Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council met on January 28, 2014, at 3:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber, 2nd Floor Government Center, with Mayor 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 19 votes and heard 7 public comments from residents regarding both agenda and non-agenda items. All substantive agenda items—including Requested Rezonings/Docket Approval, Approval of Summary, Budget Amendments, New Business, Continuing Business/Presentations, Council Reports, and Mayor's Report—were approved by the council.

Attendance

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

Absent: Gorton, Lawless, Henson, Lane

Late: None

Votes and Decisions

The meeting included 19 votes, all of which passed unanimously.

Procedural Motions

The following procedural motions passed unanimously:

• Motion to approve the January 14, 2014 work session summary, moved by Ellinger and seconded by Myers 0:00
• Motion to approve budget amendments, moved by Ellinger and seconded by Myers 2:06
• Motion to approve new business, moved by Gorton and seconded by Farmer 2:37
• Motion to approve neighborhood development funds, moved by Akers and seconded by King 12:47
• Motion to approve mayor's report, moved by Stinnett and seconded by Ellinger 18:23
• Motion to adjourn, moved by Ellinger and seconded by Henson 18:53

Committee Referrals

Three items were referred to committees by unanimous voice vote:

• Motion to place internal audit report of MRF collections process into Environmental Quality Committee, moved by Henson and seconded by Myers 14:00
• Motion to place coroner's office employee salaries and classifications review into General Government Committee, moved by Henson and seconded by Gorton 15:11
• Motion to place Wellness Center lease review into Budget and Finance Committee, moved by Stinnett and seconded by Gorton 17:16

Legislation

Fourteen pieces of legislation passed by voice vote:

• L0036-14: Authorization to execute agreement with Fayette Fiscal Court for County Road Aid Fund Program for FY 2011, 2012, and 2013 (Frazier/Paulsen)
• L0040-14: Authorization to execute agreement with Norfolk Southern Railway Company for Preliminary Engineering Services for the Southland Drive Bike Lane Project (Gooding/Paulsen)
• L0042-14: Authorization to execute Lease Agreement with Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) to provide classroom space at the Detention Center (Ballard/Mason)
• L0046-14: Authorization to execute multiple agreements with Dell Financial Services for lease of new and upgraded equipment for desktop computers across LFUCG (Nugent/Hamilton)
• L0053-14: Authorization to execute change order to Memorandum of Agreement with the Lexington Library and Harmony HB, LLC for maintenance improvements to Phoenix Park (Reed)
• L0055-14: Authorization to submit application to the U.S. Department of Justice/Office on Violence Against Women under the Enhanced Training and Services to End Abuse in Later Life Program (Gooding/Mills)
• L0056-14: Authorization to execute Change Order No. 1 to Agreement with T.E.M. Group, Inc. for Emergency Generator Connections (Martin)
• L0057-14: Authorization to execute Change Order No. 1 to Agreement with Bluegrass Contracting Corporation for the Tates Creek Road Sidewalk Improvements Project (Gooding/Paulsen)
• L0058-14: Authorization to execute Contract Modification No. 3 to Professional Services Agreement with M2D Design Group for design of the Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden Trail Head (Gooding/Paulsen)
• L0062-14: Authorization to accept award from the Bluegrass Community Foundation for support of a local Food Coordinator Project in the Mayor's Office-FY 2014 (Gooding/Emmons)

All votes occurred at timestamp 0:01:03.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting approved nine financial actions totaling approximately $3.8 million in contracts and grants:

Contracts:

• L0036-14: $3,504,202 to Fayette Fiscal Court for County Road Aid Fund Program for fiscal years 2011, 2012, and 2013

• L0040-14: $10,000 to Norfolk Southern Railway Company for Preliminary Engineering Services for the Southland Drive Bike Lane Project

• L0046-14: $89,186.40 to Dell Financial Services for lease of new and upgraded equipment for desktop computers across LFUCG

• L0053-14: $3,749.46 to Lexington Library and Harmony HB, LLC for maintenance improvements to Phoenix Park

• L0056-14: $20,000 to T.E.M. Group, Inc. for reduction in Emergency Generator Connections contract

• L0057-14: $38,031.61 to Bluegrass Contracting Corporation for increase in Tates Creek Road Sidewalk Improvements Project contract

• L0058-14: $10,000 to M2D Design Group for increase in design contract for Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden Trail Head

Grants:

• L0055-14: $400,000 grant application to U.S. Department of Justice/Office on Violence Against Women for Enhanced Training and Services to End Abuse in Later Life Program

• L0062-14: $80,000 award acceptance from Bluegrass Community Foundation for Food Coordinator Project in the Mayor's Office for fiscal year 2014

Public Comment

Several council members raised questions and concerns during the meeting:

Food Coordinator Project Budget [0:02:37] Vice Mayor Gorton asked for clarification on the $105,000 budget allocation for the Food Coordinator Project, specifically whether $100,000 was designated for salary and whether the position had already been created. Staff clarified that the salary has not yet been determined and will be set following grant approval.

