Urban County Council

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council convened on April 28, 2022, at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers in Lexington, KY, with Mayor Gorton presiding. The meeting addressed five agenda items, including two informational presentations and three budget-related measures that required council action. The council heard two public comments during the session and conducted five formal votes on various motions throughout the meeting.

The session began with informational presentations, including recognition of the UK Rifle Team's NCAA Championship and a presentation on Bluegrass Greensource initiatives. The council then proceeded to address three budget amendments that were all approved: amendments for municipal expenditures, amendments for ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds, and amendments to authorized staffing strength. All three budget-related items successfully passed council approval, demonstrating the council's focus on fiscal management and federal funding allocation during this meeting.

Attendance

The following members were present at the April 28, 2022 meeting:

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

Absent: • Bledsoe

No members arrived late to the meeting. A total of 14 members were in attendance, with one absence recorded.

Votes and Decisions

The Council took action on five items during the April 28, 2022 meeting, with all measures passing.

Minutes Approval 0:00 Council Member Ellinger motioned to approve the minutes from the April 12, 2022 Zone Change Public Hearing, April 14, 2022 Council Meeting, and April 19, 2022 Budget Address, seconded by Baxter. The motion passed unanimously with all 14 members voting in favor: Ellinger, Kay, Kloiber, Lamb, LeGris, McCurn, Moloney, Plomin, Reynolds, Sheehan, Worley, Baxter, F. Brown, and J. Brown.

Ordinance 0373-22 1:00 Kay motioned to pass an ordinance amending FY 2022 budgets to reflect current municipal expenditure requirements (Schedule No. 35), seconded by Ellinger. The measure passed 14-0 on a roll call vote with all members voting in favor.

Ordinance 0374-22 1:30 Kay motioned to approve budget amendments for Council appropriations from American Rescue Plan Act funds (Schedule No. 36), seconded by Ellinger. The ordinance passed unanimously 14-0 on a roll call vote.

Ordinance 0386-22 2:00 Lamb motioned to approve position changes in the Department of Housing Advocacy and Community Development, abolishing two vacant positions and creating one Housing Advocate and one Administrative Specialist Senior position, seconded by LeGris. The ordinance passed 14-0 on a roll call vote.

Resolution 0324-22 3:00 Plomin motioned to authorize agreements with Bluegrass Black Pride, Inc. ($1,800) and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Bluegrass ($1,400) for the Office of the Urban County Council, seconded by Kay. The resolution passed 9-0 with 5 abstentions. Voting in favor were Kay, Lamb, LeGris, McCurn, Plomin, Reynolds, Worley, Baxter, and F. Brown. The five abstaining members were not specified in the vote record.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting addressed several significant financial contracts and expenditures across multiple city departments and facilities.

Infrastructure and Utilities Contracts: - Resolution 0347-22: Approved a farmland leasing agreement with Wesley Pruitt d/b/a Pruitt Farms for $2,000 per year for property adjacent to the West Hickman Wastewater Treatment Plant - Resolution 0348-22: Authorized a $49,000 contract with Boyd Co. for fuel tanks for generators - Resolution 0349-22: Approved $172,218 for SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system upgrades at both the Town Branch and West Hickman Wastewater Treatment Plants, with the work to be performed by Intellimodus, LLC

Public Safety and Recreation Projects: - Resolution 0303-22: Authorized installation of a roof-mounted solar photovoltaic system at Fire Station #21 for $49,693, with Solar Energy Solutions, LLC as the contractor - Resolution 0375-22: Approved the largest expenditure of the meeting, awarding $1,259,919.49 to George E. Ley Co. for the Lakeside Golf Course Irrigation Replacement project

The approved contracts totaled approximately $1.53 million and covered critical infrastructure improvements including wastewater treatment facility upgrades, emergency generator fuel systems, renewable energy installation, and recreational facility maintenance. The largest single expenditure was the golf course irrigation system replacement, representing over 80% of the total financial commitments made during this meeting.

Public Comment

Two community members addressed the board during the public comment period of the April 28, 2022 meeting.

Johnny Watts Frazier spoke about noise pollution issues affecting residential areas 4:00. Frazier expressed concerns about cars with loud exhaust systems creating disturbances in her home and neighborhood, highlighting the impact of vehicle noise on quality of life for residents.

Nyla Smith addressed jail conditions and safety concerns 5:00. Smith shared a deeply personal account of her daughter's suicide while in jail custody. She urged the board to implement improvements in jail conditions and increase staffing levels to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future. Smith's testimony emphasized the need for better mental health support and supervision within the correctional facility.

Both speakers brought forward community concerns that directly impact public safety and quality of life, with Frazier focusing on environmental noise issues and Smith advocating for criminal justice system reforms based on her family's tragic experience.

Appointments

The meeting included several appointments and reappointments to various municipal boards and commissions.

Board of Health • Michael Friesen was reappointed to the Board of Health • Elizabeth Riley was reappointed to the Board of Health

Civil Service Commission • Anita Dawson was appointed to the Civil Service Commission

Commission on Veterans' Affairs • Liz Sheehan was appointed to the Commission on Veterans' Affairs

Explorium of Lexington • Carrie Rogers was appointed to the Explorium of Lexington

Library Board of Advisors • Delaine Bender was appointed to the Library Board of Advisors • Shawntaye Hopkins was appointed to the Library Board of Advisors • Hunter Porter was appointed to the Library Board of Advisors

Parks and Recreation Advisory Board • Karen Michul was appointed to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board

Picnic with the Pops Commission • John Kiebler was appointed to the Picnic with the Pops Commission

The appointments represent a mix of new members and continuing service members across various municipal functions, including public health oversight, civil service administration, veterans' affairs, library services, parks and recreation, and community events coordination.

