Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council convened on September 28, 2021, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chamber of the Urban County Government Center, with Mayor Linda Gorton presiding. The council addressed six agenda items during the session, including routine business matters and community development initiatives. The meeting featured one presentation on the Dantzler Court Greenspace Neighborhood Improvements project, providing council members and the public with information about planned neighborhood enhancements. Three members of the public offered comments on agenda-related issues during the designated public comment period. Council members conducted 11 votes throughout the meeting, approving several key items including budget amendments, new business proposals, and neighborhood development fund allocations, while also approving the meeting summary from a previous session.

Attendance

All members of the council were present for the September 28, 2021 meeting.

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

Absent: None

Late: None

The meeting achieved full attendance with all 16 council members participating.

Votes and Decisions

The council conducted eleven voice votes during the September 28, 2021 meeting, with most motions passing unanimously or with minimal opposition.

Agenda and Procedural Motions: - Vice Mayor Kay's motion to amend the agenda to recognize Heather Moncrief passed by voice vote 0:00 - Vice Mayor Kay's motion to go into closed session, seconded by Council Member Ellinger, passed by voice vote 0:00 - Council Member McCurn's motion to approve the docket, seconded by Council Member Baxter, passed by voice vote 0:00

Docket Modifications: - Council Member Fred Brown's motion to remove item 5 from the docket and place it in planning and public safety, seconded by Council Member Ellinger, passed by voice vote with one nay vote from Council Member Lamb 0:00 - Council Member Legris's motion to place item number 4 under ordinances first reading without a public hearing, seconded by Council Member James Brown, passed unanimously by voice vote 0:00

Administrative Approvals: - Vice Mayor Kay's motion to approve the September 21 council work session summary, seconded by Council Member Ellinger, passed unanimously 0:00 - Council Member Ellinger's motion to approve budget amendments, seconded by Council Member McCurn, passed unanimously 0:00

Business and Development Items: - Vice Mayor Kay's motion to approve new business, seconded by Council Member Plomin, passed with one nay vote from Council Member Moloney 0:00 - Vice Mayor Kay's motion to approve neighborhood development funds, seconded by Council Member Reynolds, passed unanimously 0:00 - Council Member Lamb's motion to amend the Lexington Fairness neighborhood development fund passed unanimously without a recorded second 0:00

Final Item: - Council Member Bledsoe's motion to approve the mayor's report, seconded by Vice Mayor Kay, passed with one nay vote from Council Member Lamb 0:00

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting addressed twelve financial items totaling over $1 million in contracts, grants, and expenditures.

Contract Modifications and New Agreements: - L0911-21: Authorized Change Order #1 with Central Kentucky Sprinkler, Inc. for $2,830 - L0956-21: Approved Change Order No. 2 with ATS Construction for Town Branch Trail Phase 6 totaling $239,388.75 - L0946-21: Authorized an agreement with Lexington Housing Authority for $399,000 - L0955-21: Approved a Management Agreement with Friends of the Kentucky Theatre for 10% of gross receipts - L0933-21: Designated Burdine Security Group as a sole source vendor with costs dependent on services requested - L0937-21: Authorized a Memorandum of Understanding with Fayette County Public Schools with no specified amount

Federal Partnerships: Three agreements with the Drug Enforcement Administration were approved with no budgetary impact: - L0947-21: Tactical Diversion Squad Task Force Agreement - L0948-21: Program Funded State & Local Task Force Agreement - L0949-21: Provisional State & Local Task Force Agreement

Grant Applications: - L0957-21: Authorized submission and acceptance of Child Care Food Program application to Kentucky Department of Education for $79,000 - L0958-21: Approved FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program application for $287,072

Donations: - L0950-21: Accepted a $3,540 donation from Michael and Allison Johnson for a memorial bench and tree

The largest single expenditure was the $399,000 agreement with Lexington Housing Authority, while the Town Branch Trail construction change order represented the second-largest cost at $239,388.75.

Public Comment

During the public comment period, three speakers addressed the council in support of the proposed Legacy Veterans Center and its consideration for ARPA funding 2:00.

Reverend Jim Thurman spoke first, urging the council to support the proposed Legacy Veterans Center for ARPA funding. He emphasized the importance of the facility for serving veterans in the community.

Phyllis Abbott followed with her support for the Legacy Veterans Center, stressing the critical need for such a facility to provide services and support to local veterans. Abbott presented petitions to the council that had been gathered in favor of the proposal, demonstrating community backing for the project.

General Ben Adams concluded the public comment session by providing context about the veteran population in Kentucky. He highlighted the declining number of veterans in the state and explained how the proposed Legacy Veterans Center would address this challenge by providing essential services to veterans and their families.

