Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Council met on February 25, 2014, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chamber in Lexington, Kentucky, with Mayor Gray presiding. The council addressed two main agenda items during the session, taking a total of two votes on various matters before them. Three members of the public provided comments during the meeting's public comment period.

The council's primary business focused on two significant items: the Affordable Housing Trust Fund proposal and a design contract for a Senior Citizen Center. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund discussion resulted in the item being tabled for future consideration, while the council approved the Senior Citizen Center Design Contract. These actions reflect the council's ongoing efforts to address both housing affordability and services for elderly residents in the Lexington-Fayette community.

The meeting provided opportunities for public engagement through the comment period, allowing residents to voice their concerns and opinions on matters affecting the urban county government. The session concluded with the council having made progress on infrastructure and service planning while deferring action on the housing trust fund proposal pending further review.

Attendance

All council members were present for the February 25, 2014 meeting.

Present: • Mayor Gray • Gorton • Ellinger • Akers • Farmer • Lane • Myers • Beard • Mossotti • Stinnett • Scutchfield • Ford • Clarke • Lawless • Kay • Henson

Absent: None

Late: None

Votes and Decisions

The Council conducted two roll call votes during the February 25, 2014 meeting, both related to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

Motion to Place Ordinance on March 6 Docket 7:00 Councilmember Kay, seconded by Councilmember Ford, made a motion to place an ordinance creating the Affordable Housing Trust Fund on the docket for the March 6, 2014 meeting. This motion was tabled without a formal vote.

Motion to Table Discussion Until April 15 7:45 Councilmember Farmer, seconded by Councilmember Myers, moved to table the discussion on the Affordable Housing Trust Fund until April 15, 2014. The motion passed by a vote of 8-7.

Voting in favor (8): • Gray • Gorton • Ellinger • Akers • Farmer • Lane • Myers • Beard

Voting against (7): • Ford • Kay • Lawless • Henson • Stinnett • Scutchfield • Clarke

There were no abstentions on the tabling motion. The narrow 8-7 vote demonstrates the divided nature of the Council on how to proceed with the Affordable Housing Trust Fund discussion, with the majority choosing to delay further consideration until mid-April rather than moving forward with immediate action in March.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council approved two financial items during the February 25, 2014 meeting, totaling $24,075.34 in expenditures.

Personnel Authorization • Resolution 0129-14 authorized an amendment to Section 21-5 of the Code of Ordinances to create one position of Payroll Analyst at a cost of $18,125.34. This amendment establishes a new staff position within the city's organizational structure.

Contract Modification • Resolution 0166-14 authorized the execution of Change Order #1 with EOP Architecture for $5,950.00 related to the replacement Senior Citizen Center Design Contract. This change order modifies the existing architectural services agreement for the senior center project.

The two resolutions represent ongoing investments in both city staffing capabilities and infrastructure improvements, with the majority of the approved funding directed toward the new payroll analyst position.

Public Comment

Three community members addressed the Council during the public comment period, with all speakers focusing on housing and homelessness issues facing the city.

David Christensen 0:05 spoke about the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, highlighting the critical shortage of affordable rental housing in the community. Christensen emphasized the urgent need for the city to address what he characterized as a housing affordability crisis.

Teddy Smith-Robillard 0:10 addressed the Council on the topic of homelessness, drawing from personal experiences to illustrate the challenges faced by those experiencing housing instability. Smith-Robillard stressed the importance of addressing the underlying economic hardships that contribute to homelessness in the community.

Ike Lawrence 0:15 also spoke about homelessness, specifically regarding the role of a Homelessness Commissioner. Lawrence advocated for what he described as a "tough love approach" to reducing homelessness in the city. He emphasized the need for greater transparency and accountability in addressing the issue.

The public comment period reflected significant community concern about housing affordability and homelessness, with speakers offering both personal perspectives and policy suggestions for the Council's consideration.

Contested Items

The February 25, 2014 Council meeting featured one significant contested item that resulted in a split vote among council members.

Affordable Housing Trust Fund

The council encountered substantial disagreement regarding the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, specifically concerning its funding mechanisms and implementation strategy. The discussion revealed a clear division among council members on how to proceed with this housing initiative.

The nature of the disagreement centered on both the financial aspects of the trust fund and the practical details of its implementation. Council members expressed differing views on these key components, leading to an inability to reach consensus during the meeting.

Due to the split among council members and the lack of agreement on the proposed measures, a motion was made to table the discussion of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. This procedural move effectively postponed any decision on the matter, allowing time for further consideration and potential compromise on the contentious issues.

The tabling of this item demonstrates the significant policy differences that existed among council members regarding affordable housing initiatives and their funding. The split vote indicates that the council was closely divided on this issue, with neither side having sufficient support to move forward with their preferred approach at that time.

Affordable Housing Trust Fund

6:00

The Council discussed the creation of an Affordable Housing Trust Fund during the February 25, 2014 meeting. The discussion involved key speakers Kay, Ford, and Gray, who addressed various aspects of establishing such a fund.

The conversation centered on the need for affordable housing in the community and potential funding mechanisms for a trust fund that would support affordable housing initiatives. Council members examined different approaches to creating and sustaining the fund, though specific details about proposed funding sources or amounts were not detailed in the available materials.

The discussion appears to have covered the framework and structure needed to establish an effective affordable housing trust fund, with participants considering how such a fund would operate and what impact it could have on addressing local housing needs.

After deliberation among the council members, the item was tabled, indicating that further consideration or additional information may be needed before the Council takes action on establishing the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The decision to table suggests the Council may revisit this topic at a future meeting once any outstanding questions or concerns are addressed.

Senior Citizen Center Design Contract

3:30

The Council discussed a change order for the Senior Citizen Center Design Contract during the February 25, 2014 meeting. The primary speaker on this item was Beard, who presented the need for modifications to the original design contract.

The change order was necessitated by water issues discovered at the project site, along with other site considerations that had not been fully anticipated in the original design phase. These unforeseen conditions required adjustments to the design plans and specifications for the Senior Citizen Center project.

Beard explained the technical aspects of the water-related problems and how they would impact the construction and design of the facility. The site considerations mentioned appeared to involve conditions that became apparent during the design development process, requiring professional design services beyond the scope of the original contract.

The change order represented additional work that needed to be incorporated into the design contract to address these site-specific challenges. This type of modification is common in construction projects when subsurface conditions or other environmental factors are discovered that differ from initial site assessments.

Following the presentation and discussion of the water issues and site considerations, the Council moved to approve the change order for the Senior Citizen Center Design Contract. The approval allows the design team to proceed with the necessary modifications to accommodate the discovered site conditions and ensure the project can move forward with appropriate design solutions.

The item was approved by the Council, enabling the continuation of the Senior Citizen Center project with the revised design parameters needed to address the water and site issues identified during the design process.