Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council held a meeting on February 25, 2025, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chamber in Lexington, KY, presided over by Mayor Linda Gorton. The meeting included 5 agenda items, ranging from the approval of prior session motions to new business and neighborhood funding matters. Over the course of the meeting, the Council took 3 votes, heard 1 public comment on agenda items, and received an informational report from the Social Services and Public Safety Committee. Key actions included approval of the February 18, 2025, Work Session motions, new business items, and Neighborhood Development Funds. The Social Services and Public Safety Committee Report and the public comment period were informational in nature and did not result in votes.

Attendance

Present (14): Wu, J. Brown, Ellinger II, Morton, Lynch, LeGris, Curtis, Sheehan, Gray, Hale, Beasley, Baxter, Sevigny, and Boone.

Absent (1): Jennifer Reynolds.

Late: None.

Votes and Decisions

Three motions were brought to a vote during the February 25, 2025, Council meeting, all of which passed unanimously.

• Approval of February 18, 2025, Work Session Motions 0:02: Council member Gray moved to approve the motions from the February 18, 2025, Work Session, with Council member Curtis providing the second. The motion passed unanimously. No individual roll call votes were recorded.

• Approval of New Business 3:04: Council member Ellinger moved to approve New Business, with Council member Curtis providing the second. The motion passed unanimously. No individual roll call votes were recorded.

• Approval of Neighborhood Development Funds 3:34: The Vice Mayor moved to approve the Neighborhood Development Funds, with Council member Curtis providing the second. The motion passed unanimously. No individual roll call votes were recorded.

All three motions were seconded by Council member Curtis. No nays or abstentions were recorded for any of the votes.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council approved several financial items at the February 25, 2025 meeting, ranging from a small service contract to a six-figure funding reallocation.

• L0173-25: The Council approved a contract with Charter Communications, operating under Spectrum Enterprise, for cable TV services supporting senior programs. The contract is valued at $925.92.

• L0176-25: A software service agreement with TouchPhrase Development LLC, doing business as Julota, was approved for use by the Lexington Fire Department. The agreement is valued at $37,096.00.

• L0177-25: The Council approved an amendment to an existing grant administration agreement with the Community Action Council. The amendment carries no additional dollar value.

• L0182-25: An amendment to a HOME Investment Partnerships Program agreement with AVOL Kentucky, Inc. was also approved. Like the Community Action Council amendment, this action involved no additional funding.

• L0195-25: The Council approved a reallocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding in the amount of $227,760.51 directed toward a playground upgrade at Family Care Centers. This was the largest financial action of the meeting.

Public Comment

One member of the public addressed the Council during the public comment period at the February 25, 2025 meeting.

• Tonya Kua 14:50 spoke on the topics of freedom of the press and freedom of speech. Kua expressed concerns about potential government infringement on her rights, referencing past legal issues in her remarks. She asserted her readiness to pursue legal action if she determined such action to be necessary.

Public Comment - Issues on Agenda

2:00

No public comments were made on issues on the agenda.

Approval of February 18, 2025, Work Session Motions

2:00

The Council took up the approval of motions from the February 18, 2025, work session. Council member Gray and Council member Curtis were the key speakers on this item. The motion was approved without notable debate or opposition recorded in the meeting data.

New Business

3:04

The Council took up new business items during this portion of the meeting. Council member Ellinger and Council member Curtis were the key speakers during this segment.

The Council approved the new business items presented. No additional details regarding the specific content of the items, any debate, or concerns raised are available in the meeting record.

Neighborhood Development Funds

3:34

The Council took up a resolution regarding the allocation of neighborhood development funds. The item was presented with participation from the Vice Mayor and Council Member Curtis as the key speakers on this matter.

The resolution was approved by the Council.

*Note: Limited detail is available from the source materials regarding the specific amounts allocated, the neighborhoods or projects targeted, or any debate and concerns raised during discussion of this item.*

Social Services and Public Safety Committee Report

3:34

Council member Baxter presented the report from the Social Services and Public Safety Committee, summarizing the proceedings of the committee's January 28, 2025 meeting.

The report covered updates on three areas:

• Community Paramedicine — The committee received an update on the community paramedicine program.
• Family Services — An update on family services was presented to the committee.
• Partners for Youth — The committee also heard an update related to partners for youth.

The report was informational in nature, and no action or vote was taken by the full Council in response to the presentation.