Urban County Council

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council convened on August 12, 2021, at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers in Lexington, Kentucky, with Mayor Gorton presiding. The meeting addressed three agenda items, including one presentation and two zoning ordinances. Council members took four votes during the session, while no public comments were heard. The meeting included a presentation honoring Ka'Sondra Brown and first readings of two zoning ordinances for properties on Harrodsburg Road and DeRoode Street.

Attendance

The following members were present at the August 12, 2021 meeting:

• Reynolds
• Sheehan
• Baxter
• Bledsoe
• F. Brown
• J. Brown
• Ellinger
• Kay
• Kloiber
• Lamb
• LeGris
• McCurn
• Moloney

Absent: • Plomin • Worley

No members arrived late to the meeting. A total of 13 members were present and 2 members were absent.

Votes and Decisions

The Council took action on four items during the August 12, 2021 meeting, with all measures passing unanimously.

Meeting Minutes Approval 2:30 Mr. McCurn motioned to approve the minutes from the June 24, July 6, and July 8, 2021 Council meetings, seconded by Vice Mayor Kay. The motion passed unanimously with all 13 members voting in favor: Reynolds, Sheehan, Baxter, Bledsoe, F. Brown, J. Brown, Ellinger, Kay, Kloiber, Lamb, LeGris, McCurn, and Moloney.

Resolution 0753-21 4:30 Ms. Reynolds motioned to approve Resolution 0753-21, accepting the bid of Perdue Environmental Contracting Co., Inc. and establishing a price contract for Hazardous Material Spill Clean Up, seconded by Mr. Ellinger. The resolution passed by roll call vote 13-0, with all members voting in favor.

Resolution 0791-21 5:30 Mr. J. Brown motioned to approve Resolution 0791-21, authorizing the Division of Human Resources to make conditional offers for Probationary Community Corrections Officer appointments, seconded by Mr. McCurn. The resolution passed by roll call vote 13-0, with unanimous support from all Council members.

Resolution 0774-21 6:30 Mr. Moloney motioned to approve Resolution 0774-21, encouraging the waiver of penalties and fees for delinquent ad valorem taxes due to the Covid-19 pandemic, seconded by Mr. Ellinger. The resolution passed by roll call vote 13-0, with all 13 Council members voting in favor.

All four votes demonstrated complete Council unity, with no opposition or abstentions recorded on any measure.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting addressed two significant financial contracts requiring council approval.

Hazardous Material Cleanup Contract The council considered Resolution 0753-21, authorizing a contract with Perdue Environmental Contracting Co., Inc. for hazardous material spill cleanup services in the amount of $201,485.50. This contract addresses environmental remediation needs within the jurisdiction.

Major Infrastructure Project Resolution 0788-21 was presented for the West Hickman Wet Weather Storage Tank Phase 2 project, representing a substantial infrastructure investment of $17,450,000. The contract would be awarded to Judy Construction Co. for this water management facility expansion. This project appears to be part of a larger stormwater management initiative to address wet weather overflow issues in the West Hickman area.

The two resolutions combined represent approximately $17.65 million in contracted services, with the West Hickman storage tank project comprising the vast majority of the financial commitment. The hazardous material cleanup represents a significantly smaller but necessary environmental remediation expense.

Appointments

The meeting included three appointments to the Board of Health. All three individuals were appointed to serve on this municipal health oversight body.

The appointments made were:

• Hartley Feld - appointed to the Board of Health
• Maria Gomez - appointed to the Board of Health
• Elizabeth Riley - appointed to the Board of Health

These appointments fill positions on the Board of Health, which serves as the local health authority responsible for public health matters within the municipality. The three new appointees will join the board to help oversee health regulations, policies, and community health initiatives.

Presentation honoring Ka'Sondra Brown

10:00

The city presented agenda item 0805-21, a special recognition ceremony honoring Ka'Sondra Brown for her exceptional work as a foster parent. Brown was recently named the Best Foster Parent in the United States by Transfiguring Adoption, a national organization that recognizes outstanding individuals in the foster care system.

Mayor Gorton and Ms. Sheehan served as the key speakers during the presentation, highlighting Brown's remarkable dedication to children in need. The recognition specifically cited Brown's kindness, courage, and deep love of children as the qualities that distinguished her among foster parents nationwide.

Ka'Sondra Brown was present to receive the honor and participated in the ceremony. The presentation served as an informational item, celebrating Brown's achievement and bringing community attention to the important work being done in foster care.

This recognition represents a significant honor, as being named the best foster parent in the entire United States demonstrates exceptional commitment to child welfare and the foster care system. The presentation provided an opportunity for the city to publicly acknowledge Brown's contributions to the community and to highlight the vital role that foster parents play in supporting vulnerable children.

The agenda item was ceremonial in nature, with no action items or decisions required from the governing body. The presentation concluded the formal recognition of Brown's national award and her outstanding service to children in the foster care system.

Ordinance changing the zone for property at Harrodsburg Rd.

20:00

The council considered Ordinance 0759-21, which proposes changing the zoning designation for properties located at 3801, 3901, and 3955 Harrodsburg Road. The ordinance seeks to modify the existing Restricted Highway Service Business (B-3) zone to a Restricted Highway Service Business (B-3) zone with modified conditional zoning for these three parcels.

While the properties would retain their B-3 zoning classification, the proposed modification would add conditional zoning requirements that would alter the permitted uses or development standards for the sites. The specific nature of the conditional zoning modifications was not detailed in the available meeting materials.

No speakers were identified as presenting information about this zoning change during the meeting discussion. The ordinance received its first reading, which is the initial step in the legislative process for zoning changes. As a first reading, no final action was taken on the proposal.

The ordinance will require additional readings and potential public input before the council makes a final determination on whether to approve the zoning modification for the Harrodsburg Road properties.

Ordinance changing the zone for property at DeRoode St.

21:00

The council considered Ordinance 0760-21, which proposes to rezone property located at 850 DeRoode St. from a Townhouse Residential (R-1T) zone to a High Density Apartment (R-4) zone.

The ordinance received its first reading during the meeting. No specific speakers were identified in the available records for this agenda item, and no detailed discussion or debate was documented in the provided materials.

The rezoning would allow for higher density residential development at the DeRoode Street location, transitioning from townhouse-style housing regulations to apartment building standards that permit greater residential density.

The ordinance will require additional readings before final adoption, following standard municipal legislative procedures for zoning changes.