Urban County Council

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council met on April 17, 2025, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers in Lexington, KY, with Mayor Gorton presiding. The meeting included 4 agenda items, covering a mix of proclamations, a budget ordinance, and a zoning matter. Over the course of the meeting, the Council took 2 votes, and 2 public comments were heard. One agenda item — a proclamation for Doug Charles Day honoring an LCA Football Coach — was withdrawn, while the remaining items moved forward, including an approval recognizing the Lafayette High School Girls Wrestling Team. The Council also approved an ordinance amending budgets for municipal expenditures and advanced a zone change request for property at 125 Canebrake Dr. through its first reading.

Attendance

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

Absent (1): Elliott Baxter.

Late: None.

Votes and Decisions

Two items came to a vote during the April 17, 2025 Council meeting, both passing unanimously.

• Motion 0374-25 — Approval of March 20, 2025 Meeting Minutes 6:35: Moved by Ellinger and seconded by Curtis, the Council voted to approve the minutes of the March 20, 2025 Council meeting. The motion passed unanimously, 14–0, with no abstentions. Voting in favor were Morton, Reynolds, Sevigny, Sheehan, Wu, Beasley, Boone, Brown, Curtis, Ellinger, Gray, Hale, LeGris, and Lynch.

• Motion 0297-25 — FY 2025 Budget Amendment Ordinance, Schedule No. 20 14:21: Moved by Ellinger and seconded by Morton, the Council voted on an ordinance amending certain budgets for municipal expenditures for fiscal year 2025, Schedule No. 20. The motion passed on a roll call vote of 14–0, with no abstentions. Voting in favor were Morton, Reynolds, Sevigny, Sheehan, Wu, Beasley, Boone, Brown, Curtis, Ellinger, Gray, Hale, LeGris, and Lynch.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council approved several contracts, amendments, and grants at the April 17, 2025 meeting covering facility maintenance, design services, and public art funding.

New Contracts:

• Resolution 0315-25 authorized a contract with BMI LLC d/b/a BMI Builds LLC for $1,711,368 to perform SFRM (Spray-applied Fire Resistive Material) remediation at the Lexington Detention Center.
• Resolution 0327-25 authorized a contract with Patrick D. Murphy Co., Inc. for $150,000 for professional design services related to the roof replacement of the Robert F. Stephens District and Circuit Courthouses.
• Resolution 0346-25 authorized a contract with Comfort & Process Solutions for $149,460.72 for HVAC replacement at Tates Creek.

Contract Amendments:

• Resolution 0317-25 approved a $25,000 amendment to the contract with Johnson Early Architects for the Valley Park Building Renovation & Expansion Project.
• Resolution 0318-25 approved a $42,000 amendment to the contract with Champlin/Haupt Architects Inc. dba EOP Architects for the New Senior and Therapeutic Center.
• Resolution 0326-25 approved a $27,900 amendment to the contract with Gresham Smith for the Kelleys Landing Phase 0 Project.

Grants:

• Resolution 0375-25 authorized a $245,000 grant to Lexington Freedom Train with LexArts Inc. to fund a public art project through the Public Art Commission's Collaborative Grant Program.

Public Comment

Two members of the public addressed the Council during the public comment period at the April 17, 2025 meeting.

• Phoenix Barry 59:11 spoke about personal experiences with the rental and health crisis. Barry urged the Council to continue advocating on behalf of renters and those who have been dispossessed, framing the issue as an ongoing struggle requiring sustained attention from elected officials.

• Rory Hefner Templar 1:01:58 raised concerns about recent decisions by the Lexington Public Library to roll back LGBTQIA+ programs. Hefner Templar called on the Council to speak out publicly against these cuts, expressing that the reduction in programming represented a significant concern for the affected community.

Appointments

The Council took action on two appointments during the April 17, 2025 meeting.

• Brandi Peacher was appointed to the Corridors Commission.
• Laura Alexander was appointed to the Picnic with the Pops Commission.

Both appointments were approved by the Council as part of the meeting's official business.

Doug Charles Day (LCA Football Coach)

Agenda Item 0292-25 3:02

This agenda item, which had been scheduled as a presentation to recognize Doug Charles in his role as LCA Football Coach, was removed from the docket before it could be heard. Vice Mayor Wu noted that Doug Charles was unable to attend the meeting, and as a result, the proclamation for Doug Charles Day was withdrawn from consideration.

No discussion, debate, or public comment took place on this item, and no proclamation was formally presented. The item is expected to be rescheduled for a future Council meeting when Doug Charles is available to attend.

Lafayette High School Girls Wrestling Team

Agenda Item 0291-25 | Proclamation 7:24

Mayor Gorton presented a proclamation declaring April 17, 2025, as Lafayette High School Girls' Wrestling Day in Lexington, honoring the team for their historic state championship victory.

• Key speakers: Mayor Gorton and Coach William Green participated in the presentation.
• Outcome: The proclamation was approved.

Ordinance Amending Budgets for Municipal Expenditures

Agenda Item 0297-25 14:21

The Council took up Ordinance 0297-25, which proposes amendments to certain budgets of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government to reflect current requirements for municipal expenditures.

Key speakers on this item were Ellinger and Morton. The ordinance was presented as a standard budget amendment measure intended to align existing budget allocations with the government's current operational needs.

The ordinance was approved by the Council.

Zone change for property at 125 Canebrake Dr.

15:29

The Council took up ordinance 0328-25, a proposed zone change for the property located at 125 Canebrake Dr. The ordinance would rezone the property from an Interchange Service Business (B-5P) zone to a Light Industrial (I-1) zone.

The item was considered on first reading. No key speakers, presentations, debates, or concerns are recorded in the available data for this agenda item.

The ordinance advanced through its first reading before the Council.