Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government held a meeting on August 15, 2023, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chamber of the Urban County Government Center, with Mayor Linda Gorton presiding. The meeting addressed five agenda items, including budget amendments, new business items, and an informational presentation on ad valorem tax options. Council members took six votes during the session, approving the meeting summary, budget amendments, and new business items. The meeting also included two public comment periods and one informational presentation. Overall, the session focused on routine government business and budget matters, with all action items receiving approval from the council.

Attendance

The following members were present at the meeting on August 15, 2023:

• Vice Mayor Wu
• J. Brown
• Ellinger
• Fogle
• Lynch
• LeGris
• Sheehan
• Gray
• Worley
• F. Brown
• Baxter
• Sevigny
• Reynolds
• Plomin

Absent: • Monarrez

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

Votes and Decisions

The meeting included six formal votes, all conducted by voice vote and all resulting in passage.

Approval of July 11 Work Session Motions 0:03 Ellinger motioned and Gray seconded to approve motions from the July 11 work session. The motion passed unanimously 14-0, with all members voting in favor: Wu, J. Brown, Ellinger, Fogle, Lynch, LeGris, Sheehan, Gray, Worley, F. Brown, Baxter, Sevigny, Reynolds, and Plomin.

Budget Amendments Approval 0:05 Plomin motioned and Gray seconded to approve budget amendments. The motion passed unanimously 14-0, with the same fourteen members voting in favor.

New Business Items Approval 0:10 Reynolds motioned and Baxter seconded to approve new business items. The motion passed 14-0 with one abstention. Thirteen members voted in favor, while Sheehan recused on item I. The voting members were Wu, J. Brown, Ellinger, Fogle, Lynch, LeGris, Gray, Worley, F. Brown, Baxter, Sevigny, Reynolds, and Plomin.

General Services Fund Ad Valorem Tax Rate 1:20 James Brown motioned to set the General Services Fund ad valorem at option 3. The motion passed 13-1, with F. Brown casting the sole dissenting vote. All other members voted in favor.

Urban Services Fund Refuse Collection Tax Rate 1:35 James Brown motioned and Wu seconded to set the Urban Services Fund refuse collection ad valorem tax rate at option 5. The motion passed 13-1, with F. Brown again voting against and all other members supporting.

Urban Services Fund Street Lights Tax Rate 1:40 James Brown motioned and Baxter seconded to set the Urban Services Fund street lights ad valorem tax rate at option 5. This motion faced the most opposition, passing 10-4. Voting against were F. Brown, Fogle, Worley, and Ellinger, while Wu, J. Brown, Ellinger, Lynch, LeGris, Sheehan, Gray, Baxter, Sevigny, and Reynolds voted in favor.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting addressed several financial items totaling over $1.4 million in expenditures and agreements.

Major Grant Authorization • Resolution 0723-23 authorized execution of an agreement with New Beginning Bluegrass, Inc. for $1,457,822 in grant funding, representing the largest financial commitment of the session.

Technology Purchase • Resolution 0737-23 approved the purchase of Magnet Forensics Software for $12,000 from Magnet Forensics, likely for digital investigation capabilities.

Administrative Actions with No Budget Impact The council approved three resolutions that required no financial expenditure:

• Resolution 0749-23 authorized changes to street names and/or individual address numbers with no budgetary impact.

• Resolution 0763-23 accepted a donation of quarried limestone from Vulcan Materials at no cost to the municipality.

• Resolution 0764-23 approved the Fayette County Sheriff's Settlement related to 2022 property taxes, which had no budgetary impact on current operations.

The total financial commitment for new expenditures amounted to $1,469,822, with the vast majority allocated to the New Beginning Bluegrass, Inc. grant agreement. The remaining items either involved modest technology purchases or administrative actions that generated savings through donated materials and tax settlement approvals.

Public Comment

Two residents addressed the council during the public comment period, raising concerns about city financial matters and transparency.

Dotty Bean 2:45 spoke about city spending and transparency issues. Bean expressed particular concern about a $1 million roof project for the Pam Miller Cultural Arts Center, questioning the lack of transparency surrounding this expenditure. She emphasized the need for greater accountability in how the city manages and communicates its spending decisions to the public.

