Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council met on January 21, 2014, at 3:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the 2nd Floor of the Government Center located at 200 E. Main St, Lexington, KY 40507. Mayor Gray presided over the meeting, which included 10 agenda items and resulted in 18 motions and votes. The council heard 4 public comments during the meeting, including remarks on both agenda and non-agenda items.

The council approved several items of business, including requested rezonings and docket approval, a summary, budget amendments, new business, continuing business and presentations, and council reports. The Mayor's Report was presented for informational purposes, and the meeting concluded with adjournment.

Attendance

Present: Gorton, Ellinger, Kay, Ford, Beard, Farmer, Stinnett, Scutchfield, Myers, Mossotti, Clarke, Henson, and Akers

Absent: Lane and Lawless

Late: None

Votes and Decisions

Rezoning Docket 1:00 Motion by Ellinger, seconded by Gorton, to approve the docket of requested rezonings passed unanimously.

Ordinance 0006-14 – Docket Placement 1:33 Motion by Clarke, seconded by Ford, to move Ordinance 6 to the docket with a public hearing passed by roll call vote, 12-1. Voting in favor: Gorton, Ellinger, Kay, Ford, Beard, Farmer, Stinnett, Scutchfield, Myers, Mossotti, Clarke, and Henson. Voting against: Akers.

Ordinance 0006-14 – Public Hearing Scheduled 1:33 Motion by Beard, seconded by Ellinger, to schedule a public hearing on February 11, 2014, at 5:00 PM for Ordinance 6 passed by roll call vote, 12-1. Voting in favor: Gorton, Ellinger, Kay, Ford, Beard, Farmer, Stinnett, Scutchfield, Myers, Mossotti, Clarke, and Henson. Voting against: Akers.

Ordinance 0004-14 1:33 Motion by Beard, seconded by Farmer, to move Ordinance 4 to the docket without a public hearing passed unanimously.

Ordinance 0005-14 1:33 Motion by Clarke, seconded by Gorton, to move Ordinance 5 to the docket without a public hearing passed unanimously.

Summary Approval 2:06 Motion by Beard, seconded by Myers, to approve the summary passed unanimously.

Budget Amendments 2:37 Motion by Gorton, seconded by Clarke, to approve budget amendments passed unanimously.

New Business 2:37 Motion by Farmer, seconded by Kay, to approve new business passed unanimously.

JOBS Fund Referral 2:37 Motion by Mossotti, seconded by Scutchfield, to place the JOBS fund into the Economic Development Committee for review passed by roll call vote, 9-4. Voting in favor: Gorton, Ellinger, Ford, Beard, Stinnett, Scutchfield, Myers, Mossotti, and Henson. Voting against: Kay, Akers, Farmer, and Clarke.

Neighborhood Development Funds 3:10 Motion by Ellinger, seconded by Myers, to approve Neighborhood Development Funds passed unanimously.

Leaf Collection Referral 3:10 Motion by Stinnett, seconded by Farmer, to refer leaf collection to the Planning & Public Works Committee passed unanimously.

Economic Development Outside Agencies Referral 3:10 Motion by Scutchfield, seconded by Henson, to refer the Economic Development outside agencies issue to the Budget & Finance Committee passed unanimously.

Mayor's Report 3:10 Motion by Stinnett, seconded by Mossotti, to approve the Mayor's report passed unanimously.

Canopy Survey Report Referral 8:04 Motion by Clark, seconded by Ellinger, to refer the canopy survey report to the Environmental Policy Committee, to be reported on February 18, 2014, passed unanimously.

Design Excellence Text Amendments 5:24 Motion by Farmer, seconded by Akers, to move Design Excellence text amendments to full Council for submission to the Planning Commission passed unanimously.

Closed Session 13:54 Motion by Gorton, seconded by Henson, to enter closed session pursuant to KRS 61.810(1)(c) and (f) for discussion of pending litigation and potential employee appointment passed unanimously.

Return from Closed Session 22:15 Motion by Kay, seconded by Mossotti, to return from closed session passed unanimously.

Adjournment 22:15 Motion by Kay, seconded by Stinnett, to adjourn passed unanimously.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting on January 21, 2014 included authorization for the following financial actions:

Lease Agreement with Bluegrass Community and Technical College The body authorized execution of a lease agreement (L1328-13) with Bluegrass Community and Technical College for space within the Central Kentucky Job Center at a cost of $2,553.36.

Amendment to Benefit Insurance Marketing Agreement Authorization was granted to execute an amendment (L0015-14) to the existing agreement with Benefit Insurance Marketing to continue services for an additional year and extend the scope of consulting services. No specific amount was specified for this amendment.

Donation of Cribs to HANDS Program The body authorized acceptance of a donation (L0019-14) of 10 Graco Pack N Play cribs valued at $700 from Safe Kids Fayette County. The cribs will be provided to the HANDS Program within the Division of Family Services.

