Social Services and Public Safety Committee

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Social Services and Public Safety Committee convened on July 2, 2024, at 1:00 PM with J. Reynolds presiding as the meeting officer. The committee addressed three agenda items during the session, including one approval item and two informational presentations. The committee took two votes during the meeting and heard no public comments from attendees. The meeting covered both public safety staffing challenges and housing assistance programs, with the committee approving the summary from their previous May 14, 2024 meeting and receiving informational briefings on recruitment and retention issues for public safety personnel as well as eviction diversion and right to counsel programs.

Attendance

The following individuals were present at the meeting on July 2, 2024:

Present: • J. Reynolds • W. Baxter • J. Brown • C. Ellinger • T. Fogle • B. Monarrez • D. Gray • F. Brown • D. Sevigny • K. Plomin • Vice Mayor Wu • Council Member Sheehan

Absent: None

Late Arrivals: None

All twelve attendees were present for the meeting, with no absences or late arrivals recorded.

Votes and Decisions

The committee took two votes during the July 2, 2024 meeting, both passing unanimously.

Approval of May 14, 2024 Committee Summary 0:30 Gray motioned to approve the May 14, 2024 Committee Summary, with Plomin providing the second. The motion passed unanimously with a vote of 10-0. All ten committee members voted in favor: J. Reynolds, W. Baxter, J. Brown, C. Ellinger, T. Fogle, B. Monarrez, D. Gray, F. Brown, D. Sevigny, and K. Plomin.

Ordinance 0533-24: Crime Victim Paid Leave Policy for LFUCG 2:45 Plomin motioned to approve Ordinance 0533-24 establishing a Crime Victim Paid Leave Policy for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, with Gray seconding the motion. The ordinance passed unanimously 10-0, with the same ten committee members voting in favor: J. Reynolds, W. Baxter, J. Brown, C. Ellinger, T. Fogle, B. Monarrez, D. Gray, F. Brown, D. Sevigny, and K. Plomin.

The ordinance includes specific conditions that leave granted under this section is not available for work-related incidents or work-related injuries. This policy will provide paid leave for LFUCG employees who are victims of crimes, expanding the government's employee benefits and support systems.

Both votes demonstrated full committee support with no opposition or abstentions recorded.

Approval of May 14, 2024 Committee Summary

0:30

The committee reviewed and discussed the summary of their May 14, 2024 meeting as agenda item I. Key participants in the discussion included J. Reynolds, D. Gray, and K. Plomin.

The committee members examined the written summary of the previous meeting to ensure accuracy and completeness of the recorded proceedings. Following their review and discussion of the document, the committee voted to approve the May 14, 2024 committee summary.

The approval allows the summary to serve as the official record of the May 14, 2024 meeting proceedings. No specific concerns or amendments to the summary were noted during the discussion process.

Outcome: Approved

Recruitment, Retirement, and Retention for Public Safety

1:00 Commissioner Ken Armstrong delivered a presentation on recruitment, retirement, and retention efforts across the county's public safety divisions, including police, fire, and corrections departments.

The presentation addressed ongoing staffing challenges facing public safety operations and outlined both difficulties and achievements in maintaining adequate personnel levels. Armstrong highlighted the various strategies being employed to attract new recruits while retaining experienced personnel across all three divisions.

D. Sevigny also participated in the discussion, contributing to the overview of current staffing initiatives and their effectiveness.

The presentation covered the interconnected issues of: • Recruitment efforts to bring new personnel into public safety roles • Retirement patterns and their impact on departmental staffing • Retention strategies to keep experienced officers, firefighters, and corrections staff

This agenda item was informational in nature, providing commissioners and the public with an update on the current state of public safety staffing efforts. No formal action was taken during this presentation, as it served to inform attendees about ongoing personnel management initiatives within the county's public safety departments.

The discussion emphasized the critical importance of maintaining adequate staffing levels across police, fire, and corrections to ensure continued public safety services for county residents.

Eviction Diversion and Right to Counsel

2:00

Jonathan Wright delivered a presentation on housing stability services, with a particular focus on eviction diversion programs and right to counsel initiatives. The presentation outlined the jurisdiction's efforts to help residents avoid eviction through early intervention and legal support services.

Wright highlighted the importance of partnerships with community organizations in delivering these services. These collaborative efforts aim to provide residents facing potential eviction with access to legal aid and mediation services before cases reach the court system. The eviction diversion approach seeks to address housing instability proactively rather than reactively.

The right to counsel component of the program ensures that tenants have access to legal representation when facing eviction proceedings. This initiative recognizes that many residents lack the resources to secure adequate legal counsel on their own, potentially leading to unfavorable outcomes that could have been prevented with proper representation.

Commissioner Lanter participated in the discussion, though the specific nature of their contributions was not detailed in the available information.

The presentation was informational in nature, providing an overview of current housing stability efforts rather than seeking approval for new initiatives or policy changes. The focus on community partnerships suggests a collaborative approach to addressing housing insecurity, leveraging existing resources and expertise from local organizations to maximize the program's effectiveness.

These housing stability services represent a comprehensive approach to preventing homelessness and maintaining community stability by addressing eviction issues before they result in displacement.