Contested Items

Two items on the April 28, 2022 agenda received split votes from the council, indicating some level of disagreement among members.

Town Branch Trail Phase 6 Contract Increase

The council considered a resolution to increase the contract price for the Town Branch Trail Phase 6 project. While the majority of council members supported the contract price increase, one council member voted against the resolution. The resolution ultimately passed despite the dissenting vote. The specific details of the contract increase amount and the reasoning behind the opposition were not provided in the available materials.

God's Pantry Food Bank Funding

A resolution to support funding for God's Pantry Food Bank also resulted in a split vote. Similar to the trail project, one council member voted against this funding resolution while the majority supported it. The resolution passed with the majority vote. The exact funding amount and the specific concerns raised by the dissenting council member were not detailed in the extracted information.

Both contested items followed a similar pattern, with single council members expressing opposition to otherwise supported resolutions. The split votes suggest these council members had specific concerns about either the financial commitments or policy implications of these items, though their detailed reasoning was not captured in the available meeting data.

Despite the opposition votes, both resolutions were approved by the council majority, allowing the Town Branch Trail Phase 6 contract increase to proceed and the God's Pantry Food Bank funding to move forward as proposed.

Recognition of the UK Rifle Team NCAA Championship

6:00 Mayor Gorton presented agenda item 0301-22 to formally recognize the University of Kentucky Rifle Team for their NCAA Championship victory. The recognition included a proclamation declaring April 28, 2022, as University of Kentucky Rifle Team National Champions Day.

Coach Harry Mullins was present to accept the recognition on behalf of the team. The presentation highlighted the rifle team's achievement in winning the NCAA Championship, marking a significant accomplishment for the university's athletic program.

This was an informational presentation with no debate or discussion required. The agenda item served as a ceremonial recognition of the team's success and provided an opportunity for the local government to acknowledge the university's athletic excellence.

The proclamation formally commemorated the rifle team's championship victory and established the date as an official day of recognition for their achievement.

Bluegrass Greensource

7:00

The city recognized Bluegrass Greensource with a special proclamation during agenda item 0401-22. Mayor Gorton and Amy Sohner served as the key speakers for this presentation.

The proclamation officially declared April 28, 2022, as Bluegrass Greensource Day in recognition of the organization's contributions to environmental education. This ceremonial agenda item highlighted the organization's work in promoting environmental awareness and education within the community.

The presentation was informational in nature, with no debate or concerns raised during the discussion. The recognition served to formally acknowledge Bluegrass Greensource's ongoing efforts in environmental education and community outreach.

This proclamation represents the city's support for local environmental organizations and their educational initiatives within the community.

Amending Budgets for Municipal Expenditures

8:00

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government considered Ordinance 0373-22, which would amend municipal budgets to reflect current expenditure requirements. Vice Mayor Kay served as the key speaker for this agenda item.

The ordinance was presented as a routine budget adjustment measure designed to align the government's financial allocations with actual municipal spending needs. The proposal aimed to update budget categories to better reflect the current operational requirements of various city departments and services.

During the discussion, Vice Mayor Kay provided details about the specific budget modifications included in the ordinance. The amendments were characterized as necessary adjustments to ensure proper funding allocation for ongoing municipal operations and services provided to Lexington-Fayette residents.

No significant concerns or opposition were raised during the consideration of this budget amendment ordinance. The item appeared to be treated as standard municipal housekeeping, with the adjustments viewed as necessary administrative updates to maintain accurate financial planning and expenditure tracking.

The council approved Ordinance 0373-22, allowing the budget amendments to take effect. This approval enables the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government to proceed with the updated budget allocations that better align with current municipal expenditure patterns and operational needs.

The passage of this ordinance represents routine fiscal management, ensuring that the city's budget documents accurately reflect actual spending requirements across various municipal departments and services.

Amending Budgets for ARPA Funds

9:00

The Council considered Ordinance 0374-22, which proposed amendments to budgets for various projects funded through ARPA State and Local Recovery Funds. Vice Mayor Kay served as the key speaker for this agenda item.

The ordinance addressed Council appropriations for multiple projects utilizing American Rescue Plan Act funding. The proposed budget amendments were designed to reallocate or adjust funding levels for various initiatives previously approved under the ARPA program.

Vice Mayor Kay presented the ordinance to the Council, though specific details about the individual projects, funding amounts, or the nature of the budget amendments were not provided in the available meeting materials. The discussion focused on the technical aspects of amending the existing budget allocations for these federally-funded projects.

The Council ultimately approved Ordinance 0374-22, allowing the budget amendments for the ARPA-funded projects to move forward. The approval enables the city to proceed with the revised funding allocations as outlined in the ordinance.

This action represents part of the ongoing management of federal recovery funds received by the city through the American Rescue Plan Act, ensuring that appropriated funds are properly allocated to support approved municipal projects and initiatives.

Amending Authorized Strength

10:00

The council considered Ordinance 0386-22, which would amend the authorized strength of city positions by abolishing and creating certain roles within the Department of Housing Advocacy and Community Development.

Council members Lamb and Sheehan were the key speakers during discussion of this agenda item. The ordinance involved restructuring positions within the housing department, though the specific details of which positions would be eliminated and which new roles would be established were not detailed in the available materials.

The measure was presented as part of ongoing organizational changes within the Department of Housing Advocacy and Community Development. The restructuring appears to be aimed at better aligning staffing resources with the department's current priorities and operational needs.

The ordinance was approved by the council following discussion.