Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council met on January 22, 2013, at 3:05 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the 2nd Floor of the Government Center, with Mayor Jim Gray presiding. The council addressed nine agenda items during the session, including public comment periods, rezoning requests, budget matters, and various reports. The body took 16 votes and heard 3 public comments from members of the public. Among the items approved were requested rezonings, a summary approval, new business, council reports, and the mayor's report. The meeting also included informational presentations on budget amendments and continuing business matters.

Attendance

The following individuals were present at the meeting on January 22, 2013:

• Jim Gray
• Linda Gorton
• Chuck Ellinger
• Chris Ford
• Diane Lawless
• Julian Beard
• Bill Farmer
• Kevin Stinnett
• Jennifer Scutchfield
• Jennifer Mossotti
• Harry Clarke
• Peggy Henson
• Ronald Akers
• Michael Kaye
• David Myers
• John Clark

No absences or late arrivals were recorded.

Votes and Decisions

All motions brought before the Council on January 22, 2013 passed unanimously.

Special Council Meeting for Police Disciplinary Hearing 0:00 Motion by Gorton, seconded by Henson, to schedule a special Council Meeting on February 4th, 2013 at 3:00pm for a police disciplinary hearing. Passed unanimously.

Docket Approval 0:00 Motion by Beard, seconded by Ellinger, to approve the docket. Passed unanimously.

Public Hearing on Neighborhood Design Character Overlay 0:00 Motion by Henson, seconded by Ellinger, to schedule a Public Hearing on an Ordinance creating a Neighborhood Design Character Overlay (ND-1) zone for 52.68 net acres. Passed unanimously.

Amendment to Special Meeting Schedule 0:00 Motion by Henson, seconded by Farmer, to amend the motion to schedule a special Council Meeting to hold a Public Hearing on Ordinance 2 for March 5th, 2013. Passed unanimously.

Docket Approval (Second) 0:00 Motion by Beard, seconded by Gorton, to approve the docket. Passed unanimously.

Speed Limit Resolution for Bellefonte Drive 0:00 Motion by Beard, seconded by Gorton, to add to the docket for the January 17th, 2013 Council Meeting a resolution authorizing and directing the Division of Traffic Engineering to lower the speed limit on Bellefonte Drive. Passed unanimously.

Summary Approval 0:00 Motion by Farmer, seconded by Gorton, to approve the summary. Passed unanimously.

Budget Amendments 0:00 Motion by Gorton, seconded by Myers, to approve the budget amendments. Passed unanimously.

New Business Approval 0:00 Motion by Gorton, seconded by Henson, to approve all new business except item K. Passed unanimously.

Item K Approval 0:00 Motion by Stinnett, seconded by Myers, to approve item K. Passed unanimously.

Code of Ordinances Amendment 0:00 Motion by Lawless, seconded by Scutchfield, to place on the docket for the January 17th, 2013 Council Meeting an Ordinance amending sections 14-85(a) thru 14-95 of the Code of Ordinances. Passed unanimously.

Confirmation Hearing Schedule 0:00 Motion by Gorton, seconded by Ellinger, to schedule a Confirmation Hearing for January 31st, 2013 at 4:30pm. Passed unanimously.

Mayor's Report Approval 0:00 Motion by Stinnett, seconded by Ellinger, to approve the Mayor's Report. Passed unanimously.

Ethics Commission Nominee Approval 0:00 Motion by Gorton, seconded by Stinnett, to approve the nominee for the Ethics Commission pending the Confirmation Hearing. Passed unanimously.

Commissioner Approval 1:36:26 Motion by Gorton, seconded by Beard, to approve Richard Maloney as Commissioner of Environmental Quality and Public Works. Passed unanimously.

Adjournment 1:47:52 Motion by Gorton, seconded by Farmer, to adjourn. Passed unanimously.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting included authorization for the following financial and contractual actions:

Contracts and Agreements

• L1177-12: Approval of an agreement with KD Analytical Consulting, Inc. to participate in the Kentucky Business Investment Program.

• L1258-12: Authorization to execute the Kentucky Revenue Cabinet Exchange of Information Agreement with the Kentucky Revenue Cabinet.

• L0043-13: Authorization to execute agreements with twenty-two (22) engineering firms for Category #2 of RFP #33-2012 covering Dig and Replace Pipeline Projects.

• L0045-13: Authorization to execute a Release of Easement releasing a portion of a utility easement on property located at 3600 Winthrop Drive.

• L0063-13: Authorization to execute a Partial Release of Storm Sewer Easement on property located at 1146 Monarch Street.

Purchases and Change Orders

• L1266-12: Authorization to execute a Purchase Order with Machinex Technologies Inc. for custom sorting screens for the Materials Recycling Facility in the amount of $31,188.

