Urban County Council

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council convened on December 1, 2022, at 6:01 PM in the Council Chambers in Lexington, Kentucky, with Mayor Gorton presiding over the session. The council addressed five agenda items during the meeting, consisting of three ordinances and two resolutions. All five items brought before the council were approved, with a total of five motions and votes taken throughout the proceedings. No public comments were heard during this meeting, and no presentations were given to the council.

Attendance

The following members were present at the December 1, 2022 meeting:

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

Absent: • Bledsoe

Late: • None

A total of 14 members were present and 1 member was absent. No members arrived late to the meeting.

Votes and Decisions

The council took action on five ordinances and resolutions during the December 1, 2022 meeting, with all items passing by significant margins.

Ordinance 1219-22 - Amending certain budgets of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government for FY 2023 Schedule No. 19 passed unanimously on a roll call vote. Ellinger made the motion, seconded by Baxter. The final vote was 14 ayes, 0 nays. All council members voted in favor: Kloiber, Lamb, LeGris, McCurn, Moloney, Plomin, Reynolds, Sheehan, Worley, Baxter, F. Brown, J. Brown, Ellinger, and Kay.

Ordinance 1143-22 - Creating two Classified Civil Service Positions of Language Access Specialist in the Office of the Mayor also passed unanimously. Ellinger motioned and Baxter seconded, with the same 14-0 vote count and identical voting members.

Ordinance 1162-22 - Amending Section 2-172 of the Code of Ordinances regarding transient room tax received unanimous approval as well. The motion by Ellinger, seconded by Baxter, passed 14-0 with all council members voting in favor.

Resolution 1184-22 - Accepting two separate Memorandums of Agreement with Bluegrass Fraternal Order of Police passed with one dissenting vote. McCurn made the motion, seconded by Plomin. The final tally was 13 ayes, 1 nay. Kloiber cast the sole opposing vote, while Lamb, LeGris, McCurn, Moloney, Plomin, Reynolds, Sheehan, Worley, Baxter, F. Brown, J. Brown, Ellinger, and Kay voted in favor.

Resolution 1156-22 - Agreement with the U.S. Dept. of Justice for a Grant under the Bureau of Justice Assistance FY 2021 State Criminal Alien Assistance Program also passed 13-1. McCurn motioned and Plomin seconded. Reynolds was the lone dissenting vote, while the remaining 13 council members voted to approve the resolution.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting addressed several significant financial commitments totaling over $8.4 million across infrastructure, cultural, environmental, and technology initiatives.

The largest expenditure approved was Resolution 1159-22, authorizing an $8,147,353 contract with Connhurst, LLC for the West Hickman E Trunk Sewer Project. This major infrastructure investment represents the bulk of the financial actions taken during the session.

Resolution 1126-22 established a Purchase of Service Agreement with the Lyric Theatre for $127,500, demonstrating the municipality's commitment to supporting local cultural institutions and programming.

Environmental management received attention through Resolution 1135-22, which approved a $77,700 contract with Tetra Tech, Inc. for a Leachate Management Alternatives Analysis and Engineering Study at the Haley Pike Landfill. This study will help address waste management challenges at the facility.

Technology infrastructure was also addressed with Resolution 1136-22, authorizing the purchase of a replacement storage solution for increased computer storage capacity from 45Drives at a cost of $70,950. This investment aims to enhance the municipality's data storage capabilities.

These four resolutions collectively represent approximately $8.42 million in approved expenditures, with the sewer project comprising nearly 97% of the total financial commitments. The diverse range of spending reflects priorities across essential infrastructure, environmental stewardship, cultural support, and technological advancement.

Contested Items

Two resolutions faced opposition during the December 1, 2022 meeting, each passing with a single dissenting vote.

Resolution 1184-22 concerned the acceptance of Memorandums of Agreement with the Bluegrass Fraternal Order of Police. Despite one council member voting against the measure, the resolution was approved by the majority. The specific terms of the police union agreements and the reasoning behind the dissenting vote were not detailed in the available meeting materials.

Resolution 1156-22 addressed the execution of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice for a grant under the Bureau of Justice Assistance FY 2021 State Criminal Alien Assistance Program. This federal grant program typically provides funding to state and local governments to offset costs associated with incarcerating undocumented individuals who have committed crimes. The resolution passed despite one member's opposition.

Both contested items followed a similar pattern, with single dissenting votes suggesting limited but notable opposition to these particular agreements. The resolutions' passage indicates majority council support for both the police union memorandums and the federal justice assistance grant participation.

