Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council held a meeting on September 9, 2025, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chamber in Lexington, KY, presided over by Mayor Gorton. The meeting included 6 agenda items covering a range of legislative and administrative business. Members of the public had the opportunity to speak on agenda items, with 4 public comments heard during the session. Over the course of the meeting, the Council took 6 votes, approving items including budget amendments, new business, mayoral appointments, and mayoral procurements, in addition to approving the meeting summary.

Attendance

All 15 council members were present at the September 9, 2025 Council meeting. No members were absent or late.

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

Votes and Decisions

The Council took six votes during the September 9, 2025 meeting, all of which passed unanimously.

• Approval of the August 28, 2025 Council Meeting Docket — Motioned by Sevigny, seconded by Curtis. The docket passed unanimously. 17:59

• Approval of the August 19, 2025 Work Session Summary — Motioned by Ellinger, seconded by Sevigny. The summary passed unanimously. 18:31

• Approval of Budget Amendments — Motioned by Baxter, seconded by Reynolds. The budget amendments passed unanimously. 19:01

• Approval of New Business — Motioned by Baxter, seconded by Reynolds. New business items passed unanimously. 21:14

• Approval of Communications from the Mayor – Appointments — Motioned by Wu, seconded by Sheehan. The mayoral appointments passed unanimously. 21:14

• Approval of Communications from the Mayor – Procurements — Motioned by Sheehan, seconded by Baxter. The mayoral procurements passed unanimously. 53:42

No roll call votes were recorded; all six motions carried without dissent or abstention. Individual vote tallies were not recorded in the meeting data.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council considered several financial items at the September 9, 2025 meeting, ranging from service agreements to major infrastructure and healthcare contracts.

• L0664-25: A $50,000 service agreement with the Urban League of Lexington Fayette County Inc. to support salary costs.

• L0693-25: A $50,000 agreement with You Matter Kentucky, Inc. to support the Juvenile Treatment Court program.

• L0798-25: An addendum to Contract #274-2021 with Ambulance Medical Billing for a hardware refresh, carrying no budgetary impact.

• L0800-25: A $216,000 purchase of a cell monitoring system from Reassurance Solutions, LLC.

• L0802-25: A $205,445.20 purchase from Hydro International for the replacement of a Eutek HeadCell™ Grit Concentrator at the West Hickman Wastewater Treatment Plant.

• L0813-25: A resolution (with no budgetary impact) to support the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority's (KEDFA) issuance of Industrial Building Revenue Bonds on behalf of Saint Joseph Health System, Inc.

• L0814-25: A first amendment to an existing agreement with CHS TX, Inc. for Inmate Medical and Mental Health Services, valued at $10,278,132 — the largest single financial action on the agenda.

In total, the items with direct budgetary impact amount to over $10.7 million, with the inmate medical services contract with CHS TX, Inc. comprising the substantial majority of that figure.

Public Comment

Four residents addressed the Council during the public comment period, with remarks focused primarily on the proposed locations for Hope Village and a winter shelter facility.

Hope Village on Versailles Road

• Peggy Henson 3:08 spoke against the proposed location for Hope Village on Versailles Road, raising concerns about safety and the potential impact on the surrounding community.
• Richard Maloney 6:35 also opposed siting Hope Village on Versailles Road. He referenced past issues with similar facilities and echoed concerns about safety.

Winter Shelter Location and Access

• Carson Bowen 13:02 objected to the use of Nancy Hanks Road as the entrance for the winter shelter, and suggested that an alternative route be considered instead.
• Rick Christman 16:51 proposed Center Parkway as an alternative site for the winter shelter altogether, citing available space and access to services at that location.

The comments reflect neighborhood concerns about both the placement of and access to homeless services facilities, with multiple speakers offering alternative locations or routes for Council consideration.

Appointments

• Hale recused themselves from the Appointments portion of the meeting.

No additional appointment details were recorded in the available meeting data for the September 9, 2025 Council meeting.

Contested Items

Two items drew notable opposition from community members during the September 9, 2025 Council meeting.

Hope Village Location

Community members voiced opposition to the proposed siting of Hope Village on Versailles Road, citing concerns about safety and the potential impact on the surrounding community. The disagreement centered on whether the Versailles Road location was appropriate for the project. No outcome or resolution is recorded in the available data for this item.

Winter Shelter Entrance on Nancy Hanks Road

Residents and stakeholders also contested the use of Nancy Hanks Road as the designated entrance for the winter shelter. Those opposed to this access point put forward alternative routes as preferable options. As with the Hope Village item, no final resolution or Council decision is reflected in the available data for this dispute.

Public Comment - Issues on Agenda

2:00

The Council heard public comments focused on two related topics: the proposed location of Hope Village and the winter shelter entrance.

Four members of the public addressed the Council during this portion of the meeting:

• Peggy Henson
• Richard Maloney
• Carson Bowen
• Rick Christman

Comments centered on concerns and perspectives regarding where Hope Village would be sited and questions surrounding access to the winter shelter. This portion of the meeting was informational in nature, with no action taken by the Council in response to the public testimony.

Approval of Summary

18:31

The Council took up the approval of the summary from the August 19, 2025 Work Session. Ellinger and Sevigny were the key speakers on this item. The summary was approved without noted objection or extended debate.

Budget Amendments

19:01

The Council took up a resolution on budget amendments, which included allocations related to housing and homelessness funds. Council members Baxter and Reynolds were the key speakers during this portion of the meeting.

The discussion centered on the proposed amendments to the budget, with Baxter and Reynolds presenting or weighing in on the allocations under consideration. The amendments addressed funding in the areas of housing and homelessness, though the specific dollar amounts, fund sources, and programmatic details were not detailed in the available record of this item.

The Council approved the budget amendments.

*Note: Additional specifics regarding the amounts allocated, any concerns raised during debate, or the breakdown of individual line items were not available in the source material for this meeting.*

New Business

21:14

The Council took up New Business, during which several contracts and agreements were presented for consideration. Baxter and Reynolds were the key speakers during this portion of the meeting.

The items brought forward under New Business were discussed and subsequently approved by the Council.

*Note: The available data for this agenda item is limited. For full details on the specific contracts and agreements considered, the names of parties involved, dollar amounts, or any debate that occurred, viewers are encouraged to consult the meeting video beginning at timestamp 21:14 or review the official meeting minutes and agenda documentation.*

Communications From the Mayor – Appointments

21:14

The Council took up appointments communicated by the Mayor during this portion of the meeting. The item was presented and moved forward with participation from Council members Wu and Sheehan.

The appointments were approved by the Council.

*Note: The available record does not include the specific names of appointees, the boards or bodies to which they were appointed, or details of any discussion or debate that may have occurred during consideration of this item.*

Communications From the Mayor – Procurements

53:42

The Council took up the procurements communicated by the Mayor during this portion of the meeting. Sheehan and Baxter were the key speakers during this agenda item.

The procurements were presented for the Council's consideration and approval. No additional details regarding the specific contracts, vendors, amounts, or departments involved are available from the meeting record.

The Council approved the Mayor's procurements.