Urban County Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government held a work session on November 13, 2012, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chamber. The meeting addressed three agenda items: approval of a summary, budget amendments, and new business. All three items were approved. The council took three motions and votes during the session and heard one public comment.

Votes and Decisions

The council held three voice votes during this meeting, all of which passed.

Motion to Approve the Docket 7:30 Council Member Blues moved to approve the docket, with Vice Mayor Gordon seconding the motion. The motion passed by voice vote.

Motion to Approve Budget Amendments 9:07 Council Member Beard moved to approve budget amendments, with Vice Mayor Gordon seconding the motion. The motion passed by voice vote.

Motion to Approve New Business 13:12 Council Member Ellinger moved to approve new business, with Vice Mayor Gordon seconding the motion. The motion passed by voice vote.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting approved three financial actions on November 13, 2012:

Grant Awards

• State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (L1133-12): Authorization to accept a $65,503 award from the U.S. Department of Justice under the 2012 State Criminal Alien Assistance Program. The Division of Community Corrections will receive this grant.

• Violence Against Women Act Program (L1134-12): Authorization to submit an application and accept an award of $45,123 from the Kentucky Justice Cabinet under the Violence Against Women Act Program.

Economic Development Financing

• 21c Lexington Development Area (L1140-12): Authorization to establish the "21c Lexington Development Area" for economic development purposes using Tax Increment Financing (TIF). This action involves a $1,000,000 loan to a developer.

Public Comment

A public hearing was opened during the meeting 7:00. No public comments were received, and the hearing was subsequently closed.

Contested Items

Fence Removal at Shillito Park

A significant point of contention arose regarding the proposed fence removal at Shillito Park. The disagreement centered on the allocation of funds designated for this project, with council members expressing confusion and concern about both the budgeting process and the practical implications of the removal.

The core issue involved questions about how the decision to remove the fence was made and whether adequate consideration had been given to the impact on current park users. Some council members challenged the process, suggesting that the allocation of funds for this project warranted further scrutiny and discussion before proceeding.

The contested nature of this item reflected broader concerns about community input and the effects of infrastructure changes on existing park users, though the specific outcome of the discussion was not detailed in the available meeting materials.

Approval of Summary

The council discussed and approved the summary of the previous meeting. 8:32

Vice Mayor Gordon and Council Member Myers were the key speakers during this agenda item.

The outcome of the discussion was approval of the summary.

Budget Amendments

The council discussed various budget amendments during this portion of the meeting 9:07. Council Member Farmer and Vice Mayor Gordon were the key speakers on this agenda item.

The discussion included consideration of funds for pension consulting services as part of the broader budget amendments under review.

The budget amendments were approved by the council.

New Business

During this agenda item, the council discussed and approved new business matters, including a transfer of funds for a Design Excellence Program. 13:12

Council Member Blues was the key speaker during this discussion. The council voted to approve the new business items presented, including the funding transfer for the Design Excellence Program.