Business Plan, the LFUCG Fire & Police Staffing Update, and a Council Report. One item—the General Government Committee Update—was deferred for later consideration.

Attendance

Present: - Mayor Gray - CM Ellinger - CM Blues - CM Farmer - CM Beard - CM Henson - CM Stinnett - VM Gorton - CM Lane - CM Myers - CM Lawless - CM McChord - CM Kay - CM Ford

Absent: - CM Crosbie - CM Martin - CM Myers

Late: None reported.

Votes and Decisions

Approve the docket of requested rezonings 5:37 Motion by CM Ellinger, seconded by CM Blues. Passed unanimously.

Approve the summary of the 2.14.12 Work Session 6:07 Motion by CM Farmer, seconded by VM Gorton. Passed unanimously.

Approve the budget amendments 7:41 Motion by CM Beard, seconded by VM Gorton. Passed unanimously.

Approve the new business items 8:13 Motion by VM Gorton, seconded by CM Ellinger. Passed unanimously.

Motion to remove item A from new business and place into Council Links 16:37 Motion by CM Lawless, seconded by VM Gorton. Failed by roll call vote with 1 ayes and 10 nays. CM Lawless voted in favor. CM Ellinger, CM Blues, CM Farmer, CM Beard, CM Henson, CM Stinnett, VM Gorton, CM Lane, CM Myers, and CM McChord voted against.

Recommend that Dept. of Finance, Div. of HR, and Dept. of Law review ordinances on pay raises for non-union employees 32:11 Motion by CM Lane, seconded by CM Myers. Passed unanimously.

Approve the NDF list 32:42 Motion by CM Myers, seconded by CM Ellinger. Passed unanimously with 1 abstention. CM Ellinger, CM Lane, CM Beard, CM Henson, CM Stinnett, VM Gorton, CM Lawless, CM McChord, CM Kay, and CM Ford voted in favor.

Approve the Health First business plan 1:01:59 Approved as an informational item.

Place the issue of H-1/ND-1 building permit extensions into the Planning and Public Works Committee 1:53:39 Motion by CM Lawless, seconded by VM Gorton. Passed unanimously.

Approve the Mayor's Report 1:55:20 Motion by CM Beard, seconded by CM Henson. Passed unanimously.

Adjourn the meeting 2:00:40 Motion by CM Stinnett, seconded by VM Gorton. Passed unanimously.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting included three financial actions totaling $2.6 million in amendments and appropriations.

Recruit Class Funding

Two amendments provided funding for public safety recruit classes:

• Fire recruit class: $700,000
• Police recruit class: $700,000

Health Services Appropriation

An appropriation of $1.2 million was approved for primary care operations using health tax funds. Health First Bluegrass was designated as the recipient of these funds.

Public Comment

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

Patricia Muhammed 2:02 spoke regarding the Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center. She raised concerns about the lack of community inclusion in the Lyric Theatre board and expressed concerns over discriminatory practices in funding and access. Ms. Muhammed urged the Council to ensure equitable governance of the organization.

Corey Dunn 1:56:26 addressed the Charles Young Center Advisory Board application process. He questioned why the application deadline for the advisory board had been extended and raised concerns about fairness and transparency in the process.

Appointments

VM Gorton was appointed to the ZOTA Tourism Work Group.

Contested Items

Removal of Item A from New Business

Council members voted on a motion to remove item A from new business and instead place it into the Council Links process. The motion failed with a vote of 1-10, revealing substantial disagreement among council members about the appropriate procedural path for handling this issue. The lopsided vote indicates that the vast majority of the council opposed rerouting the item through Council Links, preferring to maintain it within the new business agenda.

Health Tax Usage and Relocation Expenses for Health First

Council members engaged in a heated discussion regarding health tax usage and relocation expenses associated with Health First. The central concern focused on financial responsibility: specifically, whether the urban county government would bear the costs of relocating the current tenant at 913 Georgetown if HRSA funding was not secured. This uncertainty about funding contingencies and the potential liability to the county government created significant tension during the discussion, as council members grappled with the implications of proceeding without guaranteed federal funding for the relocation.

Public Comment – Issues on Agenda

2:02

During the public comment period for issues on the agenda, citizen Patricia Muhammed addressed the body regarding the Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center.

Muhammed raised concerns about community exclusion and discriminatory practices related to governance and funding of the facility. Her comments focused on how these practices may be affecting community access and participation in the institution's operations and financial decisions.

