Committee of the Whole

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council met on May 24, 2018, at 10:00 AM in the Council Chamber, with the Vice Mayor presiding. The council addressed five agenda items during the session, with a focus on the fiscal year 2019 budget. Four of the five agenda items were approved, including the Public Hearing on the FY2019 Mayor's Proposed Budget, the FY2019 Mayor's Proposed Budget covering revenue, debt, and capital matters, the Mayor's Late Items, and the Council Link Report Out & Recommendations. One item—Individual Council Member Recommendations—was deferred. The council took 23 motions and votes throughout the meeting and heard 1 public comment.

Attendance

The following individuals were present at the meeting on May 24, 2018:

Council Members: - Council Member Farmer - Council Member Lamb - Council Member Maloney - Council Member Massardi - Council Member Plowman - Council Member Stinnett - Council Member Evans - Council Member Bledsoe - Council Member James Brown - Council Member Worley - Council Member Gibbs - Council Member Smith

Staff and Other Attendees: - Commissioner - CAO Hamilton - Bill O'Mara - Jeff Neal - Susan Pluger - Teresa Grider - Roger Mulvaney

No council members or attendees were recorded as absent or arriving late.

Votes and Decisions

The meeting included 23 votes on budget amendments, personnel changes, and capital projects.

Budget and Financial Motions

Four voice votes passed on budget matters: adoption of FY2019 Revenue and Budget Projections 16:18; approval of general fund amendments reducing revenue by $59,400, reducing expenses by $38,500, and increasing expenses by $1,368 18:27; approval of a $117,342 reduction in the Water Quality Management Fund to correct salary double-counting 19:35; and approval to change the prisoner account fund number from 4203 to 5062 to comply with new GASB rules 20:37.

Personnel and Staffing

A roll call vote passed 12-0 to create a part-time ADA coordinator position in Building Inspection and reallocate $34,000 from Facilities and Fleet Management professional services, with all council members voting in favor 45:26. An electronic vote passed 12-0 to abolish Council Staff Specialist and Security Officer positions to fund a Deputy Coroner position 1:01:09.

Capital Projects and Funding

A motion to include $54,000 for design of a splash pad and playground at Charles Young Park from the Public Parking Fund failed 47:37. A motion to fund $600,000 for a K-9 facility from the Public Parking Corporation failed 11-1, with Council Member Smith voting against 1:37:45. An amendment to bond $600,000 for the K-9 facility and use $300,000 from the Public Parking Fund also failed 11-1 2:06:17. The K-9 facility item was subsequently tabled and made item 38, passing 12-0 2:10:11.

Other Approved Motions

Voice votes passed to increase the sidewalk assistance fund by $20,000 46:32; place Explorium bubble room renovation on the fund balance discussion agenda 49:26; fund $4,800 for Human Rights Commission ADA caseload increase 1:14:23; fund $6,620 for animal care and control radio upgrade 1:20:29; and fund $43,000 for mowers for corrections 1:21:34. Electronic votes passed to fund the PVA office software upgrade 1:19:27; fund workforce development grants from existing fund balance 1:07:04; allocate $55,000 for the Hazardous Street Tree Cost Share Program 2:18:12; allocate $30,000 for government fiber optic network maintenance 2:22:06; reappropriate an associate traffic engineer position 2:40:57; and fund $117,000 for buffered bike lanes using $58,500 from the MAP fund and $58,500 from the coal severance fund 2:49:06.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting approved the following financial actions:

Appropriations * $34,000 appropriation to create a part-time ADA coordinator position in Building Inspection * $20,000 appropriation to increase the sidewalk assistance fund in Code Enforcement

Grants * $54,000 grant to fund design of a splash pad and playground at Charles Young Park, awarded to Public Parking Corporation * $4,800 grant to the Human Rights Commission for ADA caseload increase * $55,000 grant to Environmental Services for the Hazardous Street Tree Cost Share Program * $117,000 grant to Environmental Quality and Public Works for buffered bike lanes on Alexandria, Pasadena, Malibu, and Redding Road

Purchases * $30,000 for PVA Office software upgrade * $6,620 for Animal Care and Control radio upgrade * $43,000 for mowers for Corrections

Contracts * $30,000 contract for maintenance of government fiber optic network infrastructure

The total financial actions approved amounted to $410,420 across appropriations, grants, purchases, and contracts spanning multiple city departments and services.