The meeting materials did not specify which council members cast the dissenting votes or provide detailed explanations for their opposition to either resolution.

Ordinance 1219-22

Ordinance 1219-22 was presented to amend certain budgets of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government for Fiscal Year 2023, designated as Schedule No. 19. This ordinance represented routine budget adjustments for the current fiscal year.

The discussion involved key speakers Ellinger and Baxter, though specific details of their presentations and any debate that occurred were not captured in the available meeting materials. As a budget amendment ordinance, this item would typically involve adjustments to various departmental allocations, transfers between budget categories, or incorporation of additional revenue sources that became available after the original budget adoption.

Schedule No. 19 indicates this was the nineteenth set of budget amendments processed during FY 2023, suggesting ongoing budget management throughout the fiscal year. Such amendments are common in municipal government operations as departments identify changing needs, receive unexpected revenue, or require reallocation of existing funds.

The ordinance was ultimately approved by the council, allowing the specified budget modifications to take effect. Budget amendment ordinances like this one are essential administrative tools that provide local governments with the flexibility to adjust spending plans as circumstances change during the fiscal year while maintaining proper oversight and approval processes.

Without access to the specific budget schedules or detailed transcript, the exact dollar amounts, affected departments, or nature of the budget changes could not be determined from the available meeting materials.

Ordinance 1143-22

The council considered Ordinance 1143-22, which would create two Classified Civil Service Positions of Language Access Specialist in the Office of the Mayor. The ordinance was presented as agenda item 2 during the meeting.

Key speakers during the discussion included Ellinger and Baxter, who addressed various aspects of the proposed positions and their implementation within the mayor's office structure.

The ordinance aims to establish formal language access specialist roles within the classified civil service system, which would provide language interpretation and translation services to support the city's diverse population. These positions would be housed within the Office of the Mayor to ensure coordinated language access services across city departments.

Following discussion by the council members, Ordinance 1143-22 was approved. The creation of these two Language Access Specialist positions represents the city's commitment to improving communication and service delivery for residents who require language assistance when interacting with municipal government.

The approved ordinance will establish these positions within the classified civil service framework, providing job security and standardized compensation for the language access specialists while ensuring the city can better serve its multilingual community through professional interpretation and translation services.

Ordinance 1162-22

The council considered Ordinance 1162-22, which proposed amendments to Section 2-172 of the Code of Ordinances regarding transient room tax. The ordinance was identified as agenda item 3 during the December 1, 2022 meeting.

Key speakers during the discussion included Ellinger and Baxter, who presented information and participated in the deliberation of the proposed changes to the transient room tax regulations.

The ordinance specifically targeted modifications to the existing code section that governs how transient room taxes are administered and collected within the municipality. These types of taxes typically apply to short-term lodging accommodations such as hotels, motels, and other temporary housing facilities.

Following discussion and consideration of the proposed amendments, the council voted to approve Ordinance 1162-22. The approval means the changes to Section 2-172 of the Code of Ordinances will take effect according to the municipality's standard ordinance implementation procedures.

The specific details of what changes were made to the transient room tax provisions, any rate adjustments, or procedural modifications were not detailed in the available meeting materials. The ordinance's passage indicates the council found the proposed amendments acceptable and necessary for the municipality's tax collection framework.

Resolution 1159-22

Resolution 1159-22 addressed the acceptance of a bid from Connhurst, LLC for the West Hickman E Trunk Sewer Project. The resolution was presented during the December 1, 2022 meeting.

Key speakers during the discussion included McCurn and Plomin, who participated in the deliberation regarding this infrastructure project bid acceptance.

The resolution specifically involved accepting Connhurst, LLC as the contractor for the West Hickman E Trunk Sewer Project, which represents a significant infrastructure investment for the municipality's sewer system improvements.

Following discussion by the participants, Resolution 1159-22 was approved by the governing body, formally accepting Connhurst, LLC's bid for the sewer project work.

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

Resolution 1184-22

Resolution 1184-22 involved accepting two separate Memorandums of Agreement with the Bluegrass Fraternal Order of Police. The resolution was presented during the December 1, 2022 meeting as agenda item 2.

Key speakers on this item included McCurn and Plomin, who participated in the discussion of the proposed agreements with the police fraternal organization.

The resolution addressed formal agreements between the jurisdiction and the Bluegrass Fraternal Order of Police, though the specific details of what the memorandums covered were not detailed in the available meeting materials.

Following discussion by the council members, Resolution 1184-22 was approved by the governing body. The resolution's passage formalized the acceptance of both memorandums of agreement with the Bluegrass Fraternal Order of Police.