• L0064-13: Authorization to execute Change Order No. 2 with Claunch Construction, LLC for the Meadows/Northland/Arlington Public Improvements Project, Phase 3D, in the amount of $26,439.86.

Grants

• L0047-13: Authorization to submit an application and accept a $10,000 award from the Commonwealth of Kentucky Office of Highway Safety for participation in the Click It or Ticket Safety Belt Enforcement Mobilization for FY 2013.

Public Comment

Three speakers addressed the meeting on January 22, 2013.

New Business Item A

Chris Croom introduced KD Analytical Consulting, Inc., a small company seeking to participate in the Kentucky Business Investment Program. 1:04 Croom indicated the company is expanding into the first responders market.

Jonathan Turpinning followed with remarks on the same topic, reiterating KD Analytical's mission to support first responders with chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear equipment consulting and repair services. 1:04

Pension System and Disability Retirements

Tommy Puckett raised concerns about the high number of disability retirements in police and fire departments. 1:28:31 Puckett cited 102 retirements occurring in less than 13 months and called for reform of the city's disability ordinance in response to this trend.

Appointments

Richard Maloney was appointed as Commissioner of Environmental Quality and Public Works.

Contested Items

Pension System and Disability Retirements

Tommy Puckett raised concerns about the high number of disability retirements occurring in the city's police and fire departments. He cited specific data showing 102 disability retirements in less than 13 months, which he characterized as problematic and warranting reform.

Puckett called for changes to the city's disability ordinance, indicating that the current system may be enabling or encouraging a level of disability retirements he considered excessive. This discussion became heated, reflecting significant disagreement about the appropriate policies governing how disability retirements are processed and approved in these departments.

The contested item centered on whether the existing disability retirement framework was functioning as intended and whether reforms were necessary to address the volume of such retirements occurring within the police and fire services.

Public Comment – Issues on Agenda

1:04

The council opened the floor for public comment on items listed on the agenda. Two visitors from KD Analytical presented during this period:

Presenters: - Chris Croom - Jonathan Turpinning

Presentation: Chris Croom and Jonathan Turpinning from KD Analytical presented on New Business Item A.

Outcome: This agenda item was informational in nature, allowing the public to address the council on matters under consideration.

Requested Rezonings/Docket Approval

2:44

During this agenda item, the council addressed the docket approval process. No docket approval was required at this meeting, as no council meeting had been scheduled for that week. Despite the absence of a formal docket requirement, the council proceeded to approve the docket and related motions.

The item was approved by the council.

Approval of Summary

The Council considered approval of the summary of the work session agenda. Ellinger presented this item to the Council 2:44.

The Council approved the summary without discussion.

Outcome: Approved

Budget Amendments

No budget amendments were presented during this agenda item. The council proceeded directly to new business without discussion of proposed budget modifications.

New Business

3:16

The council addressed several new business items during this portion of the meeting. Key speakers on these matters included Martin, Scutchfield, Lane, and Farmer.

The new business items presented for consideration encompassed:

• Contracts with engineering firms
• Purchase orders
• Agreements for utility easements
• Safety programs

The council approved all new business items that were brought before them. The outcome of this agenda item was unanimous approval.

Continuing Business/ Presentations

23:09

During this agenda item, the Council reviewed the Public Safety Committee summary and received a presentation from Director Rodney Ballard of the Division of Community Corrections.

Director Ballard presented information on improvements across several operational areas within the Division of Community Corrections, including:

• Staffing improvements
• Morale enhancements
• Revenue increases
• Operational efficiency gains

The presentation was informational in nature, with Henson and Ballard serving as the key speakers during this portion of the meeting. No specific concerns or debate points were documented from this agenda item.

Council Reports

1:34:05

Council members provided reports on appointments, work groups, and legislative initiatives during this agenda item.

Key Speakers and Topics

The following council members participated in the reports: Gorton, Stinnett, Ford, and Myers.

Appointments

The council confirmed Richard Maloney as Commissioner of Environmental Quality and Public Works.

Outcome

The council reports were approved.

Mayor's Report

Council approved the Mayor's Report during this agenda item. The discussion involved key speakers Stinnett and Gorton.

In addition to the Mayor's Report itself, Council also addressed a nominee for the Ethics Commission. The nominee was approved pending confirmation.

The outcome of this agenda item was approval.

Public Comment – Items Not on the Agenda

1:28:31

During this portion of the meeting, the council received public comments on matters not included on the formal agenda. Tommy Puckett addressed the council with remarks focused on pension reform and disability retirements.

Puckett raised concerns about the high number of retirements occurring within the municipality and emphasized the need for ordinance reform to address this issue. His comments highlighted the financial and administrative implications of the current retirement practices and suggested that changes to existing ordinances would be necessary to manage the situation more effectively.

The council received these comments in an informational capacity, with no formal action or decision made during this public comment period.