Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council convened on September 19, 2023, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chamber of the Urban County Government Center, with Mayor Linda Gorton presiding. The meeting addressed three main agenda items, including public comment on agenda issues, approval of previous meeting notes, and new business matters. Council members conducted four votes during the session and heard two public comments from community members. The meeting successfully approved the September 12 Council Work Session Notes and addressed new business items, with both matters receiving council approval.

Attendance

The meeting on September 19, 2023 had strong attendance from city leadership.

Present: • Mayor Linda Gorton • Vice Mayor Wu • J. Brown • Ellinger • Fogle • Lynch • LeGris • Monarrez • Sheehan • Gray • Worley • F. Brown • Sevigny • Reynolds • Plomin

Absent: • Baxter

Late: • None

Fifteen members were present for the meeting, with only one absence recorded. No members arrived late to the proceedings.

Votes and Decisions

The council conducted four votes during the September 19, 2023 meeting, all decided by voice vote.

Closed Session Motion 0:10 Vice Mayor Wu motioned to go into closed session pursuant to KRS 61.8101 b, seconded by Baxter. The motion passed with 14 ayes and 1 nay.

Work Session Notes Approval 10:00 Ellinger motioned to approve the September 12 council work session notes, seconded by Gray. The motion passed unanimously with 15 ayes and 0 nays.

Woodward Heights Parking Resolution 15:00 Reynolds motioned to place a resolution creating a residential parking permit program for the Woodward Heights neighborhood, seconded by Baxter. The motion passed unanimously with 15 ayes and 0 nays.

New Business Items 20:00 Plomin motioned to approve new business items, seconded by Wu. The motion passed unanimously with 15 ayes and 0 nays.

All votes except the closed session motion were unanimous. The closed session motion was the only item to receive opposition, though the specific council member who voted against it was not recorded in the voice vote format used for all decisions.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting addressed three significant financial items totaling over $3 million in expenditures and grant applications.

Sewer Project Budget Amendment The council considered Resolution 0922-23, which would approve a second amendment to Resolution No. 042-2022. This amendment increases the easement acquisition budget for the Wolf Run Main Trunk F Sanitary Sewer Project by $31,600.00. The additional funding addresses increased costs for property easements required for the sewer infrastructure project.

HUD Grant Application Resolution 0923-23 seeks authorization to submit the 2023 Continuum of Care application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The application requests $2,599,529 in federal funding to support housing and homeless services programs. This represents a substantial grant opportunity that would provide significant resources for community housing initiatives.

Trail Construction Change Order The largest single expenditure item was Resolution 0933-23, authorizing Change Order No. 8 with ATS Construction for the Town Branch Trail Phase 6 project. This change order increases the contract amount by $468,463.62, bringing additional scope or addressing unforeseen conditions in the trail construction project. ATS Construction serves as the primary contractor for this phase of the trail development.

Combined, these three financial actions represent approximately $3.1 million in budget modifications and funding requests. The items span infrastructure improvements (sewer system), social services (homeless assistance), and recreational facilities (trail construction), demonstrating the breadth of municipal financial responsibilities addressed during the meeting.

Public Comment

Two residents addressed the council during the public comment period.

Helene Steen spoke about parking challenges in the Woodward Heights neighborhood 5:00. She discussed ongoing parking issues that occur during events at Rupp Arena and advocated for the implementation of a residential parking permit program to address these concerns. The parking problems appear to stem from event attendees using residential streets for parking, creating difficulties for neighborhood residents.

Amy Clark addressed proposed changes to the council's public comment rules 10:00. Clark urged the council to reconsider amendments to the public comment procedures, expressing concern that some of the proposed changes could be unfriendly to public participation and may limit community engagement with local government. She suggested that the modifications under consideration could create barriers for residents seeking to address the council.

Both speakers raised issues related to community access and quality of life - Steen focusing on neighborhood parking management and Clark emphasizing the importance of maintaining accessible public participation in city government proceedings.

Contested Items

During the September 19, 2023 meeting, one item generated community opposition and discussion.

Public Comment Rules Amendment

The primary contested item involved proposed amendments to the public comment rules that govern how community members can participate in meetings. Amy Clark raised concerns during the public comment period, arguing that the proposed changes could potentially limit public engagement opportunities for residents.

Clark specifically suggested that the governing body reconsider the amendments, though the extracted data does not provide details about the specific nature of the proposed rule changes or Clark's particular objections. The concern centered on maintaining adequate public participation in the democratic process.

The outcome of this contested item was not specified in the available meeting data, leaving unclear whether the amendments were approved as proposed, modified in response to Clark's concerns, or tabled for further consideration.

*Note: Specific timestamp information was not available in the source materials for this contested item.*

Public Comment - Issues on Agenda

5:00

During the public comment period for agenda items, two speakers addressed the council regarding matters scheduled for consideration at the meeting.

Speakers and Topics:

• Helene Steen provided comments related to the residential parking permit proposal for Woodward Heights
• Amy Clark spoke regarding proposed amendments to the public comment rules

The public comment session allowed residents to share their perspectives on specific agenda items before the council's formal deliberation. Comments focused on two key areas: parking regulations in the Woodward Heights neighborhood and potential changes to how public participation is structured during council meetings.

As this was an informational public comment period, no formal action was taken by the council during this portion of the meeting. The comments were received for consideration during the council's subsequent discussion of the relevant agenda items.

Approval of September 12 Council Work Session Notes

10:00

The council considered approval of the notes from their September 12 work session. This routine administrative item involved reviewing the written record of discussions and decisions from the previous work session.

The agenda item was presented as a resolution for council approval. No specific speakers were identified during the discussion of this item, suggesting it proceeded without significant debate or questions from council members.

The council approved the September 12 work session notes without recorded objections or amendments. This approval formally adopts the notes as the official record of that meeting's proceedings.

Work session notes typically capture key discussion points, decisions made, and action items identified during council work sessions, which are less formal meetings where council members discuss issues in depth before taking formal action at regular council meetings.

Outcome: Approved

New Business

15:00 The council addressed several new business items during this portion of the meeting, with the primary focus on establishing a residential parking permit program for the Woodward Heights neighborhood.

Council members Reynolds and Baxter served as the key speakers for this agenda item. The discussion centered on implementing a permit system to address parking concerns in the residential area, though specific details about the program's structure, fees, or implementation timeline were not detailed in the available materials.

The council deliberated on the various aspects of the new business items presented, with both Reynolds and Baxter contributing to the discussion. The residential parking permit program for Woodward Heights appeared to be the most significant item under consideration during this segment of the meeting.

Following the discussion, the council voted to approve the new business items, including the Woodward Heights residential parking permit program. The approval suggests that the council found the proposed measures appropriate for addressing the identified needs in the community.

The successful passage of these new business items indicates council consensus on moving forward with the residential parking solutions for Woodward Heights residents. The approval will likely lead to further development and implementation of the permit program in the coming months.