Council General Government Committee

Summary

Meeting Overview

The General Government Committee met on August 13, 2013, at 11:00 a.m., with Steve Kay presiding. The committee addressed five agenda items during the meeting, including approval of the summary from a previous meeting, which was approved. The remaining four items—the relationship with the Bluegrass Area Development District (BGADD), moving Human Resources out of the Law Department, procedures for underwriting or sponsoring parks, and items in committee—were all deferred for future consideration. The committee took three motions and votes during the session and heard seven public comments from members of the public.

Attendance

Present: Linda Gorton, Julian Beard, Shevawn Akers, George Myers, Harry Clarke, Jennifer Scutchfield, Ed Lane, and Chris Ford

Absent: Diane Lawless

Late: None

Votes and Decisions

Approval of Previous Meeting Summary 1:00

A motion to approve the summary from the previous meeting was made by Harry Clarke and seconded by Julian Beard. The motion passed by voice vote with no abstentions.

Discussion on BGADD Relationship 2:42

Steve Kay moved to postpone the discussion on the relationship with BGADD. The motion to postpone was approved by voice vote.

HR Department Relocation 30:51

Linda Gorton moved to keep the issue of moving HR out of the Law Department in committee for further exploration. The motion was seconded by Julian Beard and passed by voice vote with no abstentions.

Public Comment

Seven speakers provided public comment on various topics related to the city's policies and programs.

George Myers 31:27 asked about eligibility requirements for the CHIPS Rewards Program wellness initiative, specifically whether employees and their families must be enrolled in LFUCG's health care plan to participate, and questioned the legal or practical basis for any such restriction.

Julian Beard 42:27 sought clarification on the definition of off-site recognition and the duration of temporary signs, expressing concerns about potential misuse of recognition for advertising purposes.

Jennifer Scutchfield 45:12 emphasized that fund development is a full-time job and recommended that the city consider hiring a dedicated professional to build stronger public-private partnerships.

Ed Lane 55:52 suggested forming a committee of business people to value naming opportunities and recommended hiring an outside marketing firm to sell naming rights on a commission basis.

Shevawn Akers 58:35 stressed the importance of hiring or credentialing a professional fundraiser and supporting the Parks Department in developing a robust fund development strategy.

Linda Gorton 1:00:47 raised a concern that naming rights revenue may not cover long-term maintenance costs and urged the committee to ensure funds are allocated for the upkeep of named features.

Chris Ford 1:16:15 suggested sharing the draft policy with the Parks Advisory Board to gather citizen input and improve the final product.

Contested Items

The meeting included two significant areas of disagreement among members.

HR Placement in Law Department

Members were divided on the appropriate organizational placement of the Human Resources function. Some members supported keeping HR within the Law Department, citing the value of legal oversight in HR operations. However, other members questioned this arrangement, arguing that the logic of this placement was unclear. These members advocated for HR to operate as a standalone department instead. Rather than reaching a final resolution, the council voted to keep the issue under further review, indicating the disagreement remained unresolved at the conclusion of the meeting.

Use of Off-Site Recognition for Advertising

Councilmember Myers raised concerns about inappropriate advertising appearing in council reports. Myers highlighted a past incident in which a company's advertisement was inserted into council materials without prior notice or authorization. This prompted broader discussion about the need for greater transparency and clearer policies governing how recognition of off-site activities could be used for advertising purposes. The discussion was characterized as heated, reflecting the strength of feeling on this issue among members present.

Approval of Summary

The committee approved the summary from the previous meeting without dissent 1:00. Harry Clarke made the motion to approve, and Julian Beard seconded it. The summary was adopted with no objections raised.

Relationship with Bluegrass Area Development District (BGADD)

2:42

The committee addressed the relationship with the Bluegrass Area Development District (BGADD) as the second agenda item. However, the discussion was postponed due to the absence of key representatives needed to adequately address the topic.

Participants

The following individuals were present during this agenda item: Steve Kay, Linda Gorton, George Myers, Julian Beard, Jennifer Scutchfield, and Ed Lane.

Outcome

The committee agreed to defer this discussion to the next meeting. The decision to postpone was made to ensure that proper representation would be available and to allow for clarity on the expected outcomes of the discussion before proceeding.

Moving Human Resources Out of the Law Department

30:51

The committee discussed the organizational placement of the Human Resources department within the government structure. Several committee members questioned the rationale for HR being housed within the Law Department, raising concerns about whether this was the most appropriate placement.

The discussion involved multiple perspectives from committee members including Steve Kay, Linda Gorton, Julian Beard, George Myers, Shevawn Akers, Ed Lane, and Chris Ford. Rather than reaching a final decision on the matter, the committee determined that the issue required further exploration and analysis.

The committee voted to keep the matter in committee for continued review. As part of this ongoing examination, the committee agreed to evaluate both the advantages and disadvantages of creating a standalone Human Resources department as an alternative to its current placement within the Law Department.

Outcome: The agenda item was deferred pending further committee exploration of the organizational options.

Procedure for Underwriting or Sponsoring One of Our Parks

34:12

Roger Daman presented an updated draft policy governing the underwriting and sponsoring of city parks. The presentation incorporated feedback received on several key policy elements, including donation levels, catalogs, naming rights, and recognition procedures for sponsors.

Geoff Reed participated in the discussion of the proposed policy framework.

The committee reviewed the revised draft and identified areas requiring further refinement. The committee requested that Roger Daman prepare two versions of the policy for subsequent review: a version with track changes showing all modifications made to the previous draft, and a clean version presenting the final text without revision markings.

Outcome: The agenda item was deferred, indicating the committee did not finalize the policy at this meeting and intends to revisit it after the requested revisions are completed.

Items in Committee

1:20:05

The committee discussed the need for a report on usage agreements with organizations including LISA and other sports leagues. Shevawn Akers led this discussion.

The committee identified a need to compile information regarding existing usage agreements with various sports organizations. The requested report would cover contract terms, duration, and exit clauses associated with these agreements.

The item was tentatively scheduled for consideration at the next meeting. The outcome of this agenda item was deferred, indicating that further action and discussion will take place at a future committee session.