Planning and Public Safety Committee

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Planning and Public Safety Committee met on January 13, 2015, at 1:00 p.m., with Peggy Henson presiding. The committee addressed seven agenda items during the session, taking 24 motions and votes overall. Five members of the public provided comments during the meeting.

The committee approved three items: the Election of Committee Chair, the Appointment of Vice Chair, and Committee Summaries. Additionally, Items Referred to Committee were approved. Three agenda items were deferred for future consideration: EMS Transport Fees, Ridesharing/Taxicab Services, and Current & Future IT Needs in Public Safety.

Attendance

Present: Jennifer Mossotti, Bill Farmer, Kevin Stinnett, Chuck Ellinger, Shevawn Akers, Jennifer Scutchfield, Diane Lawless, Harry Clarke, Ed Lane, Aldona Valicenti, Robert Stack, Sally Hamilton, Craig Bentz, Rusty Cook, Rick Curtis, Glenda George, and Melissa Murphy.

Absent: George Myers.

Late: None.

Votes and Decisions

The committee took 24 votes during the meeting, all of which passed.

Committee Leadership

The committee elected Jennifer Mossotti as chair of the Planning and Public Safety Committee by electronic vote 5:06. A motion to elect Jennifer Scutchfield as chair failed 6:49.

Meeting Minutes and Resolutions

The committee approved the summary of the November 11, 2014 Planning and Public Works Committee meeting by voice vote 10:04. A motion to amend Resolution 343-2012 to include zoning enforcement activities in addition to nuisance abatement passed by voice vote 11:07.

Zoning and Land Use Matters

A motion to allow mobile food unit vendors as accessory uses if located 500 feet or greater from a residential zone passed by voice vote 11:38. A motion to amend the motion to initiate a text amendment for the Planning Commission's consideration by combining Alternate 2 and Alternate 4 passed by voice vote 12:42.

Committee Item Dispositions

The committee removed several items from further consideration: the possible revision of signed ordinances 54:27, the H-1 notification process 54:59, the Initiate Zoning Text Amendments for Food Trucks in the P1 and AU Zones 56:04, electrical inspection fees 57:05, the Code Enforcement, NUSES, abatement process 57:36, the permanent barricading of Agape Drive 59:13, and the design excellence update 1:00:45.

The committee retained several items for continued discussion: the downtown traffic study 57:36, the taxicab ordinance 59:44, the scrap metal dealers ordinance 1:02:49, and the sky lanterns ordinance 1:03:22.

Task Assignments and Other Actions

The committee assigned responsibility for exploring assistance to low-income homeowners with code compliance to Shevawn Akers 55:33 and assigned responsibility for code enforcement fines and building inspection civil offenses to Council Member Gibbs 56:34. The committee changed the sponsor of the taxicab ordinance from Diane Lawless to Peggy Henson 1:00:14 and voted to keep the Design Excellence Ordinance on the agenda for next month 1:00:14.

The committee approved the summaries of the November 11, 2014 and December 2, 2014 Planning and Public Safety Committee meetings by voice vote 1:04:24 and adjourned the meeting by voice vote 1:05:21.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting included consideration of funding for Phase 2 of the jail management system upgrade. An appropriation of $1,500,000 was discussed for this project.

Public Comment

The meeting included comments from community members and council members addressing several municipal concerns.

EMS Transport Fees and Senior Impact

Peggy Henson raised concerns about the financial burden on seniors with fixed incomes resulting from Medicare patient responsibility for emergency medical services transport fees 20:00. She requested further analysis of the potential impact of waiving additional charges on this vulnerable population.

Ride-Sharing Enforcement

Kevin Stinnett inquired about staffing and enforcement capacity for local oversight of ride-sharing companies 28:28. He emphasized the need for adequate resources to effectively enforce ride-sharing regulations.

Inter-Agency Data Sharing and System Integration

Robert Stack addressed current data sharing practices, confirming that data is presently shared with the University of Kentucky Police Department and Blue Grass Airport 47:31. However, he noted that these agencies operate separate systems, and integration would require future planning efforts.

Council Member Lamb raised related questions about the proposed public safety IT system, asking whether it would include integration with agencies such as the University of Kentucky Police Department and the airport 46:58. He suggested this integration as a future possibility to consider during system development.

Electronic Records Management

Council Member Lamb also inquired whether electronic records management policies would be incorporated into the development of the new records management system 52:24.

