Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council convened on April 16, 2015, at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers at the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government building located at 200 E. Main St, Lexington, KY 40507. The meeting addressed three agenda items, all of which were approved by the Council. The business included approving minutes from previous meetings held on March 9, March 19, and April 7, 2015, as well as considering two ordinances related to budget amendments and civil service position changes.

During the session, the Council took five votes and conducted no public comment period. The primary legislative actions involved passing an ordinance to amend certain budgets of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and another ordinance to amend the authorized strength by abolishing one Classified Civil Service Position. All agenda items received approval, indicating unanimous or majority support from the Council members present.

The meeting appears to have been focused on routine administrative matters, with the Council efficiently processing the approval of previous meeting minutes and handling necessary budget and personnel adjustments through the ordinance process.

Votes and Decisions

The council conducted first readings on five ordinances during the April 16, 2015 meeting, with all items receiving unanimous approval to advance to future consideration.

Zoning Changes

Three ordinances addressed zoning modifications for specific properties:

• Ordinance 0376-15 received first reading approval (9-0) to change zoning from Neighborhood Business (B-1) to Highway Service Business (B-3) for 5.6686 net acres at 2434 & 2450 Nicholasville Road. The ordinance is scheduled to be heard by May 27, 2015.

• Ordinance 0377-15 passed first reading (9-0) to rezone 0.345 net acres at 2100 Liberty Road from Highway Service Business (B-3) to Neighborhood Business (B-1). This item will also be heard by May 27, 2015.

• Ordinance 0378-15 received first reading approval (9-0) to change zoning from Light Industrial (I-1) to Neighborhood Business (B-1) for 3.78 net acres at 308-310, 322 and 330 Newtown Pike. The hearing is scheduled by May 27, 2015.

Zoning Ordinance Amendments

Two ordinances proposed amendments to the city's zoning regulations:

• Ordinance 0379-15 passed first reading (9-0) to amend Article 17-7(b)(5) of the Zoning Ordinance. The amendment would allow churches and schools on properties larger than five acres with two street frontages to have a second free-standing sign.

• Ordinance 0380-15 received first reading approval (9-0) to amend Article 28-6(c) of the Zoning Ordinance. This change would provide for the use of alternative building features in Mixed-Use (MU) zones.

All five ordinances received unanimous support from the nine council members present, with no opposition or abstentions recorded on any item. The three property-specific zoning changes are scheduled for public hearings by May 27, 2015, while the two zoning ordinance amendments will proceed through the standard legislative process.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting addressed twelve financial items totaling over $6.9 million in contracts, grants, and other expenditures.

Major Infrastructure Projects

The largest expenditure was Resolution 0440-15, authorizing a $4,740,000 contract with Judy Construction Co. for the Wolf Run Wet Weather Storage Facility. Additionally, Resolution 0412-15 approved $119,600 for Angel Contracting, LLC to construct the Legacy Trail Flag Pole Base.

Trail and Recreation Projects

Several trail-related items were approved, including Resolution 0264-15 accepting a $1,278,000 grant from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for design of Phases IV, V, and VI of the Town Branch Trail. Resolution 0353-15 amended the Brighton East Rail Trail Project - Phase II contract with Randle-Davies Construction Co. for an additional $78,609.51. Resolution 0390-15 accepted a $73,450 grant from the Kentucky Department for Local Government for ADA compliance upgrades at the Masterson Station Playground.

Facility and Equipment Contracts

Resolution 0434-15 authorized $36,970 to Vapor Protection Services for radon mitigation at Family Care and Coleman House facilities. Resolution 0435-15 approved $33,995 for Evapar, Inc. to provide a generator for the Emergency Operations Center. Resolution 0082-15 established a $90,000 contract with AMEC Environment and Infrastructure, Inc. for services at the Haley Pike Landfill.

Grant Acceptances and Other Items

Resolution 0363-15 accepted a $34,405 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice for reimbursement of costs related to incarcerating undocumented criminal aliens. Resolution 0330-15 approved a $100,000 economic development incentive to Summit Biosciences, Inc. for creating and retaining nine new jobs.

Project Amendments and Property Acquisition

Resolution 0069-15 amended the Meadows/Northland/Arlington Public Improvements Project, Phase 5B contract with Bluegrass Contracting Corp. for an additional $10,502.42. Resolution 0401-15 authorized $500,000 for property acquisition and demolition required for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

Appointments

The meeting included the appointment of sixteen individuals to various positions within the organization.

