Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council met on September 17, 2013, at 3:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the 2nd Floor of the Government Center in Lexington, Kentucky, with Mayor Jim Gray presiding. The council addressed ten agenda items during the session, including public comment periods, rezoning requests, budget amendments, and various business matters. The body took 29 motions and votes throughout the meeting and heard 3 public comments from citizens. Key actions included approval of a summary, new business items, continuing business and presentations, and adjournment of the meeting.

Attendance

Present: Chuck Ellinger, Steve Kay, Chris Ford, Shevawn Akers, Diane Lawless, Julian Beard, Bill Farmer, Kevin Stinnett, Jennifer Scutchfield, Jennifer Mossotti, Peggy Henson, Harry Clarke, and Ed Lane.

Absent: Linda Gorton and George Myers.

Late: None.

Votes and Decisions

The Council approved numerous motions and resolutions during this meeting, with most passing unanimously.

Procedural Approvals [timestamp: 00:01:02 - 00:04:11]

The Council unanimously approved the docket for the September 12, 2013 Council Meeting (motion by Julian Beard, second by Jennifer Scutchfield), the summary of the August 27, 2013 Council work session (motion by Bill Farmer, second by Shevawn Akers), budget amendments (motion by Jennifer Mossotti, second by Bill Farmer), new business (motion by Bill Farmer, second by Steve Kay), and the NDF list (motion by Peggy Henson, second by Jennifer Scutchfield).

Committee and Administrative Actions [timestamp: 00:03:40 - 00:04:11]

The Council unanimously approved motions from the August 27, 2013 Social Services and Community Development Committee meeting (motion by Chris Ford, second by Harry Clarke), removed the Senior Citizen's Center item from that committee (motion by Chris Ford, second by Bill Farmer), and extended presentation time by 10 minutes (motion by Steve Kay, second by Peggy Henson). The Council also unanimously placed a correspondence policy issue in the next Committee of the Whole meeting (motion by Bill Farmer, second by Julian Beard) and a grant reporting procedure issue in the General Government Committee (motion by Jennifer Scutchfield, second by Bill Farmer). The Mayor's report was approved unanimously (motion by Kevin Stinnett, second by Julian Beard).

Legislation and Resolutions 4:11

The Council unanimously passed six items: L0990-13 (environmental position amendment), L0926-13 (EMS Paramedic Training Coordinator agreement), L0960-13 (Hazen and Sawyer renewal agreement), L0972-13 (UK Opera Theatre performance agreement), L0974-13 (easement release), L0989-13 (Humana employee benefits accounts), and L0996-13 (DEA Task Force agreement). The Council also unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the Department of Law to institute condemnation proceedings for the Blue Sky Pump Station and Force Main Project (motion by Shevawn Akers, second by Harry Clarke).

Roll Call Votes

Two motions required roll call votes. The motion to create a Budget Analyst Senior position for the Council Office passed 10-3, with Linda Gorton, Chuck Ellinger, Jennifer Scutchfield, Jennifer Mossotti, George Myers, Julian Beard, Ed Lane, Peggy Henson, Kevin Stinnett, and Chris Ford voting in favor, and Shevawn Akers, Harry Clarke, and Bill Farmer voting against 4:11. The motion to hire a security officer position as Council receptionist passed 9-4, with Ed Lane, Bill Farmer, Harry Clarke, and Shevawn Akers voting against 4:42.

Additional Motions

The Council unanimously approved distributing the annual Council calendar by the third week in October, adding a public hearing in full meeting months at 4:00pm, reconsidering a failed motion on standing committee start times, and switching standing committee start times annually except for Budget & Finance and Economic Development.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting included approval of the following financial actions and contracts:

Service Contracts

• EMS Paramedic Training Coordinator services (L0926-13): $23,700 contract with Dr. Patricia Howard
• CMOM Implementation Services (L0960-13): $345,000 contract with Hazen and Sawyer, P.C.S. for Consent Decree renewal
• UK Opera Theatre Performance (L0972-13): $600 contract with UK Opera Theatre for a performance at Family Care Center

Property and Administrative Actions

• Subsurface Drainage Easement Release (L0974-13): Release of subsurface drainage easement for property at 1141 Shagbark Lane
• Humana Voluntary Employee Benefits (L0989-13): Approval of new account applications with Humana for voluntary employee benefits
• DEA Task Force Continuation (L0996-13): Continuation of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force participation

Public Comment

Three speakers addressed the council during the public comment period.