Rick Day 2:50 addressed ongoing compensation issues within the city government. Day discussed concerns about compensation matters and reallocations, stressing the importance of council members having a thorough understanding of these complex issues. He emphasized that proper comprehension of compensation-related matters is essential for effective governance and decision-making.

Both speakers focused on financial accountability and the need for improved transparency in city operations, highlighting citizen concerns about how public funds are being managed and communicated to residents.

Contested Items

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

Urban Services Fund Street Lights Ad Valorem Tax Rate

Council members were divided on setting the street lights ad valorem tax rate, with the debate centering on which option to select from multiple proposals. The motion to adopt option 5 for the tax rate ultimately passed, but only after a split vote that highlighted differing perspectives among the council.

The disagreement reflected varying approaches to municipal funding for street lighting infrastructure within the Urban Services Fund. While the specific details of the debate and the positions taken by individual council members were not detailed in the available materials, the split vote indicates there was substantive discussion about the appropriate tax rate level.

The outcome established option 5 as the approved tax rate for street lights under the Urban Services Fund, despite the lack of unanimous support from the council.

*Note: Specific transcript timestamps and detailed voting records were not available in the provided materials for this contested item.*

Public Comment - Issues on Agenda

0:02

No members of the public provided comments on issues appearing on the meeting agenda during this portion of the August 15, 2023 meeting. The public comment period for agenda items was opened and closed without any speakers coming forward to address the governing body.

This agenda item serves as a designated time for community members to speak directly to elected officials about specific matters that will be discussed and potentially voted on during the same meeting. The absence of public participation during this segment indicates that no residents or stakeholders chose to exercise this opportunity to provide input on the scheduled agenda items.

Approval of Summary

0:03

The Council considered approval of the summary from their July 11 work session. Council members Ellinger and Gray participated in the discussion of this agenda item.

The Council voted to approve the summary of the July 11 work session without recorded debate or concerns raised during the meeting.

Outcome: Approved

Budget Amendments

0:05

The Council considered budget amendments during the meeting. Council members Plomin and Gray participated in the discussion of the proposed amendments.

The budget amendments were presented to the Council for approval. The Council voted to approve the budget amendments as presented.

*Note: Limited details are available about the specific nature of these budget amendments, the amounts involved, or the particular budget categories affected. The meeting materials did not include detailed information about the substance of the amendments or the discussion that took place.*

New Business

0:10 The council addressed new business items during this portion of the meeting. Reynolds and Baxter served as the key speakers for the discussion of these matters.

The council considered multiple new business items, with particular attention given to item I, which required special consideration due to a conflict of interest. One council member recused themselves from voting on this specific item, though the identity of the recusing member was not specified in the available materials.

Despite the recusal on item I, the council proceeded with their deliberations on all new business matters. The discussion involved input from both Reynolds and Baxter, who provided guidance and commentary on the items under consideration.

Following the discussion and deliberation process, the council voted to approve the new business items. The approval was achieved even with the noted recusal on item I, indicating sufficient support among the remaining voting members.

The new business segment concluded with all presented items receiving approval from the council, allowing these matters to move forward in the municipal process.

Ad Valorem Options Presentation

1:00

Director Melissa Lueker presented options for ad valorem tax rates for fiscal year 2024 during this informational session. The presentation covered potential tax rate scenarios for both the general fund and urban services fund.

Key Presenter: • Melissa Lueker, Director

The presentation outlined various ad valorem tax rate options that the governing body could consider for the upcoming fiscal year. Lueker's presentation included analysis of both general fund tax rates and urban services fund rates, providing officials with different scenarios to evaluate for their budget planning process.

This was an informational presentation designed to give officials the data and options needed for future decision-making regarding the FY 2024 tax rates. No formal action was taken during this agenda item, as it served as a briefing to inform subsequent budget and tax rate deliberations.

The presentation provided the foundation for officials to understand the various tax rate structures available and their potential impacts on both general operations and urban services funding for the coming fiscal year.