This agenda item was informational in nature, providing an opportunity for public input on matters under consideration by the body.

Requested Rezonings / Docket Approval

5:37

The Council considered the docket of requested rezonings during this agenda item. CM Ellinger moved approval of the docket, with CM Blues providing the second to the motion. The Council approved the docket of requested rezonings without dissent.

Approval of Summary

The summary of the February 14, 2012 Work Session was presented for approval 6:07. Council Member Farmer moved to approve the summary, and Vice Mayor Gorton seconded the motion. The summary was approved unanimously.

Budget Amendments

The budget amendments were presented as agenda item IV and were approved unanimously 7:41.

During the discussion, CM Stinnett raised a question regarding the current vacancy balance in the Division of Community Correction. Stinnett noted that information about this vacancy balance had been promised for Thursday night.

The key speakers involved in this agenda item were CM Stinnett, CM Beard, and VM Gorton.

The amendments were approved without objection.

New Business

8:13

The Council considered new business items during this portion of the meeting. CM Lawless, VM Gorton, and CM Ellinger participated in the discussion.

A motion was made to remove item A from new business and place it into Council Links. This motion failed with a vote of 1-10.

Following this, a separate motion to approve the new business items was brought forward and passed unanimously.

General Government Committee Update

26:26

CM Lane presented an update from the General Government Committee, which included discussion of an aquatics management plan for Berry Hill and Constitution Pools.

The committee requested that the Parks Department provide a follow-up presentation regarding pool closures and renovations. Commissioner Hamilton participated in the discussion of this agenda item.

The matter was deferred, with no final action taken at this meeting.

NDF List

The NDF List was presented as a resolution item during the meeting. 32:42

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

Outcome

The NDF List was approved unanimously. CM Myers abstained from voting due to a conflict of interest.

1 HealthFirst Business Plan

Dr. Rice Leach and Mr. William North presented the HealthFirst business plan to the meeting 33:13. The presentation was informational in nature.

The presenters discussed several key components of the business plan, including:

• Patient demographics
• Revenue projections
• Challenges related to Medicaid
• Electronic medical records implementation

The presentation addressed the operational and financial aspects of HealthFirst's business model, with particular attention to the challenges the organization faces in managing Medicaid services and implementing electronic medical records systems.

This agenda item concluded as an informational presentation with no formal action taken.

LFUCG Fire & Police Staffing Update

Chief Bastin and Acting Chief Jackson presented staffing updates for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government's police and fire departments 1:02:40. Chief Hoskins also participated in the discussion.

The presentation addressed several critical staffing challenges facing both departments:

Key Issues Presented: - Attrition rates within both departments - Recruitment challenges in filling vacant positions - Concerns regarding response times - Equipment aging and maintenance issues

The chiefs highlighted the impact of staffing shortages on departmental operations, with particular attention to how reduced personnel levels affect emergency response capabilities and service delivery to the community.

Outcome:

This agenda item was presented as informational, providing the council with an update on current staffing conditions and operational challenges rather than requesting a specific decision or action at this time.

Council Report

During the Council Report section, council members made several announcements regarding upcoming public meetings and initiatives.

Upcoming Public Meetings

Council members announced public meetings scheduled on three topics: - Constitution Pool - Gainesway Pool/Skate Park - Tourism zoning

Tourism Work Group

VM Gorton announced the formation of a work group focused on ZOTA (Zone of Transition Area) tourism.

Speakers

The following council members participated in this informational segment: CM Stinnett, CM Kay, VM Gorton, CM Farmer, CM Lawless, and CM Myers.

Outcome

This agenda item was informational in nature, with council members sharing announcements about upcoming meetings and the new tourism work group initiative.

1:41:26

Mayor's Report

The Mayor's Report was presented as Agenda Item VIII during the meeting. Following the presentation, CM Beard moved to approve the report, and CM Henson seconded the motion. The report was approved unanimously by the council.

1:55:20

Public Comment – Issues not on the agenda

1:56:26

During this portion of the meeting, citizen Corey Dunn raised concerns regarding the extension of the advisory board application deadline for the Charles Young Center. Dunn questioned the decision to extend the deadline, citing a lack of public notice about the extension and expressing fairness concerns related to the process.

The item was informational in nature, with no formal action taken during this discussion.