Urban County Council

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council convened on September 18, 2025, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers in Lexington, KY, with Mayor Gorton presiding. The meeting covered 5 agenda items, beginning with a roll call and invocation before moving into substantive business. The Council approved the minutes of previous meetings, as well as items on second reading, including both ordinances and resolutions. Over the course of the meeting, 3 votes were taken and 4 public comments were heard.

Attendance

Present (12): Hale, Higgins-Hord, LeGris, Lynch, Morton, Reynolds, Wu, Beasley, Boone, Brown, Ellinger, and Elliott Baxter.

Absent (3): Sevigny, Sheehan, and Curtis.

Late: None.

Votes and Decisions

Three items came to a roll call vote at the September 18, 2025 Council meeting.

• Ordinance 0873-25 0:09 — An ordinance amending certain budgets of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government to reflect current municipal expenditure requirements and appropriating and re-appropriating funds (FY 2026 Schedule No. 8). Motioned by Ms. Elliott Baxter and seconded by Ms. LeGris, the ordinance passed 12–0. All twelve members voted in favor: Hale, Higgins-Hord, LeGris, Lynch, Morton, Reynolds, Wu, Beasley, Boone, Brown, Ellinger, and Elliott Baxter.

• Ordinance 0874-25 0:09 — An ordinance amending certain budgets of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government to correct funds for purchase orders rolled from FY 2025 into FY 2026, and appropriating and re-appropriating funds (Schedule No. 9). Also motioned by Ms. Elliott Baxter and seconded by Ms. LeGris, the ordinance passed 12–0, with the same twelve members voting in favor.

• Resolution 0814-25 0:14 — A resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute the First Amendment to the Agreement with CHS TX, Inc., d/b/a YesCare, for Inmate Medical and Mental Health Services at the Division of Community Corrections. The amendment modifies the staffing plan, reduces the number of forensic psychiatry hours, and adjusts staff vacancy rates, resulting in a reduction of $65,000 to the annual contract value and a total FY26 contract cost of $10,278,132. Motioned by Vice Mayor Wu and seconded by Ms. Higgins-Hord, the resolution passed 11–1. Voting in favor were Hale, Higgins-Hord, LeGris, Lynch, Morton, Wu, Beasley, Boone, Brown, Ellinger, and Elliott Baxter. Reynolds cast the sole dissenting vote.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council considered two financial actions at the September 18, 2025 meeting, covering infrastructure and inmate health services.

• St. Martin Pump Station Elimination (Resolution 0841-25): The Council took up a contract with Sunesis Construction Co. valued at $2,287,100 for the elimination of the St. Martin Pump Station. This action represents a capital infrastructure commitment directed at removing the existing pump station facility.

• Inmate Medical and Mental Health Services (Resolution 0814-25): The Council considered an amendment to an existing agreement with CHS TX, Inc., d/b/a YesCare for inmate medical and mental health services. The amended contract value totals $10,278,132, reflecting the ongoing provision of healthcare services to the inmate population.

Together, these two items represent a combined financial commitment of approximately $12.5 million across public works and correctional health services.

Public Comment

Four members of the public addressed the Council during the public comment period, with all speakers focused on the ongoing war in Gaza and the city's relationship with companies connected to the conflict.

• Kaelin Reynolds 33:29 expressed outrage over what they described as the city's complacency in the genocide in Palestine, urging the Council to take action against it.

• Liam Sturgill 36:13 called on the Council to adopt policy that would sever ties with companies they characterized as complicit in the genocide in Gaza.

• Logan Robertson 38:24 specifically urged the Council to end the city's partnership with Lockheed Martin, citing the company's involvement in the conflict in Gaza.

• Eli Wren 43:13 urged the Council to take a stand against the genocide in Gaza, emphasizing the significance of the city being among the first to act.

Taken together, the speakers pressed the Council on two related themes: the city's broader posture toward the conflict in Gaza, and its specific institutional and contractual relationships with defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin. No Council members responded to the comments during this portion of the meeting.

Appointments

The Council approved appointments and reappointments to several advisory boards and commissions during the September 18, 2025 meeting.

Airport Board - Anthony Bonner was appointed to the Airport Board. - Marc Mathews was reappointed to the Airport Board.

Corridors Commission - Shayla Lynch was appointed to the Corridors Commission. - Kyle Ray was appointed to the Corridors Commission.

Environmental Commission - Martha DeReamer was appointed to the Environmental Commission.

Mayor's International Affairs Advisory Commission - Deborah Alexander was reappointed to the Mayor's International Affairs Advisory Commission. - Zachary Derbyshire was reappointed to the Mayor's International Affairs Advisory Commission. - Lisa Holland was appointed to the Mayor's International Affairs Advisory Commission.

In total, the Council confirmed eight actions across four bodies, including three reappointments and five new appointments.

Contested Items

- Resolution 0814-25 — Amendment to Inmate Medical Services Agreement (CHS TX, Inc.) This resolution, which concerned an amendment to the existing agreement with CHS TX, Inc. for inmate medical services, was the only item on the agenda to draw a divided vote. Council member Reynolds cast the sole nay vote against the measure. The resolution passed despite Reynolds's opposition. No additional context for Reynolds's objection is reflected in the available meeting data. [timestamp: not available]

Roll Call

5:02

The meeting opened with a roll call to establish the presence of a quorum. Mayor Gorton presided over this procedural item. No concerns were raised during the roll call, and the outcome was informational.

Invocation

6:03

Elder Latasha Jarber of the Gate Church delivered the invocation to open the Council meeting.

Minutes of the Previous Meetings

8:09

Under Agenda Item III, the Council took up the minutes of the previous meeting for review and approval.

• The minutes presented for consideration were from the September 11, 2025 Council meeting.
• Mr. Ellinger and Mr. Hale were the key speakers during this portion of the meeting.
• The minutes were approved without noted objection or significant debate.

No concerns or amendments to the minutes were recorded in the available data. The item was handled as a routine procedural matter.

Ordinances – Second Reading

9:12

Two ordinances amending the budgets of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government were presented for second reading. Key speakers on this agenda item included Ms. Elliott Baxter and Ms. LeGris.

Both ordinances were approved by the Council.

Resolutions – Second Reading

11:48

Under Agenda Item VII, the Council took up several resolutions on second reading, including matters related to construction contracts and civil service appointments.

Key speakers during this portion of the meeting included Vice Mayor Wu and Ms. Higgins-Hord. The resolutions were presented and considered by the Council in accordance with the standard second-reading process.

All resolutions brought forward under this agenda item were approved.