Mayor's Challenge Design Competition for Downtown Parking Lot 10:03

Danny Meyer presented a proposal to transform a city-owned parking lot near downtown LexTran Station into a public commons. The proposal includes a food truck pavilion, pedestrian access improvements, murals, and green screening. Meyer emphasized the importance of safety, public transit access, and community engagement in the project design.

Support for Security Officer on Council Floor 17:43

George Myers spoke in strong support of hiring a security officer to protect staff and employees. He cited recent national events and stressed the importance of building safety as a rationale for the position.

Town Branch Creek Cleanup 22:38

Shevawn Akers reported on a successful volunteer cleanup of the Town Branch Creek, which was sponsored by the Fade Alliance and Bourbon Review. According to Akers, the cleanup effort improved visibility and access along the creek and included a post-event cookout for participants.

Appointments

Dr. Patricia Howard was appointed to the position of EMS Paramedic Training Coordinator.

Contested Items

The September 17, 2013 meeting included two items that generated debate and divided votes among council members.

Calendar Distribution Timing

Council members debated the timing for distributing the annual calendar. The point of contention was whether the calendar should be distributed by the third week in October, with some members questioning whether this deadline was too early. Despite the disagreement, the motion to distribute by the third week in October passed with a majority vote.

Standing Committee Start Times

A motion to switch standing committee start times annually resulted in a deadlocked vote of 7-7, causing the initial motion to fail. However, the item was reconsidered, and following a second vote, the motion to switch standing committee start times annually ultimately passed.

Public Comment - Issues on Agenda

0:00

No members of the public signed up to speak on issues on the agenda. The meeting proceeded directly to the next agenda item.

Requested Rezonings / Docket Approval

1:02

No docket approval was required during this meeting, as there was no council meeting scheduled for that week.

Approval of Summary

The Council approved the summary of the August 27, 2013 Council work session without dissent 1:34.

Bill Farmer and Shevawn Akers participated in this agenda item. The summary was presented for approval and was adopted by the Council with no opposing votes or objections raised.

Budget Amendments

No budget amendments were presented for discussion during this agenda item 2:04.

New Business

2:04

The new business agenda was presented for approval. Chris Ford and Steve Kay were the key speakers during this discussion.

A motion was made to remove the UK Opera Theatre performance item from the new business list. This motion passed, and the revised new business agenda was subsequently approved.

Continuing Business / Presentations

3:40

During this agenda item, the meeting addressed two main matters: approval of the Neighborhood Development Funds (NDF) and a review of the August 29, 2013 Committee of the Whole summary.

Neighborhood Development Funds Approval

The Neighborhood Development Funds were presented and subsequently approved. Details regarding the specific allocations or purposes of these funds were not specified in the available meeting materials.

Committee of the Whole Summary Review

The meeting included a review of the August 29, 2013 Committee of the Whole summary. This review encompassed recommendations on two key topics:

• Job positions
• Calendar changes

Key Speakers

The following individuals participated in this agenda item:

• Chuck Ellinger
• George Myers
• Shevawn Akers

Outcome

The Neighborhood Development Funds were approved by the meeting body.

Council Reports

Council members delivered reports during this agenda item, which began approximately 9 minutes and 31 seconds into the meeting.

Speakers and Presentations

The following council members participated in the reports: Chris Ford, Danny Meyer, George Myers, and Shevawn Akers.

Key Content

Danny Meyer presented on the Mayor's Challenge design competition and community engagement initiative. This presentation focused on efforts to engage the community through a design-based competition framework aligned with mayoral priorities.

Outcome

This agenda item was informational in nature, with council members sharing updates and information with the body rather than taking formal action or making decisions.

Mayor's Report

No mayor's report was presented during this agenda item 18:48.

Public Comment - Issues Not on Agenda

23:43

No members of the public signed up to speak during the public comment period for issues not on the agenda. Diane Lawless noted this absence of speakers, and the meeting proceeded directly to adjournment.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned following a motion by Jennifer Scutchfield, seconded by Shevawn Akers. 23:43 There was no discussion on the adjournment motion, and it was approved.