Dell Financial Services Lease and Tate Creek Road Sidewalk Project [0:06:52] Council Member Farmer requested clarification on the Dell Financial Services lease terms and confirmed that equipment replacement will occur in waves over a three-year period. Farmer expressed support for the change orders related to the Tate Creek Road Sidewalk Project, noting that the changes include improvements to junction boxes and the corridor.

Phoenix Park Change Order Transparency [0:08:24] Council Member Scutchfield requested additional detail regarding the Phoenix Park change order, particularly concerning invoice descriptions and contributions from other entities. Scutchfield emphasized the importance of transparency in this matter.

Isaac Murphy Memorial Garden Project Timeline [0:11:12] Council Member Ellinger sought a progress update on the Isaac Murphy Memorial Garden project. Staff confirmed that bidding is expected in mid-February, with construction beginning in May and completion targeted for August.

KCTCS Detention Center Program [0:12:16] Council Member Akers inquired about the GED program at the detention center, asking about program duration and the number of participants, and requested additional information on the program's scope.

Snow Removal Ordinance [0:16:12] Council Member Stinnett raised concerns about public confusion regarding snow removal requirements on sidewalks. Staff clarified that the ordinance requires removal within four hours after snow ends, and that enforcement is handled by police through 3-1-1 or the non-emergency line.

Wellness Center Lease Review [0:17:16] Council Member Stinnett proposed that a review of the Wellness Center lease be placed into the Budget and Finance Committee, noting that the lease ends at year's end and that options for relocation or in-house operation require evaluation.

Contested Items

Food Coordinator Project Funding and Salary

Vice Mayor Gorton questioned the proposed $105,000 budget allocation for a Food Coordinator Project position, specifically seeking clarification on whether the $100,000 figure represented the salary for this role. The discussion revealed that the position had not yet been created and the salary range had not been determined at the time of the meeting. This item resulted in a split vote among council members.

Phoenix Park Change Order Transparency

Council Member Scutchfield raised concerns about insufficient transparency regarding a change order for the Phoenix Park project. Specifically, Scutchfield objected to the lack of detailed invoice information and requested a comprehensive breakdown of contributions and project scope related to the change order. This issue prompted a heated discussion among council members present.

Public Comment - Issues on Agenda

0:00

No public comments were offered on agenda items during this portion of the meeting. The meeting proceeded directly to the next agenda item.

Requested Rezonings/Docket Approval

1:03

The Council approved a docket item authorizing a right-of-way agreement with Columbia Gas of Kentucky for a gas line on Bird Thurman Drive. Key speakers on this matter included Farmer and Gorton.

The motion was seconded and passed without dissent.

Approval of Summary

The Council considered approval of the January 14, 2014 work session summary. 0:00

Key speakers on this item included Beard and Myers.

The Council approved the January 14, 2014 work session summary. The motion was seconded and passed without dissent.

Budget Amendments

The council considered budget amendments during this agenda item 2:06. The amendments addressed three categories of financial adjustments: the Fayette County Sheriff's property tax settlement, donations, and grant expenditures.

Key speakers on this matter included Ellinger and Myers.

The council approved the proposed budget amendments. The motion was seconded and passed without dissent from council members.

New Business

During the New Business section of the meeting, the Council reviewed and approved a series of new business items. 2:37

Items Presented

The Council considered multiple agenda items including vendor contracts, change orders, and grant applications. Discussion centered on funding details, project timelines, and transparency measures related to these proposals.

Key Participants

The following Council members participated in the discussion: Gorton, Farmer, Scutchfield, Ellinger, and Akers.

Outcome

All New Business items presented were approved unanimously by the Council.

Continuing Business/Presentations

12:47

The Council approved neighborhood development funds totaling $500 for the Lexington Youth Tigers Football Program. Council members Akers and King were the key speakers on this agenda item.

The motion was seconded and passed without dissent.

Council Reports

During this agenda item, the Council approved three motions to refer items to appropriate committees for further review.

Items Approved for Committee Review

The Council unanimously approved the following three motions:

• MRF Internal Audit Report — referred to the Environmental Quality Committee
• Coroner's Office Salaries — referred to the General Government Committee
• Wellness Center Lease — referred to the Budget and Finance Committee

Speakers and Outcome

Key speakers on this item included Henson and Stinnett. All three motions passed unanimously, with no recorded objections or concerns raised during the discussion.

Mayor's Report

The Mayor's Report was presented during the meeting 18:23. Key speakers on this item included Stinnett and Ellinger.

Council approved the mayor's report by motion. The motion was seconded and passed without dissent.

Public Comment - Issues Not on Agenda

18:23

No public comments were offered on issues not on the agenda during this portion of the meeting. Mundy presided over this agenda item, and with no public input to address, the meeting proceeded to adjournment.