Urban County Council

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council met on March 6, 2025, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers in Lexington, KY, with Mayor Gorton presiding. The meeting covered 2 agenda items, including the approval of minutes from two prior meetings — the February 20, 2025 Regular Council Meeting and the February 25, 2025 Special Council Meeting — as well as an informational presentation on the KY American Water District Science Fair. Over the course of the meeting, the Council took 2 votes and heard 2 public comments. The session was relatively brief in scope, focused primarily on routine business and a single informational item.

Attendance

The following members were present at the March 6, 2025 Council meeting:

• Hale
• LeGris
• Lynch
• Morton
• Sevigny
• Sheehan
• Wu
• Beasley
• Brown
• Ellinger
• Elliott Baxter
• Gray
• Curtis *(arrived late)*

Absent: Reynolds, Boone

A total of 13 members were present, with Curtis attending but arriving late. Two members — Reynolds and Boone — were absent from the meeting.

Votes and Decisions

Two formal votes were taken during the March 6, 2025 Council meeting.

Ordinance 0143-25 1:34:39

The Council voted on an ordinance to amend the creation of an unclassified position of Administrative Officer without abolishing the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The motion was made by Mr. Brown and seconded by Ms. Gray. The ordinance passed unanimously on a roll call vote of 13–0. All members voted in favor:

• Hale, LeGris, Lynch, Morton, Sevigny, Sheehan, Wu, Beasley, Brown, Curtis, Ellinger, Elliott Baxter, and Gray.

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Resolution 0159-25 1:47:39

A motion was made by Ms. Beasley, seconded by Mr. Morton, to postpone a resolution regarding an agreement with the Farm and Garden Market Cooperative Association. The motion to postpone failed on an electronic vote of 2–11.

• Voting to postpone (2): Beasley, Gray
• Voting against postponement (11): Hale, LeGris, Lynch, Morton, Sevigny, Sheehan, Wu, Brown, Curtis, Ellinger, Elliott Baxter

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council addressed two financial items during the March 6, 2025 meeting, covering a contract amendment and an educational incentive grant.

• Resolution 0126-25 authorized Change Order No. 4 to the contract with W. Principles, LLC for the Town Branch RAS/WS Pump Station Improvements project. The change order amounts to $154,401.75, modifying the existing agreement to account for additional work or adjustments associated with the pump station improvements project.

• Resolution 0134-25 approved an agreement awarding a Class B (Education) Incentive Grant to Bluegrass Greensource, Inc. in the amount of $39,630. This grant falls under the education incentive classification and is directed to Bluegrass Greensource, Inc. as the recipient organization.

Together, these two items represent a combined financial commitment of $194,031.75 across contract and grant obligations acted upon at this meeting.

Public Comment

Two members of the public addressed the Council during the public comment period.

• James Woodhead 28:10 spoke in opposition to the ordinance proposing the abolishment of the Officer of Diversity and Inclusion. Woodhead emphasized the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in Lexington, voicing concern about eliminating the position.

• Rolanda Woolfork 32:10 raised concerns about the zone change process, specifically highlighting the need for better communication with community members throughout that process.

Appointments

The Council made the following appointments during the March 6, 2025 meeting:

• Susan Lamb was appointed to the City Employees Pension Fund Board.
• Joseph Clark was appointed to the Environmental Commission.

Contested Items

Two items on the agenda drew notable opposition from community members during the March 6, 2025 Council meeting.

Abolishing the Officer of Diversity and Inclusion

An ordinance to abolish the Officer of Diversity and Inclusion prompted several community members to speak out in opposition. Speakers emphasized the importance of maintaining the city's diversity efforts and raised concerns about the impact of eliminating the position. The structured data does not indicate a postponement or other procedural action taken in response to this opposition, suggesting the item proceeded through the agenda despite the public pushback.

Agreement with the Farm and Garden Market Cooperative Association

A resolution concerning an agreement with the Farm and Garden Market Cooperative Association also generated community opposition. Members of the public voiced concerns about the terms or implications of the agreement, prompting a motion to postpone the resolution. That motion to postpone ultimately failed, meaning the resolution remained before the Council for consideration without delay.

Minutes of the February 20, 2025 Regular Council Meeting and the February 25, 2025 Special Council Meeting

5:40

Council considered agenda item 0221-25, which called for the approval of the minutes from two previous meetings: the February 20, 2025 Regular Council Meeting and the February 25, 2025 Special Council Meeting.

The item was brought forward with Mr. Ellinger and Ms. Gray identified as the key speakers during this portion of the meeting. No concerns or substantive debate were recorded in connection with the minutes. The item was handled in a routine manner, consistent with standard council procedure for the adoption of meeting records.

The minutes were approved unanimously by Council.

KY American Water District Science Fair

6:41

The Council recognized winners of the Kentucky American Water District Science Fair during this presentation segment. Mayor Gorton led the recognition of students from various schools who were honored for their achievements in the competition.

The item was informational in nature, with no debate or vote required. No concerns were raised during this portion of the meeting.

*Note: The available data does not include the specific names of the student winners, their schools, or the categories in which they competed. For a full list of honorees, the meeting video beginning at timestamp 06:41 is recommended.*