Urban County Council - 2nd Reading of the FY23 Budget

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council convened on June 14, 2022, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chambers in Lexington, Kentucky, with Vice-Mayor Kay presiding over the session. The meeting focused primarily on budget-related matters for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, with council members considering two ordinances related to municipal finances. The council successfully approved both agenda items, including an ordinance amending the budgets of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and an ordinance appropriating revenues and expenditures for various funds. During the session, the council conducted 2 votes and heard 1 public comment from a community member.

Attendance

The following members were present at the June 14, 2022 meeting:

• Vice-Mayor Kay
• McCurn
• Moloney
• Plomin
• Reynolds
• Worley
• Baxter
• Bledsoe
• F. Brown
• J. Brown
• Ellinger
• Kloiber
• Lamb
• LeGris

Absent: • Sheehan

Late Arrival: • LeGris

Note: LeGris is listed as both present and late, indicating they arrived after the meeting began but participated in the proceedings.

Votes and Decisions

The council conducted two roll call votes on budget-related ordinances during the meeting.

Ordinance 0579-22 - An Ordinance amending certain of the Budgets of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government to pre-fund various components of the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget was brought forward by Ellinger and seconded by Plomin. The ordinance passed with 12 ayes and 2 nays.

Council members voting in favor: LeGris, McCurn, Plomin, Reynolds, Worley, Baxter, Bledsoe, F. Brown, J. Brown, Ellinger, Kay, and Lamb.

Council members voting against: Moloney and Kloiber.

Ordinance 0595-22 - An Ordinance appropriating the revenues, expenditures/expenses and interfund transfers for various funds for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023 was also motioned by Ellinger and seconded by Plomin. This ordinance passed with an identical vote count of 12 ayes and 2 nays.

The voting pattern remained the same, with LeGris, McCurn, Plomin, Reynolds, Worley, Baxter, Bledsoe, F. Brown, J. Brown, Ellinger, Kay, and Lamb voting in favor, while Moloney and Kloiber voted against the measure.

Both ordinances related to the Fiscal Year 2023 budget passed with strong majority support from the council, with only two members consistently opposing both measures.

Public Comment

During the public comment period, one community member addressed the meeting to share concerns about the municipal budget.

Jack Kennedy Hodgkin spoke regarding budget concerns, specifically focusing on police funding issues. Hodgkin referenced a statement made by Tom Dupuis characterizing the current budget situation as "the worst in 40 years." His comments highlighted community concerns about the adequacy of funding for law enforcement services within the broader context of municipal fiscal challenges.

*Note: Specific transcript timestamps were not available for this public comment period.*

Contested Items

The primary contested item during the June 14, 2022 meeting was the FY23 Budget Approval, which generated significant debate among council members before ultimately passing with a split vote.

FY23 Budget Approval

The proposed fiscal year 2023 budget faced opposition from some council members who raised concerns about both the overall size of the budget and its potential economic impacts on the community. The debate centered on whether the proposed spending levels were appropriate given current economic conditions and taxpayer burden considerations.

Despite the concerns raised during discussion, the budget approval motion ultimately passed with a vote of 12 ayes and 2 nays, indicating that while there was some opposition, a strong majority of the council supported moving forward with the proposed budget as presented.

The split vote reflects the challenging balance local governments face when setting budgets - weighing community needs and service levels against fiscal responsibility and economic impact on residents and businesses. The two dissenting votes suggest that some council members felt the budget either exceeded appropriate spending levels or could create undue economic strain.

Ordinance amending the budgets of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government

The council considered an ordinance to amend certain budgets to pre-fund components of the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget as outlined in the Mayor's Proposed Budget document.

Key speakers during the discussion included Ellinger and Plomin, who addressed various aspects of the budget amendments. The ordinance was designed to allow for advance funding of specific budget components before the full FY 2023 budget implementation.

The measure was approved by the council, enabling the pre-funding of designated budget items as proposed by the Mayor's office. This procedural step allows the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government to begin implementing certain budgetary provisions ahead of the full fiscal year budget adoption.

*Note: Specific transcript timestamps are not available for this agenda item.*

Ordinance appropriating revenues and expenditures for various funds

The council considered an ordinance appropriating revenues, expenditures, and interfund transfers for various funds for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023.

Key speakers during the discussion included Ellinger and Plomin, who presented details about the budget appropriations and addressed questions from council members.

The ordinance was approved by the council.

*Note: Specific transcript timestamps are not available for this agenda item, limiting the detail of discussion points and debate that may have occurred during consideration of this budget ordinance.*