All three speakers focused exclusively on advocating for the Legacy Veterans Center project, presenting a unified message about the facility's importance for veteran services and urging council support for including it in ARPA funding considerations. The speakers represented different perspectives within the veteran community, including religious leadership, community advocacy, and military leadership, demonstrating broad-based support for the proposal.

Contested Items

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

Notification Requirements for Public Hearings

The primary point of contention involved proposed changes to notification requirements for public hearings, specifically regarding whether both property owners and occupants should be notified of upcoming hearings that may affect their properties.

Council Member Fred Brown led the opposition to moving forward with the item as scheduled. Brown made a motion to remove the notification requirement changes from the meeting docket and instead refer the matter to committee for additional discussion and review.

Brown's concerns centered on issues of transparency and ensuring adequate public awareness of the proposed changes. The council member argued that the current proposal needed further examination before proceeding to a vote, suggesting that the notification requirements could significantly impact how residents learn about public hearings that affect their properties.

The motion to remove the item from consideration and send it to committee represented a procedural move to delay action on the notification requirements. This approach would allow for more detailed review of the proposal's implications for public participation in local government proceedings.

The split vote on Brown's motion indicates that council members were divided on whether to proceed with the notification changes or take additional time for committee review. The disagreement reflects broader questions about balancing efficient government operations with ensuring comprehensive public engagement in the hearing process.

The outcome of this contested item would determine whether the notification requirement changes would advance immediately or undergo additional scrutiny through the committee process before returning to the full council for consideration.

Public Comment - Issues on Agenda

0:00 The council opened the floor for public comments on issues listed on the agenda for the September 28, 2021 meeting. This agenda item provided an opportunity for community members to address the council regarding any matters scheduled for discussion during the session.

No specific speakers or comments were recorded during this public comment period. The item served as an informational component of the meeting, allowing the council to fulfill its obligation to provide public input opportunities on agenda items before formal deliberation begins.

This public comment period is a standard procedural element that enables community participation in local government proceedings and ensures transparency in the decision-making process.

Approval of Summary

0:00 The council considered approval of the summary from their September 21 work session. No discussion or debate was recorded regarding the content of the summary, and no council members raised concerns about its accuracy or completeness.

The summary was approved without objection, allowing the meeting to proceed to subsequent agenda items.

Budget Amendments

0:00

The council considered and approved various budget amendments during this agenda item.

Outcome: The budget amendments were approved by the council.

*Note: The meeting transcript and supporting materials did not contain detailed information about the specific amendments discussed, the amounts involved, or the nature of the budgetary changes. Additional details about the speakers, debate, or specific amendments were not available in the provided materials.*

New Business

0:00

The council addressed new business items during this portion of the meeting. The agenda item was presented for approval, though the specific details of what new business was considered were not detailed in the available meeting materials.

The council proceeded to approve the new business items that were presented. No specific speakers were identified as leading the discussion on this agenda item, and no particular concerns or debate points were documented in the meeting record.

The outcome of this agenda item was approval by the council.

*Note: Limited details were available in the meeting materials for this agenda item. For complete information about the specific new business items discussed, viewers should reference the full meeting video starting at the beginning of the recording.*

Neighborhood Development Funds

The council considered and approved neighborhood development funds during this agenda item 0:00. The discussion included an amendment to the Lexington Fairness fund as part of the broader funding allocation.

The council voted to approve the neighborhood development funds without recorded opposition or significant debate based on the available information. The approval encompassed multiple funding initiatives aimed at supporting local neighborhood development projects and community programs.

A notable component of the approved funding package was an amendment to the existing Lexington Fairness fund, though specific details about the nature of this amendment or the funding amounts were not captured in the available meeting records.

The agenda item was processed as an approval matter, indicating that the funding proposals had likely undergone prior review and preparation before being brought to the council for final authorization. The streamlined nature of the discussion suggests the council members were generally supportive of the proposed neighborhood development investments.

The approval of these funds represents the council's commitment to supporting community-level development initiatives and maintaining funding for fairness and equity programs within the city's budget framework.

Presentation: Dantzler Court Greenspace Neighborhood Improvements

0:00

Kristan Curry and Demetria Mehlhorn delivered a presentation on the Dantzler Court Greenspace improvements during the meeting. The presentation focused on showcasing the transformation of the Dantzler Court area into a valuable community asset through targeted neighborhood improvements.

The speakers highlighted the greenspace enhancements that have been implemented in the Dantzler Court neighborhood, demonstrating how the project has converted the area into a resource that benefits local residents. The presentation served as an informational update to provide officials and the public with details about the completed improvements and their impact on the community.

This was an informational presentation with no action items or decisions required from the governing body. The agenda item allowed Curry and Mehlhorn to share the results of the greenspace improvement project and document the positive changes that have occurred in the Dantzler Court neighborhood through these infrastructure and environmental enhancements.