Urban County Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council met on April 7, 2015, at 3:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber on the 2nd Floor of the Government Center, with Mayor Gray presiding. The council addressed 10 agenda items during the session, including public comment periods, rezoning requests, budget matters, and various reports. The body took 31 votes and heard 3 public comments from members of the public. Key actions included approval of a summary, budget amendments, and new business items, while other portions of the meeting were devoted to informational presentations and reports from council members and the mayor.

Attendance

The following individuals were present at the meeting on April 7, 2015:

Akers, Atkins, Bledsoe, Brown, Evans, Farmer, Ford, Gibbs, Hamilton, Henson, Kay, Lamb, Lane, Maloney, Massadi, Moloney, Mossotti, Paulsen, Scutchfield, Stinnett, Thurman, Holmes, Gooding, Reed, Slatin, Pflueger, David Holmes, Wes Holbrook, Irene Gooding, Commissioner Paulson, Keith Lovin, Brad Frazier, Jennifer Arena, Annette Jett, Sally Hamilton, and Dallas Squires.

No absences or late arrivals were recorded.

Votes and Decisions

The council took action on numerous items during the April 7, 2015 meeting, with most measures passing by unanimous or voice vote.

Procedural and Administrative Approvals 9:02

The council unanimously approved the March 17, 2015 council meeting docket (motion by Farmer, second by Henson) and the March 10, 2015 summary (motion by Stinnett, second by Henson). The council also unanimously ratified the appointment of Chris Ford as Commissioner of Social Services, Grade 536E (motion by Kay, second by Henson).

Failed Motions 9:02

A motion by Stinnett, seconded by Henson, to place an ordinance amending section 1 of Ordinance No. 166-2014 to change meeting dates on the March 19 Council meeting docket failed. Additionally, a motion by Mossotti, seconded by Evans, to schedule a Special Budget & Finance Committee meeting on the minimum wage issue failed on a roll call vote with 2 ayes, 8 nays, and 5 abstentions. Those voting in favor were Mossotti and Lane. Those voting against were Kay, Stinnett, Moloney, Lamb, Farmer, Scutchfield, Brown, and Bledsoe.

Infrastructure and Budget Approvals 9:02

The council unanimously approved neighborhood development funds (motion by Henson, second by Kay), Woodland Avenue pedestrian enhancements including a four-way stop and speed limit reduction (motion by Farmer, second by Kay), and budget amendments (motion by Farmer, second by Scutchfield). A $36,250 budget amendment for the purchase of land for Fire Station 24 passed unanimously (motion by Stinnett, second by Farmer).

The council approved issuing an RFP for a Pavement Management Plan on a roll call vote with 14 ayes and 1 nay (motion by Farmer, second by Scutchfield). Brown voted against the measure, while Kay, Stinnett, Moloney, Ford, Akers, Gibbs, Lamb, Farmer, Evans, Scutchfield, Mossotti, Bledsoe, Henson, and Lane voted in favor.

Committee Referrals and Other Actions 9:02

The council unanimously placed the Economic Contingency Fund issue into the Budget & Finance Committee (motion by Farmer, second by Brown) and referred the traffic signals issue to the Environmental Quality & Public Works Committee (motion by Stinnett, second by Brown). The Mayor's report was unanimously approved (motion by Akers, second by Kay).

Legislation [timestamp: 0:10:08 and 0:18:16]

The council passed multiple pieces of legislation by voice vote, including authorizations for various agreements, federal fund applications, and project amendments. These included L0069-15, L0082-15, L0264-15, L0330-15, L0335-15, L0353-15, L0363-15, L0374-15, L0387-15, L0390-15, L0391-15, L0398-15, L0399-15, and L0401-15.

The council adjourned unanimously (motion by Scutchfield, second by Brown) 35:41.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting addressed ten financial items, including contract agreements, amendments, grant applications, and property acquisitions.

Amendments and Change Orders: - Change Order No. 2 (FINAL) to Bluegrass Contracting Corp. for the Meadows/Northland/Arlington Public Improvements Project, Phase 5B reduced the agreement by $10,502.42 (L0069-15) - Change Order No. 1 (FINAL) to Randle-Davies Construction Company for the Brighton East Rail Trail Project - Phase II added $78,609.51 (L0353-15)

Service and Supply Agreements: - AMEC Environment and Infrastructure, Inc. was contracted for environmental engineering, data collection, and laboratory services at the Haley Pike Landfill at $90,000 per year for three years (L0082-15) - Smart Systems was contracted to supply dishwashing chemicals for the Child Care Food Program at the Family Care Center for FY 2015 at $1,000 (L0374-15) - An agreement with Goodwill Cars to Work program was approved with no fiscal impact (L0335-15)

Economic Development: - Summit Biosciences received an incentive agreement for $100,000 with a personal guarantee from company ownership (L0330-15)

Federal and State Grants: - $1,278,000 in federal funds from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet were received for design of Phases IV, V, and VI of Town Branch Trail under the CMAQ Program (L0264-15) - An application to the U.S. Department of Justice was submitted for federal funds under the 2015 State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) for reimbursement of costs related to incarcerated undocumented criminal aliens (L0363-15) - An application to the Kentucky Department for Local Government was submitted for $73,450 in federal FY 2015 Land and Water Conservation Fund grants for upgrading Masterson Station Playground (L0390-15)

Property Acquisition: - Three properties were acquired for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program for the Lafayette/Southbend Area at a total cost of $500,000 (L0401-15)

Public Comment

Three speakers addressed the council on matters of community concern during the April 7, 2015 meeting.

