Environmental Quality Committee

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Environmental Quality Committee met on January 28, 2014 at 11:00 a.m., with Stinnett presiding. During the meeting, the committee addressed five agenda items, including approval of the November 12, 2013 committee summary and consideration of several informational reports. The committee took five motions and votes and heard three public comments. The meeting covered the Keep Lexington Beautiful Annual Report, a Waste Management Audit Follow up, and Monthly Financials, while Items Referred were deferred to a future meeting.

Attendance

Present: Stinnett, Mossotti, Gorton, Akers, Farmer, Scutchfield, Clarke, Henson, and Lane

Absent: Myers

Late: None

Votes and Decisions

The committee took five votes during the January 28, 2014 meeting, all of which passed by voice vote.

Approval of November 12, 2013 Meeting Summary 3:31 A motion by Gorton, seconded by Clarke, to approve the November 12, 2013 meeting summary passed by voice vote.

Division of Water Quality Change Order Process 3:31 A motion by Mossotti, seconded by Scutchfield, to support the Division of Water Quality recommendation on the change order process for remedial measures only passed by voice vote.

Removal of Division of Water Quality Construction Process 41:00 A motion by Myers, seconded by Scutchfield, to remove the Division of Water Quality Construction Process from committee passed by voice vote.

Removal of Annual Report on Public Education Effectiveness 43:05 A motion by Farmer, seconded by Ruskay, to remove the annual report on public education effectiveness from committee passed by voice vote.

Removal of Waste Management Audit Follow-up 44:10 A motion by Myers, seconded by Scutchfield, to remove the waste management audit follow-up from committee passed by voice vote.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting included an amendment to the Sanitary Sewer Operating Fund totaling $6.8 million. This correction addressed intergovernmental revenue within the fund.

Public Comment

Three presentations were made during the public comment period:

Keep Lexington Beautiful 2013 Annual Report 4:03

Pendergast presented the annual report for Keep Lexington Beautiful, detailing the organization's 2013 activities. Key initiatives included litter prevention efforts, participation in the Great American Cleanup, and stream cleanups conducted on Richmond Road. Pendergast highlighted a successful pilot program at Picadone Golf Course that achieved a 60% reduction in cigarette litter through the distribution of pocket ashtrays and canisters.

Waste Management Audit Follow-up 19:27

Sally presented the Management Action Plan Progress Report addressing follow-up items from a waste management audit. The report noted improvements in purchasing policies and employee communication. However, Sally identified ongoing concerns requiring attention, including incorrect budget charges and incomplete dissemination of policies across the organization. The presentation emphasized the need to strengthen internal controls to address these deficiencies.

Monthly Financials 35:36

O'Mara provided a financial update highlighting a significant correction in the Sanitary Sewer Operating Fund. The presentation identified that $6.8 million in intergovernmental revenue had been incorrectly booked and needed to be moved to the Construction Fund. O'Mara also indicated that revenue collection rates were being verified to ensure accuracy in financial reporting.

Appointments

David Elson was appointed to the Keep Lexington Beautiful Commission.

Contested Items

Communication and Internal Controls in Waste Management

A heated discussion emerged regarding communication and internal controls within the Waste Management department. Council members expressed significant concerns about poor communication between management and frontline staff, identifying this as a critical operational issue.

The primary disagreement centered on the need for direct engagement between leadership and frontline workers, as well as the effectiveness of policy dissemination throughout the department. Council members emphasized that improved communication channels were essential, particularly in the context of recent leadership changes that had created additional uncertainty among staff.

Multiple council members raised references to these communication gaps during the meeting, indicating this was a widespread concern rather than an isolated complaint. The discussion highlighted that frontline staff were not adequately informed about new policies and management decisions, creating potential gaps in operational consistency and employee understanding.

While the specific outcome of this discussion is not detailed in the meeting record, the sustained focus on this issue by multiple council members suggests it was identified as a priority area requiring attention and remediation by Waste Management leadership.

November 12, 2013 Committee Summary

The committee reviewed and approved the meeting summary from November 12, 2013 3:31. The approval proceeded without dissent, and no committee members requested corrections or additions to the summary.

Key participants in this agenda item included Gorton and Clarke.

Outcome: The November 12, 2013 Committee Summary was approved as presented.

Keep Lexington Beautiful Annual Report

Jim Pendergast presented the 2013 annual report for Keep Lexington Beautiful 4:03, detailing the organization's accomplishments across litter prevention, beautification, and community involvement initiatives.

Key Accomplishments

The report highlighted several significant achievements during the year:

• A 60% reduction in cigarette litter at Picadone Golf Course
• A $5,000 grant awarded to the Friends of Wolf Run for stream cleanup efforts

Presentation and Outcome

This agenda item was presented as an informational report with no formal debate or concerns raised. The presentation served to inform the meeting attendees of Keep Lexington Beautiful's activities and impact during 2013.

Waste Management Audit Follow up

Sally presented a follow-up audit report on waste management procedures 19:27. The presentation confirmed that progress had been made in addressing findings from a prior audit.

Areas of Improvement

The follow-up audit documented positive developments in two key areas:

• Improved purchasing procedures
• Enhanced policy communication

Remaining Issues

Despite the progress noted, the audit identified several issues that remained unresolved:

• Incorrect budget charges
• Incomplete W-2 reporting

Outcome

The presentation was informational in nature, providing the group with an update on the status of previously identified audit findings and the current state of waste management practices and procedures.

Monthly Financials

O'Mara provided a financial update during this agenda item 35:36. The presentation included a correction to the Sanitary Sewer Operating Fund, indicating that adjustments were necessary to the fund's financial records.

A key focus of the update was revenue collection rates, which O'Mara indicated are currently under review for accuracy. The verification of these collection rates is pending, suggesting that the final figures may be subject to change pending completion of the review process.

This agenda item was informational in nature, with no formal action or debate recorded.

Items Referred

38:50

The committee reviewed several pending items during this agenda section. Key speakers included Farmer, Myers, Scutchfield, and Henson.

The following matters were discussed:

• Consolidated Greenways responsibility — reviewed by the committee
• U.K. game day — discussed as a pending item
• Bulky item collection — addressed during the review
• Distillery district update — presented to the committee

Several items were removed from the committee's purview during this discussion. However, the distillery district update remained pending and was not resolved at this meeting.

The outcome of this agenda item was deferred, meaning the committee did not reach final conclusions on all matters and will address them at a future meeting.