Budget Committee of the Whole - FY26

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council held a committee meeting on May 27, 2025, beginning at 10:00 AM in the Council Chamber, with the Vice Mayor presiding. The meeting covered three agenda items, all of which were informational in nature, including a Monthly Financial Update for April FY2025, Mayor's Late Items, and FY2026 Link Report Out Presentations. A total of 7 motions and votes were taken over the course of the meeting. No public comments were heard during this session.

Attendance

All 15 council members were present at the May 27, 2025 Committee meeting. No members were absent or late.

Present: - Council Member Sevigny - Council Member Ellinger - Council Member Boone - Council Member J. Brown - Council Member Reynolds - Council Member Lynch - Council Member Curtis - Council Member Baxter - Council Member Gray - Council Member Savigny - Council Member Morton - Council Member Beasley - Council Member Hale - Council Member LaGrie - Council Member Wu

Votes and Decisions

All seven motions brought before the committee on 2025-05-27 passed by voice vote. No roll call votes were taken, so individual member tallies are not available.

• CAO Housing Advocacy and Community Development Recommendations: Council Member Ellinger moved to approve the Chief Administrative Officer in Housing Advocacy and Community Development link recommendations, including the addition of a part-time employee for the Black Williams Center. The motion passed by voice vote. 2:02:10

• Environmental Quality and Public Works Recommendations: Council Member Savigny moved to approve the Environmental Quality and Public Works link recommendations. The motion passed by voice vote. 2:04:18

• Finance, Economic Development, and Planning Recommendations: Council Member Lynch moved to approve the Finance, Economic Development, and Planning link recommendations, including the addition of a Deputy Director of Accounting position. The motion passed by voice vote. 2:06:26

• Social Services and Public Safety Recommendations: Vice Mayor Wu moved to approve the Social Services and Public Safety link recommendations, including funding for an additional social worker for the community crisis co-response team. The motion passed by voice vote. 2:08:34

• Lextran Microtransit Pilot Project: Council Member Ellinger moved to allocate $250,000 to Lextran for a microtransit pilot project. The motion passed by voice vote. 3:10:30

• Lextran Downtown Connector Route Pilot: Council Member Brown moved to fund the Lextran Downtown Connector route pilot project for $250,000. The motion passed by voice vote. 3:11:32

• Sidewalk Connectivity Fund: Council Member Reynolds moved to place $250,000 in additional funding into the Sidewalk Connectivity Fund. The motion passed by voice vote. 3:12:36

Budget and Financial Actions

The committee considered three appropriations totaling $750,000 during the May 27, 2025 meeting.

• Lextran Downtown Connector Route Pilot ($250,000): The committee took up an appropriation of $250,000 to Lextran to fund a Downtown Connector route pilot project. No resolution identifier was included in the available materials.

• Lextran Microtransit Pilot ($250,000): A separate $250,000 appropriation to Lextran was considered for a microtransit pilot project. This item was distinct from the Downtown Connector funding, indicating two parallel transit pilot initiatives moving forward simultaneously through Lextran.

• Sidewalk Connectivity Fund ($250,000): The committee also considered an additional $250,000 appropriation directed to the Sidewalk Connectivity Fund. No specific vendor or recipient was identified for this item in the available materials.

No resolution numbers were available for any of the three financial items. Combined, the three appropriations represent $750,000 in proposed spending, split evenly across transit pilot programming and pedestrian infrastructure.

Contested Items

Two items in the meeting drew divided opinion among committee members, resulting in split votes.

Funding for an Additional Social Worker (Community Crisis Co-Response Team)

Committee members were divided over whether to approve funding for an additional social worker to support the community crisis co-response team. The disagreement centered on concerns about the timing of the decision and the source of funding for the position. No further details about the specific funding source in question or the final vote tally are available from the meeting record.

Techonomy Study Funding

The committee also debated whether to allocate funding toward strategies identified in the Techonomy study. Some members expressed a preference for waiting until the study's results had been formally presented before committing funds, rather than acting in advance of that presentation. As with the social worker item, the discussion resulted in a split vote, though the specific outcome and vote count are not detailed in the available record.

Monthly Financial Update – April FY2025

2:56

The Committee received an informational presentation on the monthly financial update for April FY2025. The presentation was delivered by Commissioner Hensley and Wes, who walked the Committee through the district's financial position for the period.

The update covered three primary areas:

• Revenue collections – The presenters discussed the status of revenue gathered through April of the fiscal year.
• Personnel expenses – Staffing-related costs were reviewed as part of the overall expenditure picture.
• Operating savings – The update included discussion of savings realized on the operating side of the budget.

No votes or formal actions were taken on this item, as it was presented for informational purposes only. The financial update served to keep Committee members apprised of the district's fiscal standing through the April reporting period of FY2025.

Mayor's Late Items

13:52

The council reviewed a set of late items submitted by the Mayor's office for consideration in the FY2026 budget. Director Luker presented the items, which included various accounting corrections and personnel changes.

The agenda item was informational in nature, with no vote or formal action taken during this portion of the meeting.

FY2026 Link Report Out Presentations

27:10

Council Members Ellinger, Savigny, and Lynch each delivered link report out presentations covering budget recommendations and proposed changes for various departments and initiatives as part of the FY2026 budget process.

The presentations were informational in nature, with each council member sharing findings and recommendations connected to their respective link assignments. The reports addressed budget considerations across different areas of city operations, though specific departmental details, funding figures, and individual recommendations were not captured in the available summary data.

This agenda item served as an opportunity for council members to report back to the full committee on their budget review work, a standard component of the annual budget development process.

---

*Note: The available data for this agenda item is limited to high-level summary information. For full details on each council member's specific recommendations and any discussion that followed, viewers are encouraged to consult the meeting video beginning at the 27:10 mark.*