Urban County Council

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council met on August 28, 2025, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers in Lexington, KY, with Mayor Gorton presiding. The meeting addressed 2 agenda items, both of which were approved: a proclamation or recognition for Lafayette High School Architecture Team Day and a designation for CD Central Day. The Council took 2 votes over the course of the meeting and heard 4 public comments from community members.

Attendance

All 16 members were present at the August 28, 2025 Council meeting. No members were absent or late.

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

Votes and Decisions

Two items came to a roll call vote at the August 28, 2025 Council meeting, both passing unanimously.

• Ordinance 0712-25 — An ordinance amending the authorized strength by abolishing one classified position of Internal Auditor and creating one classified position of Associate Internal Auditor. Motioned by Ellinger and seconded by Elliott Baxter, the ordinance passed 15–0 with no abstentions. Voting in favor: Ellinger, Elliott Baxter, Hale, Higgins-Hord, LeGris, Lynch, Morton, Reynolds, Sevigny, Sheehan, Wu, Beasley, Boone, Brown, and Curtis. No members voted against.

• Resolution 0722-25 — A resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute lease agreements for listed properties. Motioned by Sheehan and seconded by LeGris, the resolution passed 14–0 with no abstentions. Voting in favor: Ellinger, Hale, Higgins-Hord, LeGris, Lynch, Morton, Reynolds, Sevigny, Sheehan, Wu, Beasley, Boone, Brown, and Curtis. No members voted against. Elliott Baxter, who voted on the preceding ordinance, is not recorded among the voters on this resolution.

No transcript timestamps are available for either vote.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council considered two construction contracts at the August 28, 2025 meeting, together totaling more than $3.1 million in infrastructure investment.

• Resolution 0708-25 authorized a contract with DelMae LLC in the amount of $1,557,318 for the Meadows-Northland-Arlington Neighborhood Improvement Project Phase 7, covering work on Rosemary Avenue. This resolution is part of an ongoing phased effort to improve infrastructure within the Meadows-Northland-Arlington neighborhood.

• Resolution 0746-25 authorized a contract with Lagco, Inc. in the amount of $1,606,733 for the Savannah Guilford Stormwater Improvements project. This contract addresses stormwater infrastructure in the Savannah Guilford area.

Both items were presented as contract authorizations, directing public funds to private construction vendors for defined infrastructure scopes. No additional financial items, budget amendments, or appropriations were included in the extracted data for this meeting.

Public Comment

Four residents addressed the Council during the public comment period.

Residential Parking Permits on Forest Ave. Two speakers offered opposing views on the proposed residential parking permit program for Forest Ave. Trish Smith spoke in support of the proposal, while Ross Boggess spoke in opposition.

Rooster Ownership Ordinance Mick Miller spoke in opposition to a proposed ordinance that would limit rooster ownership within the urban service boundary.

Gun Violence Tonya Lindsey addressed the Council on the topic of gun violence in the community, expressing support for survivor-led outreach efforts.

*No transcript timestamps were available for the public comment period of this meeting.*

Contested Items

• Crisis Response Mediators Contracts: The council was divided over whether to approve contracts for crisis response mediators. Some council members indicated they needed more information before they were prepared to vote in favor of the contracts, leading to a split vote on the item. The structured data does not specify which individual council members voted for or against the measure, nor does it indicate the final outcome of the vote.

Lafayette High School Architecture Team Day

Agenda Item 0821-25 | Proclamation

The Council took up a proclamation declaring August 28, 2025, as Lafayette High School Architectural Design Team Day in Lexington.

Mayor Gorton, Taylor Steele, and Sevigny were among the key speakers involved in the presentation of this item. The proclamation honored the Lafayette High School Architectural Design Team and recognized the occasion with a formal declaration by the city.

The item was approved by the Council.

*Note: Detailed transcript timestamps and a fuller account of the remarks made during this item are not available in the source materials.*

CD Central Day

The Council took up agenda item 0822-25, a proclamation declaring August 28, 2025, as CD Central Day in Lexington.

Mayor Gorton presented the proclamation, and the item drew remarks from several participants including Steve Baron, Wu, and LeGris. The proclamation was approved by the Council.

No transcript timestamps are available for this agenda item.