Appointments

The following appointments were made during the meeting:

• Jennifer Mossotti was appointed to serve as Planning and Public Safety Committee Chair

• Jennifer Scutchfield was appointed to serve as Planning and Public Safety Committee Vice Chair

Contested Items

EMS Transport Fees and Financial Impact on Seniors

Council member Henson raised concerns about emergency medical services transport fees and their burden on seniors living on fixed incomes. The discussion centered on patient responsibility charges and whether the city should waive additional fees for this vulnerable population. The debate reflected disagreement over the balance between maintaining municipal revenue and protecting seniors from unexpected medical transport costs. No action was taken on this matter during the meeting.

Enforcement of Ride-Sharing Regulations

The council experienced a split vote regarding the enforcement of ride-sharing regulations. Council members questioned whether the city has adequate staffing resources to enforce state regulations governing ride-sharing services. The discussion revealed concerns about resource allocation and the need for coordination between city departments to effectively implement and monitor compliance with these regulations. The split vote indicates the council was divided on how to proceed with enforcement efforts and resource deployment.

Election of Committee Chair

3:34

Council members nominated and voted on candidates for the position of committee chair. The two nominees were Jennifer Mossotti and Jennifer Scutchfield.

Following the nominations, a vote was held among council members. Jennifer Mossotti was elected to serve as committee chair, with the election decided unanimously.

The key speakers involved in this agenda item were Bill Farmer, Jennifer Mossotti, and Jennifer Scutchfield.

Outcome: The election was approved, with Jennifer Mossotti elected as committee chair.

Appointment of Vice Chair

Jennifer Scutchfield appointed Jennifer Mossotti to the position of vice chair. The appointment proceeded without opposition and was approved. 7:55

Committee Summaries

Bill Farmer presented a summary of the Planning and Public Works Committee meeting held on November 11, 2014 8:29.

The summary covered the following topics discussed at that committee meeting:

• H-1 notification process
• Electrical inspection fees
• Code enforcement fines
• Building inspection civil offenses
• Zoning text amendments for food trucks

The Committee Summaries agenda item was approved.

EMS Transport Fees

The council discussed the financial impact of Medicare patient responsibility on seniors during this agenda item. 15:57

Key Presenters and Speakers

Rusty Cook and Peggy Henson were the primary speakers on this matter.

Discussion and Data Presented

The council reviewed data showing that Medicare-only patients face an average patient responsibility of $88 for EMS transport services. This financial burden on seniors was a central focus of the discussion.

Concerns Raised

Council member Henson raised concerns about additional charges and requested further discussion on the possibility of waiving these fees for Medicare patients.

Outcome

The item was deferred and left in committee for continued consideration rather than being resolved during this meeting.

Ridesharing/Taxicab Services

The city council reviewed state regulations governing ride-sharing companies during this agenda item 25:08. Key speakers included Glenda George, Rick Curtis, and Peggy Henson.

The discussion confirmed the city's approach to regulating ride-sharing services through its existing licensing framework. The council determined that the city will collect occupational license fees from ride-sharing companies and enforce compliance with state regulations through the Division of Revenue.

The council clarified that no additional local enforcement mechanisms beyond the occupational licensing requirement would be necessary, as state regulations would govern the primary oversight of these services.

The item was deferred, with the council indicating it would receive a future update on this topic.

Current & Future IT Needs in Public Safety

Aldona Valicenti presented on the current state of information technology systems in public safety operations. The presentation focused on the need to upgrade the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) and Records Management System (RMS), which are currently outdated and operate as siloed systems that do not effectively communicate with one another.

Valicenti outlined the limitations of the existing infrastructure and made the case for modernization to improve operational efficiency and data integration across public safety departments. The presentation included discussion of next steps to address these technological gaps.

In response to the identified needs, a Request for Information (RFI) was issued to gather vendor proposals and solutions. The discussion also addressed staffing requirements, with plans to hire a project manager if funding is approved to oversee the upgrade and implementation process.

Robert Stack participated in the discussion alongside Valicenti.

The agenda item was deferred, meaning the matter was not resolved during this meeting and will be revisited at a future date.

37:39

Items Referred to Committee

54:27

The council reviewed and updated the list of items remaining in committee during this agenda item. Bill Farmer, Shevawn Akers, and Peggy Henson led the discussion.

Several items were removed from the committee list, and responsibilities were reassigned to specific council members to ensure continued progress on outstanding matters. The council approved the updated committee referrals.