Urban County Council

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council convened virtually on March 18, 2021, at 6:00 PM with Mayor Gorton presiding over the meeting. The council addressed 2 agenda items during the session, including a recognition ceremony and consideration of zoning ordinance amendments related to sign regulations. The meeting featured 2 public comments from community members and resulted in 3 formal votes by the council. The primary legislative action involved approval of changes to the zoning ordinance concerning sign regulations, while the council also conducted an informational recognition of Bill Enright for his service or contributions to the community.

Attendance

All members were present for the March 18, 2021 meeting.

Present: • Mayor Gorton • Worley • Baxter • Bledsoe • F. Brown • J. Brown • Ellinger • Kay • Kloiber • Lamb • LeGris • McCurn • Moloney • Plomin • Reynolds • Sheehan

Absent: None

Late: None

Votes and Decisions

The council conducted three roll call votes during the March 18, 2021 meeting, with all three measures passing.

Ordinance 0135-21 2:00 - An Ordinance amending Articles of the Zoning Ordinance relating to sign regulations was motioned by Mr. Ellinger and seconded by Mr. Worley. The measure passed with 14 ayes and 1 nay. Voting in favor were Worley, Baxter, Bledsoe, F. Brown, J. Brown, Ellinger, Kay, Kloiber, Lamb, LeGris, McCurn, Moloney, Reynolds, and Sheehan. Plomin cast the sole opposing vote.

Ordinance 0213-21 3:00 - An Ordinance amending Section 2-490 of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Code of Ordinances was motioned by Mr. Ellinger and seconded by Mr. Worley. This measure passed unanimously with 15 ayes and 0 nays. All council members voted in favor: Worley, Baxter, Bledsoe, F. Brown, J. Brown, Ellinger, Kay, Kloiber, Lamb, LeGris, McCurn, Moloney, Plomin, Reynolds, and Sheehan.

Resolution 0215-21 5:00 - A Resolution amending Resolution 657-2019 for payment to Gresham Smith and Partners was motioned by Mr. Ellinger and seconded by Ms. Plomin. The resolution passed with 14 ayes and 1 nay. Voting in favor were Worley, Baxter, Bledsoe, F. Brown, J. Brown, Ellinger, Kay, Kloiber, Lamb, LeGris, McCurn, Plomin, Reynolds, and Sheehan. Moloney cast the dissenting vote.

All three measures received majority support from the 15-member council, with Mr. Ellinger serving as the primary motioner for each item.

Budget and Financial Actions

The council addressed two significant financial matters during the March 18, 2021 meeting, totaling over $4 million in expenditures and grant acceptance.

Contract Amendment for Town Branch Commons

The council considered Resolution 0215-21, which authorizes a payment of $199,949 to Gresham Smith and Partners for services under Contract Modification No. 5 for the Town Branch Commons Corridor project. This amendment represents additional work required for the ongoing corridor development initiative.

Federal Grant Acceptance for Newtown Pike Extension

Resolution 0220-21 addressed the acceptance of additional federal funding totaling $3,855,000 for the Newtown Pike Extension Project. This substantial grant award will support the continued development of this major transportation infrastructure project, which aims to improve connectivity and traffic flow in the area.

The two financial actions combined represent approximately $4.05 million in project funding, with the majority coming from federal grant sources for the Newtown Pike Extension. The Town Branch Commons payment reflects ongoing professional services costs for design and engineering work on that corridor improvement project.

Both items required council approval as part of the city's standard budget amendment and grant acceptance procedures, ensuring proper oversight of significant financial commitments and federal funding acceptance.

Public Comment

Two residents addressed the council during the public comment period.

Amy Clark spoke at 0:30 regarding the proposed Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment. Clark expressed concerns about the amendment's sign regulations and urged the council to seek balanced legal advice before adopting the ordinance.

Bill Farmer, Jr. addressed the council at 1:30 on two topics. He commended Director Charlie Martin for his work that led to the city's release from the Environmental Protection Agency's Consent Decree. Farmer also encouraged the council to be bold in utilizing upcoming stimulus funds.

Appointments

The meeting included two appointments to city commissions.

New Appointments: • Adam Smith was appointed to the Corridors Commission

Reappointments: • Larry Isenhour was reappointed to the Environmental Commission

The appointments were processed during the meeting, though specific transcript timestamps are not available for this portion of the proceedings. Both appointments involved volunteer positions on city advisory commissions that provide recommendations to the city council on matters within their respective areas of expertise.

Contested Items

Two significant issues generated debate and opposition during the March 18, 2021 meeting.

Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment

The proposed zoning ordinance text amendment faced community opposition, with resident Amy Clark voicing concerns during the public comment period. Clark urged the council to seek balanced legal advice before adopting the ordinance, suggesting that the current legal guidance may be insufficient or one-sided. Her intervention highlighted community unease with the proposed changes to zoning regulations, though the specific details of the ordinance and the nature of her legal concerns were not elaborated upon in the available meeting data. The outcome of this agenda item was not specified in the extracted information.

Return to In-Person Meetings

Council members engaged in heated discussion regarding the logistics and safety protocols for resuming in-person meetings. The debate revealed differing opinions among council members about the appropriate timing and conditions for transitioning away from virtual meetings, which had presumably been implemented due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The discussion centered on balancing public health safety concerns with the desire to return to traditional meeting formats. Council members expressed varying levels of comfort with different safety measures and timelines for the transition. The specific positions taken by individual council members and the final decision reached were not detailed in the available meeting summary.

Both contested items reflect broader community and governmental challenges during the pandemic period, involving questions of legal process, public participation, and public health considerations in municipal governance.

Recognition of Bill Enright

2:30

Mayor Gorton presented agenda item 0268-21, a proclamation recognizing Bill Enright for his significant contributions to the Lexington community. The recognition highlighted Enright's dedicated service across multiple areas of civic engagement.

The proclamation specifically acknowledged Enright's work organizing and supporting the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, a community tradition that brings residents together each year. Mayor Gorton also recognized Enright's service on various city commissions, where he contributed his time and expertise to municipal governance and community planning efforts.

During the presentation, Mayor Gorton outlined the various ways Enright has volunteered his time and energy to benefit Lexington residents. The recognition served as a formal acknowledgment of his ongoing commitment to community service and civic participation.

Bill Enright was present to receive the recognition and briefly addressed the gathering. The proclamation was presented as an informational item, celebrating his contributions without requiring any formal action from the meeting body.

This recognition represents the city's practice of formally acknowledging residents who demonstrate exceptional dedication to community service and civic engagement. The proclamation will serve as a permanent record of Enright's contributions to Lexington's civic life and community traditions.

Zoning Ordinance relating to sign regulations

2:00

The council considered Ordinance 0135-21, which proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance relating to sign regulations. The discussion centered on ensuring content neutrality in sign regulations and bringing the ordinance into compliance with a Supreme Court decision.

Key speakers during the discussion included Ms. Lamb and Traci Wade, who presented the proposed changes to the existing sign regulations. The amendments were designed to address legal requirements stemming from Supreme Court precedent regarding content-based restrictions on signage.

The proposed ordinance focused on making the city's sign regulations content-neutral, which is a critical legal requirement following Supreme Court rulings that have limited municipalities' ability to regulate signs based on their message content. This type of regulatory update has become common for local governments seeking to ensure their sign ordinances comply with First Amendment protections.

The council ultimately approved Ordinance 0135-21, indicating consensus that the proposed amendments were necessary to maintain legally compliant sign regulations while still allowing the city to manage signage within its jurisdiction effectively.