Urban County Council

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council met on August 14, 2025, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers in Lexington, KY, with Mayor Gorton presiding. The meeting covered five agenda items spanning ceremonial recognitions and legislative business. Two informational presentations were given, including a Public Health Hero Award and a Mayoral Proclamation. The Council also took up three ordinances on first reading, addressing budget amendments for grant closures, budget amendments for purchase orders, and the levying of ad valorem taxes for the Soil and Water Conservation District. Across the meeting, 10 motions and votes were taken and 1 public comment was heard.

Attendance

All 15 council members were present at the August 14, 2025 meeting, with no absences recorded.

Present: Mayor Gorton, Ellinger, Elliott Baxter, Hale, LeGris, Lynch, Morton, Reynolds, Sevigny, Sheehan, Wu, Beasley, Boone, Brown, and Curtis.

Absent: None.

Late: Curtis arrived after the meeting began.

Votes and Decisions

The Council took up ten votes during the August 14, 2025 meeting, all of which passed without opposition.

Minutes Approval 5:27 Vice Mayor Wu moved, and Curtis seconded, approval of the minutes from the June 26, July 1, and July 3, 2025 Council meetings. The motion passed unanimously, 15–0.

Consent Agenda Items 6:06:00 Reynolds moved and Elliott Baxter seconded the following resolutions, each of which passed 14–0 on a roll call vote. All 14 members present — Curtis, Ellinger, Elliott Baxter, Hale, LeGris, Lynch, Morton, Reynolds, Sevigny, Sheehan, Wu, Beasley, Boone, and Brown — voted in favor on each item:

• Resolution 0698-25: Execute a Release of Claims Agreement with Detective Eric Wilzbach for the care of retired Canine Rhea.
• Resolution 0700-25: Purchase and Subscription Services Agreement with Raptor Technologies, LLC.
• Resolution 0704-25: Change Order No. 1 to the Agreement with BMI Builds, LLC for the LFD Community Paramedicine Renovation Project.
• Resolution 0705-25: Agreement with GreenHouse17, Inc. for emergency repairs of the fire sprinkler system.
• Resolution 0720-25: Agreement with the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security for a bomb squad mission response vehicle.
• Resolution 0721-25: Accept an award from the Community Action Council for the Early Head Start Program.
• Resolution 0725-25: Change Order No. 3 to the Agreement with BMI Builds LLC for the Valley Park Building Renovation and Expansion Project.
• Resolution 0728-25: Execute a Federal Equitable Sharing Agreement and Certification.

Resolution 0733-25 6:06:00 Hale moved and Lynch seconded a resolution to execute agreements related to Council Capital Project Expenditure Funds. The motion passed 14–0 on a roll call vote, with the same 14 members voting in favor.

There were no nays or abstentions recorded on any item during the meeting.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council considered four financial items at the August 14, 2025 meeting, covering infrastructure improvements, stormwater work, a federal grant, and a building renovation.

• Meadows-Northland-Arlington Neighborhood Improvement Project Phase 7 – Rosemary Ave (Resolution 0708-25): The Council took action on a contract with DelMae LLC valued at $1,557,318 for the latest phase of this ongoing neighborhood improvement project along Rosemary Avenue.

• Savannah Guilford Stormwater Improvements (Resolution 0746-25): A contract with Lagco, Inc. in the amount of $1,606,733 was considered for stormwater infrastructure improvements in the Savannah Guilford area. This was the largest single expenditure on the agenda.

• Early Head Start Program at the Family Care Center (Resolution 0721-25): The Council addressed a grant of $49,443.84 to the Community Action Council in support of the Early Head Start Program at the Family Care Center.

• Valley Park Building Renovation and Expansion Project (Resolution 0725-25): A contract with BMI Builds LLC totaling $198,320 was presented for renovation and expansion work at the Valley Park building.

Combined, the four items represent approximately $3.4 million in financial commitments spanning public infrastructure, stormwater management, early childhood services, and parks facilities.

Public Comment

One member of the public addressed the Council during the public comment period at the August 14, 2025 meeting.

• Brittany Price spoke about homelessness in Lexington 1:19:04. Price drew on her own personal experience with homelessness to underscore the challenges faced by individuals in that situation. She called for the expansion of programs and the deployment of additional social workers to actively engage with Lexington's homeless population.

Appointments

The Council approved the following appointments and reappointments to city boards and advisory bodies at the August 14, 2025 meeting:

• Anthany Beatty, Jr. was appointed to the Alarm Advisory Board.
• Ross Boggess was appointed to the Board of Adjustment.
• Veda Stewart was reappointed to the Carnegie Center for Literacy Board of Directors.
• Jill Leckner was reappointed to the Courthouse Area Design Review Board.
• Eric Reid was reappointed to the Emergency Medical Advisory Board.

In total, the Council confirmed two new appointments and three reappointments across five separate boards and advisory bodies. The actions reflect both the addition of new members to city governance structures and the continuation of service by existing members whose terms were renewed.

Public Health Hero Award

6:36

The Council recognized two recipients of the 2025 Dr. Rice C. Leach Public Health Hero Award during a presentation led by Mayor Gorton and Dr. Crystal Miller.

• Recipients: Dr. Abeni El-Amin and Dr. Lindsey Jasinski were honored with the award for their dedication to improving the health of Lexington residents.
• Award name: The recognition is named the Dr. Rice C. Leach Public Health Hero Award.

This item was informational in nature, with no vote or further action taken by the Council.

Mayoral Proclamation

Agenda Item 0753-25 17:06

Mayor Gorton declared August 14, 2025, as Christopher Edwards Day in Lexington, honoring Chris Edwards for his service as LexTV's video production supervisor. The proclamation was presented during the meeting, with both Mayor Gorton and Chris Edwards identified as key speakers for this item. The item was informational in nature and required no vote or further Council action.

Ordinance amending Budgets for Grant closures

29:09

The Council took up agenda item 0765-25, an ordinance to amend certain budgets to provide funds for preparing for grant closures, including the appropriation and re-appropriation of funds.

The ordinance was introduced on first reading at this meeting. No key speakers or substantive debate were recorded in the available data for this item, and no concerns were noted in the meeting record.

The measure will return for a second reading before final Council action.

Ordinance Amending Budgets for Purchase Orders

Agenda Item 0766-25 29:09

The Council took up an ordinance to amend certain budgets in order to provide funds for purchase orders and pre-paid expenses rolling over from fiscal year 2025 into fiscal year 2026.

• The ordinance is a routine budget amendment measure designed to ensure continuity of funding for outstanding purchase orders and pre-paid expenses that were initiated in FY 2025 but carry forward into the new fiscal year, FY 2026.
• No key speakers were identified in the record as having presented or debated the item during this meeting.
• No concerns or notable discussion were recorded in connection with this agenda item.

The ordinance received its first reading at this meeting. As is standard for ordinances, a second reading would be required before final adoption.

Ordinance Levying Ad Valorem Taxes for Soil and Water Conservation District

29:09

The Council took up agenda item 0767-25, an ordinance to levy ad valorem taxes for the support of the Soil and Water Conservation District for the fiscal year running from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.

No key speakers were recorded in connection with this item, and no notable debate or concerns were documented during the discussion. The ordinance received its first reading at this meeting.