Public Comment

8:35

Jim Frazier, chairman of the Lexington Parking Authority, addressed the council regarding the Parking Authority's fund balance and financial needs. Frazier noted that $648,000 remains in fund 4161 following a prior oversight and requested that the council consider the Parking Authority's funding requirements. He emphasized that the authority is not in a strong cash position and highlighted that revenue losses resulting from a land swap have negatively impacted the authority's operations.

Contested Items

The May 24, 2018 meeting included three contentious matters that generated significant debate among council members.

Funding for K-9 Facility

The council considered a proposal to fund a $600,000 K-9 facility using the Public Parking Fund. The initial motion to approve this funding was defeated. Council members then attempted an alternative approach, proposing to bond half the cost ($300,000) while drawing the remaining half from the Public Parking Fund. This compromise motion also failed to pass. Due to the lack of consensus, the item was tabled for reconsideration at the June 5 meeting.

Use of Public Parking Fund

The K-9 facility proposal sparked heated discussion regarding the appropriate use of the Public Parking Fund. Multiple council members expressed concerns about depleting these funds, emphasizing the Public Parking Corporation's reliance on them and the importance of preserving resources for future parking-related projects. This disagreement over fund allocation was central to the defeat of both funding proposals for the K-9 facility.

Funding for Associate Traffic Engineer Position

The council debated a motion to reappropriate funds for an associate traffic engineer position. An amendment was introduced that redirected funds from a prior budget item to support this position. The amended motion ultimately passed. However, the discussion revealed underlying concerns among council members about recurring costs and the strain on the overall budget. The need to reallocate funds from other areas to accommodate this position highlighted budget constraints the council was facing.

Public Hearing FY2019 Mayor's Proposed Budget

A public hearing was held on May 24, 2018, to consider the Mayor's proposed budget for fiscal year 2019. 7:33

The Vice Mayor presided over the hearing. No public comments were submitted or made during the hearing period. The hearing was subsequently closed.

The proposed budget was approved.

FY2019 Mayor's Proposed Budget: Revenue, Debt & Capital

13:59

The committee reviewed the FY2019 revenue projections during this agenda item. The proposed budget identified a $6.2 million shortfall in projected revenues.

Following discussion of the revenue and debt projections, the committee affirmed the proposed figures as presented. The committee subsequently approved the FY2019 Mayor's Proposed Budget for revenue, debt, and capital.

Outcome: Approved

Mayor's Late Items

The committee approved four late items during this agenda section. 16:53

Approved Items:

• A $59,400 revenue reduction for parks
• A $38,500 expense reduction for the Explorium
• A $1,368 expense increase for the county judge executive salary
• A change to fund numbers for the prisoner account fund

A Commissioner participated in the discussion of these items. The committee voted to approve all four late additions to the agenda.

Council Link Report Out & Recommendations

The Council Link report was presented at approximately 21:10, covering recommendations from five committee areas: General Services & Planning, Finance & Social Services, General Government, Public Safety, and Environmental Quality & Public Works.

Key Speakers

Council Member Farmer, Council Member Armstrong, and Council Member Evans participated in the discussion.

Recommendations Approved

The council approved several recommendations from the report, including:

• Funding for an ADA coordinator
• Sidewalk assistance funding
• A splash pad

Outcome

The recommendations were approved by the council.

Individual Council Member Recommendations

2:49:41

The meeting concluded with a discussion of individual council member recommendations. Council Member Farmer and Council Member Lamb participated in this agenda item.

The committee agreed to reconvene on June 5 to finalize all recommendations. During this discussion, the committee indicated it would reconsider the K-9 facility funding as part of the broader recommendation process.

Outcome: This agenda item was deferred, with the full consideration of individual council member recommendations scheduled for the June 5 meeting.