Jacobson Park Playground Universal Design

23:13 Jennifer Arena and Annette Jett presented a petition requesting a fully accessible and inclusive rebuild of Jacobson Park Playground. They emphasized the importance of universal design principles to ensure the playground serves children with disabilities.

City's Reputation and Couch Burning

29:05 Council Member Bledsoe raised concerns about Lexington's negative national image resulting from the tradition of burning couches following UK Wildcats victories. Bledsoe urged the city to reconsider this practice.

Speed Bumps on Ash Street

31:48 Chad Walker requested assistance with installing speed bumps on Ash Street. Walker stated that the installation process had been derailed due to skipped procedural steps and a lack of appeal options, despite demonstrated neighborhood support for the project.

Appointments

The following appointment was made during this meeting:

• Brown was appointed to the Public Works Committee
• Brown was appointed to the Environmental Quality & Public Works Committee
• Brown was appointed to the General Government & Social Services Committee

Contested Items

The April 7, 2015 meeting included three items that generated significant disagreement among participants.

Department Reorganization of Grants & Special Programs

Several committee members raised concerns about a proposed reorganization that would move the Division of Grants & Special Programs from the CAO's office to Planning. The primary objection centered on coordination issues that members worried would result from this change. Despite these concerns, a motion to remove the reorganization from the committee's consideration passed unanimously.

Inclusion of Veterans as Disadvantaged Business Enterprises

Council members engaged in a heated discussion regarding whether to add Veterans to the disadvantaged business enterprises category. The debate focused on whether this addition would dilute the current 10% goal for disadvantaged businesses and create unwanted competition among eligible groups. The motion to include Veterans failed due to lack of a second.

Jacobson Park Playground Redesign

The proposed redesign of the Jacobson Park playground became a point of community division. A petition was presented advocating for a full rebuild incorporating universal design principles. This proposal faced opposition from those who preferred a renovation approach instead. The disagreement reflected broader community concerns about the scope and direction of the project.

Public Comment - Issues on Agenda

9:02

No members of the public signed up to provide comment on issues on the agenda. As a result, this portion of the meeting proceeded without public testimony, and the body moved forward to the next agenda item.

Requested Rezoning/Docket Approval

9:02

No rezoning requests were presented during this agenda item. Additionally, docket approval was not required, as there was no council meeting scheduled for that week. This item was presented for informational purposes only.

Approval of Summary

The committee considered approval of the March 10, 2015 summary 9:02. Key speakers on this agenda item included Henson and Scutchfield.

The March 10, 2015 summary was approved unanimously by the committee.

Budget Amendments

Budget amendments were presented and approved during this agenda item 9:02.

Key Speakers

Farmer and Stinnett led the discussion on the budget amendments.

Amendments Approved

The amendments included a $36,250 addition for the Fire Station 24 land purchase.

Outcome

The budget amendments were approved.

New Business

The new business agenda was presented and approved during the meeting 9:02. Item K regarding the Lexington Distillery District was removed from consideration prior to the vote.

Several new business items were discussed and approved during this portion of the meeting. Key speakers contributing to the discussion included Farmer, Henson, and Stinnett.

The new business agenda, with the noted removal of the Lexington Distillery District item, was ultimately approved by the body.

Continuing Business/ Presentations

Council Member Akers provided a summary of the Special General Government & Social Services Committee meeting held on March 10, 2015 19:25.

The presentation covered three main topics:

Workforce Development Discussion focused on workforce development initiatives and related programs.

Department Reorganization The committee addressed proposed changes to departmental structure and organization.

Veterans as Disadvantaged Business Enterprises The committee examined policies and opportunities related to veterans' participation in disadvantaged business enterprise programs.

This agenda item was informational in nature, with no formal action or decision required. The summary provided council members with an overview of the committee's work and discussions from the previous month.

Council Reports

Council Member Henson presented on the Build Inclusion initiative, which focuses on universal design improvements for Jacobson Park Playground. 22:39

Vice Mayor Kaye announced new appointments to various committees during this portion of the meeting.

Council Member Gibbs proposed a motion to refer a traffic signal discussion to the Environmental Quality & Public Works Committee for further consideration.

The Council Reports segment was informational in nature, with no formal action items requiring a vote beyond Gibbs' referral motion.

Mayor's Report

No mayor's report was presented during this meeting 31:15.

Public Comment - Issues Not on Agenda

31:48

During this public comment period, several community members and a council member raised issues not listed on the meeting agenda.

Chad Walker addressed the difficulty in installing speed bumps on Ash Street, citing procedural obstacles that have hindered the project's progress.

Jennifer Arena and Annette Jett advocated for the incorporation of universal design principles in the Jacobson Park Playground, emphasizing the importance of accessibility in public recreational facilities.

Council Member Bledsoe raised concerns about the city's public image, specifically criticizing the association between the city and incidents involving burning couches.

The outcome of this agenda item was informational, with no formal action taken.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned following a motion to adjourn that was passed. 35:41

Key speakers involved in the adjournment were Scutchfield and Farmer. The motion to adjourn was approved.