Urban County Council - Special Council Meeting

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government held a meeting on November 3, 2016, at 5:00 PM in the Council Chambers in Lexington, Kentucky, with Mayor Gray presiding. The meeting addressed two main agenda items, including an informational presentation on Diabetes Awareness Month and the second reading of ordinances that were approved by the council. During the session, the council conducted 2 votes on various matters before them. No public comments were heard during this meeting, allowing the council to focus on the scheduled agenda items and legislative business.

Attendance

The following members were present at the November 3, 2016 meeting:

Present: • Mayor Gray • Kay • Lamb • Moloney • Plomin • Scutchfield • Stinnett • Akers • Bledsoe • F. Brown • J. Brown • Evans • Henson • Mossotti (arrived late) • Farmer (arrived late)

Absent: • Gibbs

Late Arrivals: • Mossotti • Farmer

A total of 15 members were present for the meeting, with 1 member absent. Two members arrived late but participated in the proceedings.

Votes and Decisions

The council took action on two items during the November 3, 2016 meeting, both passing with strong support.

Ordinance 1125-16 2:00 was voted on first, addressing a personnel change within the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) program. The ordinance amended the Unclassified Civil Service authorized strength by abolishing one position of CASA Services Manager and creating one position of CASA Program Administrator. Council member Henson made the motion, which was seconded by Kay. The measure passed unanimously on a roll call vote with 13 ayes and 0 nays. All council members present voted in favor: Kay, Lamb, Moloney, Mossotti, Plomin, Scutchfield, Stinnett, Akers, Bledsoe, F. Brown, J. Brown, Evans, and Henson.

Resolution 0971-16 4:00 addressed funding arrangements for a major downtown development project. The resolution authorized the Mayor to execute a Memorandum of Agreement with the Blue Grass Community Foundation for fundraising services for the Town Branch Commons Project. Mossotti made the motion, with Henson providing the second. This measure passed with 13 ayes and 1 nay on a roll call vote. The same 13 council members who supported the previous ordinance voted in favor of this resolution. Council member Farmer cast the sole dissenting vote against the fundraising agreement.

Both items required roll call votes, demonstrating the council's formal consideration of these matters. The unanimous support for the CASA position restructuring contrasted with the single opposition vote on the Town Branch Commons fundraising arrangement.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting addressed two significant financial items through formal resolutions.

Town Branch Commons Project Fundraising Contract

The council considered Resolution 0971-16, which authorizes a $180,000 contract with Blue Grass Community Foundation for fundraising services related to the Town Branch Commons Project. This contract establishes the foundation as the designated fundraising partner for this municipal development initiative.

Fire Department Equipment Grant

Resolution 1120-16 involves a $4,100 grant from Marathon Petroleum Corp. for the purchase of a pressure reduction valve for the high capacity foam system. This equipment grant will enhance the fire department's emergency response capabilities, specifically improving their foam suppression system infrastructure.

Both resolutions represent different funding mechanisms - the first being a municipal expenditure for professional fundraising services, while the second constitutes external grant funding from a private corporation to support public safety equipment needs.

Appointments

The meeting included several reappointments to city boards and commissions.

Economic Development Investment Board • Anne-Taylor Morgan was reappointed to the Economic Development Investment Board

Homeless Prevention and Intervention Board • Janice James was reappointed to the Homeless Prevention and Intervention Board • Richard McQuady was reappointed to the Homeless Prevention and Intervention Board

All three appointments involved reappointments of existing members to their respective boards rather than new appointments.

Contested Items

The meeting featured one significant contested item regarding a personnel appointment that generated procedural concerns and debate among board members.

Appointment of Jeffrey Carter as Deputy Director of Community Corrections

The primary point of contention centered on the proposed appointment of Jeffrey Carter to serve as Deputy Director of Community Corrections. The disagreement was fundamentally procedural in nature, focusing on the process used to make the appointment rather than Carter's qualifications for the position.

Opposition to the immediate appointment came from the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), which raised concerns about the appointment process. Specifically, the FOP objected to what they characterized as a lack of adequate employee input in the selection process. This procedural dispute highlighted tensions between management's appointment authority and employee organizations' desire for greater involvement in personnel decisions affecting their workplace.

In response to these concerns, a motion was made to suspend Carter's appointment until January 19, 2017. This delay would presumably allow time to address the FOP's procedural objections and potentially incorporate additional employee feedback into the decision-making process.

The contested nature of this item reflects broader workplace governance issues, particularly the balance between administrative efficiency in making appointments and ensuring adequate stakeholder consultation. The FOP's intervention suggests that employee organizations viewed this appointment as significant enough to warrant formal procedural objections, indicating the position's importance within the Community Corrections structure.

The outcome of the motion to suspend the appointment until January 2017 demonstrates the board's willingness to accommodate procedural concerns, even when they may delay administrative actions. This approach suggests a preference for consensus-building over expedited decision-making when employee organizations raise substantive process-related objections.

Diabetes Awareness Month

1:00

Mayor Gray issued a proclamation declaring November 2016 as National Diabetes Awareness Month in Lexington and November 14, 2016 as World Diabetes Day in Lexington.

The proclamation was presented during the meeting with Bob Babbage participating in the discussion alongside Mayor Gray. This agenda item served as an informational proclamation to raise awareness about diabetes and its impact on the community.

The declaration aligns with national efforts to educate the public about diabetes prevention, management, and the importance of early detection. By officially recognizing both the month-long awareness campaign and the specific World Diabetes Day, the city demonstrated its commitment to public health initiatives.

No debate or concerns were raised regarding this proclamation, as it was presented as an informational item to formally acknowledge the city's participation in diabetes awareness efforts.

Ordinances – Second Reading

2:00

The council conducted second readings of several ordinances during this portion of the meeting. The ordinances under consideration included amendments to civil service positions and budget adjustments.

Key speakers during this agenda item were council members Henson and Kay, who participated in the discussion of the proposed ordinances.

The ordinances addressed various municipal matters, with particular focus on modifications to civil service positions within the city government structure and necessary budget adjustments to accommodate these changes.

Following the second reading process, all ordinances presented during this agenda item were approved by the council. The approval allows these ordinances to move forward in the legislative process according to standard municipal procedures.

The second reading represents a critical step in the ordinance approval process, providing council members and the public with an additional opportunity to review and consider the proposed changes before final adoption.