Administrative and support staff appointments included: • Greta Giles was appointed as Staff Assistant Sr. • Diane Lewis was appointed as Administrative Specialist • Kikoko Lusiwe was appointed as Custodial Worker

Public service and supervisory positions were filled with: • Robert Austin was appointed as Public Service Supervisor • Daniel Estes was appointed as Public Service Supervisor • Michael Jordan was appointed as Public Service Worker Sr.

Equipment operation roles included: • Daniel Petersen was appointed as Equipment Operator Sr. • Wanda Wallen was appointed as Equipment Operator Sr.

Technical and maintenance positions were assigned to: • Travis Noel was appointed as Heavy Equipment Technician • Joshua Toomey was appointed as Heavy Equipment Technician • James Duncan was appointed as Skilled Trades Worker Sr.

Resource recovery operations appointments included: • Fredrick Cotton was appointed as Resource Recovery Operator • Patrick Wright was appointed as Resource Recovery Operator • Manwell Benton was appointed as Resource Recovery Operator

Additional specialized positions filled were: • James Moore was appointed as License Inspector • Bradley Baker was appointed as Community Corrections Sergeant

All sixteen appointments were approved during the meeting, representing positions across multiple departments including administration, public services, equipment operations, technical services, resource recovery, and community corrections.

Minutes of the March 9, March 19, and April 7, 2015 Council Meetings

The council considered Ordinance 0476-15 for the approval of minutes from three previous council meetings held on March 9, March 19, and April 7, 2015.

This agenda item was presented as a routine administrative matter requiring council approval to formally adopt the official records of the three specified meetings. The ordinance sought to approve the written minutes that documented the proceedings, discussions, and actions taken during each of these council sessions.

No speakers were identified as participating in discussion of this item, suggesting it proceeded without debate or public comment. The approval of meeting minutes is typically considered a procedural matter, allowing the council to maintain accurate official records of their proceedings.

The council approved Ordinance 0476-15, formally adopting the minutes from all three meetings - March 9, March 19, and April 7, 2015. This approval ensures these minutes become part of the official public record and can be referenced for future council business or public information requests.

The simultaneous approval of minutes from multiple meetings in a single ordinance appears to represent an effort to address any backlog in formally adopting meeting records and ensure the council's documentation remained current.

An Ordinance amending certain of the Budgets of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government

The council considered Ordinance 0365-15, which proposed amendments to certain budgets of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. The ordinance was designed to reflect current requirements for municipal expenditures and included provisions for appropriating and re-appropriating funds to align with operational needs.

Lueker served as the key speaker for this agenda item, presenting the budget amendments to the council. The ordinance addressed necessary adjustments to the government's financial allocations to ensure proper funding for various municipal operations and services.

The budget amendment ordinance was approved by the council, allowing the urban county government to proceed with the revised financial allocations as outlined in the legislation. This type of budget adjustment ordinance is typically used to address changing operational needs, unexpected expenses, or to reallocate funds between different departments or programs within the government structure.

The approval of Ordinance 0365-15 enabled the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government to maintain fiscal flexibility and ensure adequate funding for essential municipal services and operations throughout the budget period.

An Ordinance amending the authorized strength by abolishing one Classified Civil

The council considered Ordinance 0321-15, which proposed amending the city's authorized staffing structure by abolishing one Classified Civil Service position and creating a new one within the Division of Community Corrections.

The ordinance specifically called for abolishing one position of Skilled Trades Worker Sr. and simultaneously creating one position of Corrections Maintenance Mechanic Sr. in the Division of Community Corrections. This change represented a restructuring of existing personnel resources rather than an increase or decrease in overall staffing levels.

Maxwell served as a key speaker during the discussion of this agenda item, though specific details of the presentation and any debate that occurred were not captured in the available meeting records.

The ordinance was approved by the council, allowing the Division of Community Corrections to proceed with the position restructuring. This change would enable the division to better align its staffing with operational needs by replacing a general skilled trades position with a specialized corrections maintenance role.

The approval of this ordinance reflects the city's ongoing efforts to optimize its workforce structure to meet specific departmental requirements while maintaining fiscal responsibility through position reallocation rather than expansion.