Administrative Position Extension in Waste Management Authorization was granted to amend Section 22-5 of the Code of Ordinances (L0026-14) to extend one temporary position of Administrative Specialist (Grade 110N) for four years within the Division of Waste Management. This position is fully funded for fiscal year 2014.

Public Comment

Several council members addressed the public on matters of local concern during the meeting.

Weather and Employee Safety 8:35

Council Member Farmer reminded the public about extreme cold and windchill conditions affecting the area. He praised the streets and roads team for their efforts in response to the weather. Farmer also noted that non-essential employees were permitted to use weather-related leave to go home without penalty.

University of Kentucky Athletic Achievements 11:12

Council Member Scutchfield congratulated the University of Kentucky cheerleaders on winning their 20th national championship. He also recognized the dance team for placing fifth in hip-hop competition and acknowledged the Moorhead cheerleaders for earning a national title.

Child Care Subsidy Funding 11:46

Council Member Myers reported on a rally held in Frankfort to advocate for restoration of partial child care subsidy funding. Myers thanked the law department and Commissioner Mills for their work on the matter and indicated that funding restoration appeared likely.

Community Engagement Initiative 12:50

Council Member Akers announced a new monthly community engagement initiative. The program will host rotating social gatherings including coffee, happy hour, lunch, or dinner events. Akers scheduled the first event for Thursday at 10 a.m. at Meadowthorpe Cafe.

Contested Items

JOBS Fund Referral to Economic Development Committee

The council voted on a motion to refer the JOBS fund to the Economic Development Committee. The vote resulted in a 9-4 split, reflecting significant disagreement among council members about the referral.

Council members Kay, Akers, Farmer, and Clarke voted against the motion to refer the JOBS fund. Their opposition indicated a notable division on the council regarding whether the matter should be directed to the Economic Development Committee at that time.

The motion ultimately passed with the majority support of nine council members, moving the JOBS fund forward for consideration by the Economic Development Committee despite the substantial minority opposition.

Public Comment – Issues on Agenda

0:00

No public comments were submitted for issues on the agenda. The meeting proceeded directly to the next agenda item.

Requested Rezonings/Docket Approval

1:00

The council addressed requested rezonings and docket approval during this agenda item. Key speakers included Ellinger, Clarke, Beard, and Ford.

The council approved the docket of requested rezonings and took action on several ordinances. Multiple ordinances were moved to the docket, with some proceeding with public hearings and others without.

A public hearing was scheduled for Ordinance 6, to be held on February 11, 2014.

The agenda item concluded with approval of the requested rezonings and docket.

Approval of Summary

Council Member Ellinger presented the summary of the meeting for approval 2:06. The council unanimously approved the summary as presented.

Outcome: Approved

Budget Amendments

No budget amendments were presented during this agenda item. Despite the absence of proposed amendments, a motion to approve them passed unanimously 2:37.

Key speakers on this matter included Gorton and Clarke.

New Business

2:37

The council addressed new business items during this portion of the meeting. Key speakers included Farmer, Kay, Mossotti, and Scutchfield.

The primary action taken was the referral of the JOBS fund to the Economic Development Committee for review. This referral was put to a vote and passed with a vote of 9-4.

The new business item was approved by the council.

Continuing Business/Presentations

During this agenda item, the council addressed several matters of continuing business and received committee reports. 3:10

Neighborhood Development Funds

The council approved Neighborhood Development Funds as part of the continuing business.

Committee Reports

The council received reports from two committees: - Budget & Finance Committee - Planning & Public Works Committee

Design Excellence Task Force

Amendments related to the Design Excellence Task Force were moved to the full Council for consideration.

Key Speakers

The discussion was led by council members Ellinger, Farmer, and Kay.

Outcome

The agenda item concluded with approval of the Neighborhood Development Funds, and the Design Excellence Task Force amendments were advanced to the full Council for further action.

Council Reports

Council Members Clark, Farmer, Scutchfield, Myers, and Akers provided updates on various topics during this agenda item. 8:04

The reports covered three main areas:

• Canopy Study Report: Council members discussed findings from a canopy study. This matter was referred to the Environmental Policy Committee for further consideration.

• Employee Weather Leave Policy: An update was provided regarding the employee weather leave policy.

• Community Events: Council members reported on upcoming or ongoing community events.

The Council Reports item was approved.

Mayor's Report

No Mayor's Report was presented during this agenda item 3:10. Additionally, no motion to approve the Mayor's Report was made.

Public Comment – Issues Not on Agenda

13:54

No public comments were submitted for issues not on the agenda. The meeting proceeded without public input on matters outside the scheduled agenda items.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned following a motion by Council Member Kay, seconded by Council Member Stinnett. 22:15 The motion to adjourn was approved.