Urban County Council

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council convened on April 27, 2017, at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers in Lexington, Kentucky, with Mayor Gray presiding over the session. The meeting addressed two main agenda items, including a Public Health Hero Award Recognition presentation and consideration of a Public Infrastructure Program Ordinance. During the course of the meeting, the council conducted three formal votes and heard from two members of the public during the comment period. The council successfully approved the Public Infrastructure Program Ordinance, while the Public Health Hero Award Recognition served as an informational presentation to acknowledge community contributions to public health initiatives.

Attendance

The following members were present at the April 27, 2017 meeting:

Present: • Lamb • Moloney • Mossotti • Plomin • Scutchfield • Stinnett • Bledsoe • F. Brown • J. Brown • Evans • Farmer • Gibbs • Henson

Absent: • Vice Mayor Kay

Late: • None

A total of 13 members were present for the meeting, with one absence recorded.

Votes and Decisions

The council took action on three items during the April 27, 2017 meeting.

Minutes Amendment 2:00 Councilmember Lamb moved to amend the minutes of the January 19, 2017 zone change hearing, seconded by Scutchfield. The motion passed unanimously with all 13 members voting in favor: Lamb, Moloney, Mossotti, Plomin, Scutchfield, Stinnett, Bledsoe, F. Brown, J. Brown, Evans, Farmer, Gibbs, and Henson.

Ordinance 1081-16 30:00 Stinnett moved to table Ordinance 1081-16, an ordinance amending Article 23A-10 of the Zoning Ordinance, with Farmer providing the second. The motion to table passed unanimously 13-0, with the same 13 members voting in favor. The ordinance was tabled until the May 11, 2017 Council Meeting.

Downtown Arts Center Renaming 1:45:00 Henson moved to rename the Downtown Arts Center to the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center, seconded by Bledsoe. This motion required a roll call vote and passed 12-1. Twelve members voted in favor: Lamb, Mossotti, Plomin, Scutchfield, Stinnett, Bledsoe, F. Brown, J. Brown, Evans, Farmer, Gibbs, and Henson. Moloney cast the sole dissenting vote.

All three votes had full participation from the 13-member council with no abstentions recorded on any item.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting addressed two significant financial contracts requiring approval.

LFD Facilities Maintenance Building Phase II The council considered Resolution 0365-17 authorizing a contract with Omni Commercial, LLC for $457,783. This contract covers Phase II of the LFD Facilities Maintenance Building project, representing a substantial infrastructure investment for the fire department's operational facilities.

Workforce Development Services Resolution 0284-17 proposed allocating $150,000 for Purchase of Service Agreements related to workforce development programs. These contracts would be distributed among various organizations to support job training and employment initiatives within the community.

The two resolutions combined represent over $600,000 in municipal spending, with the majority allocated to fire department facility improvements and a significant portion dedicated to workforce development programming through community partnerships.

Public Comment

Two residents spoke during the public comment period, both addressing the proposed renaming of the Downtown Arts Center.

Roger Leasor 1:40:00 expressed his support for renaming the Downtown Arts Center in honor of Pam Miller. Leasor spoke in favor of the proposal during his allotted time.

Susan Hill 1:41:00 also voiced her support for the renaming initiative. Hill emphasized Pam Miller's significant contributions to the city as justification for the honor, highlighting Miller's positive impact on the community.

Both speakers were aligned in their support for the proposed renaming, with no opposition voiced during the public comment period. The comments focused specifically on recognizing Pam Miller's service and contributions to the city through the naming of the Downtown Arts Center facility.

Appointments

The meeting included appointments to the Address Enforcement Administrative Hearing Board. Two individuals were appointed to serve on this board.

Address Enforcement Administrative Hearing Board: • Gerald Ross was appointed to the board • Ralph Coldiron was appointed to the board

Both appointments involved new members joining the Address Enforcement Administrative Hearing Board, which handles administrative hearings related to address enforcement matters within the jurisdiction.

Contested Items

The meeting featured one contested item that resulted in a split vote among council members.

Renaming of the Downtown Arts Center

The council considered a resolution to rename the Downtown Arts Center in honor of Pam Miller. While the measure ultimately passed, it was not unanimous, generating the only dissenting vote of the meeting.

The resolution received broad support from the council, passing with a 12-1 vote. Councilmember Moloney cast the sole vote against the renaming proposal, though the specific reasons for the opposition were not detailed in the available meeting materials.

Despite the single dissenting vote, the strong majority support ensured the resolution's passage, officially moving forward the process to rename the Downtown Arts Center in Pam Miller's honor.

*Note: Specific transcript timestamps are not available for this agenda item.*

Public Health Hero Award Recognition

15:00

Health Commissioner Kraig Humbaugh presented the Public Health Hero Award to State Senator Reginald Thomas during agenda item 0493-17. The presentation recognized Senator Thomas for his contributions to public health initiatives.

Key Participants: - Mayor Gray - Kraig Humbaugh, Health Commissioner - State Senator Reginald Thomas

The award presentation was informational in nature, with Commissioner Humbaugh delivering remarks about Senator Thomas's public health advocacy and service. Mayor Gray and Senator Thomas also participated in the recognition ceremony.

This agenda item served as a formal acknowledgment of Senator Thomas's work in advancing public health causes at the state level. The presentation concluded without requiring any formal action from the meeting body.

Public Infrastructure Program Ordinance

35:00 The council considered Ordinance 1323-16, which establishes a local economic development and infill incentive program called the Public Infrastructure Program.

Key speakers Stinnett and Henson presented the ordinance, which is designed to encourage economic development and infill projects through infrastructure incentives. The program aims to support local development initiatives by providing public infrastructure assistance to qualifying projects.

The ordinance was approved by the council, establishing the framework for this new economic development tool that will help facilitate growth and infill development within the community through strategic public infrastructure investments.