Urban County Council

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council met on October 9, 2025, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers in Lexington, KY, with Mayor Gorton presiding. The meeting covered 3 agenda items, all of which were approved. Business included two presentations — a Karrington True Day recognition and a Junior Fire Chief Presentation — as well as consideration of an ordinance amending budgets for FY 2026 Schedule No. 10. The Council took 3 votes over the course of the meeting and heard 1 public comment.

Attendance

Present (14 members): Higgins-Hord, LeGris, Lynch, Morton, Reynolds, Sevigny, Sheehan, Beasley, Boone, Brown, Curtis, Ellinger, Elliott Baxter, and Hale.

Absent (1 member): Vice Mayor Wu.

Late: None.

Votes and Decisions

Three items came to a vote at the October 9, 2025 Council meeting, all of which passed.

• Ordinance 0911-25 — An ordinance amending certain budgets of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government to reflect current requirements for municipal expenditures, and appropriating and re-appropriating funds (FY 2026 Schedule No. 10). Motioned by Mr. Ellinger and seconded by Ms. Reynolds, the ordinance passed 14–0 on a roll call vote. All 14 members voted in favor: Higgins-Hord, LeGris, Lynch, Morton, Reynolds, Sevigny, Sheehan, Beasley, Boone, Brown, Curtis, Ellinger, Elliott Baxter, and Hale. 24:15

• Resolution 0888-25 — A resolution ratifying the Permanent Classified Civil Service Appointments. Motioned by Ms. Reynolds and seconded by Ms. Curtis, the resolution passed 13–0 on a roll call vote, with one abstention. The following 13 members voted in favor: Higgins-Hord, LeGris, Morton, Reynolds, Sevigny, Sheehan, Beasley, Boone, Brown, Curtis, Ellinger, Elliott Baxter, and Hale. Lynch was recorded as abstaining. 34:57

• Resolution 0929-25 — A resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute a ten-year Forgivable Incentive Agreement with Marrillia Interests, LLC. Motioned by Ms. Reynolds and seconded by Mr. Ellinger, the resolution passed unanimously, 14–0. 52:05

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council considered three financial items at the October 9, 2025 meeting, covering transportation, animal control, and public safety funding.

• Resolution 0690-25 authorized a contract with Fayette County Public Schools valued at $92,521.44 for transportation services with the Family Care Center for the 2025–2026 school year.

• Resolution 0845-25 approved a contract with Lexington-Fayette Animal Care and Control, LLC in the amount of $2,350,000 for animal control services.

• Resolution 0848-25 accepted $179,625 in grant funds from the U.S. Department of Justice to support training and equipment for the Division of Police.

Combined, these three items represent approximately $2.6 million in authorized expenditures and incoming grant revenue. The largest single item was the animal control services contract, which accounted for the majority of the total. The U.S. Department of Justice grant provides outside funding to support law enforcement capacity without drawing on local appropriations.

Public Comment

One member of the public addressed the Council during the public comment period at the October 9, 2025 meeting.

• Brittanie Price spoke about her academic work at the University of Kentucky and described a recent field trip organized through one of her classes. 20:55 Price shared details of a class-sponsored visit to Robeson Forest, where she and her fellow students received instruction on environmental sustainability topics.

No additional public comments were recorded for this meeting.

Contested Items

• Officer John McFall's Discipline: The council was divided over the appropriate disciplinary action for Officer John McFall, who had accessed body-worn camera footage without authorization. The disagreement resulted in a tie vote, causing the motion to fail. No further details were provided in the available data regarding the specific disciplinary measure proposed or the breakdown of individual council members' votes.

Karrington True Day

8:46

Under agenda item 0972-25, Mayor Gorton formally declared October 9, 2025, as Karrington True Day in Lexington. The proclamation recognized Karrington True's achievements and contributions to the community.

Mayor Gorton and Karrington True were the key speakers during this portion of the meeting. The proclamation was approved by the Council.

Junior Fire Chief Presentation

Agenda Item 0973-25 13:54

Mayor Gorton officially declared October 9, 2025, as Junior Fire Chief Jillian Sensabaugh Day in Lexington during this proclamation segment of the Council meeting.

The declaration honored Jillian Sensabaugh for winning the Junior Fire Chief title, an achievement earned through her essay on fire safety. Key participants in the presentation included Mayor Gorton, who issued the proclamation, Jillian Sensabaugh herself, and Chief Wells.

The item was approved by the Council.

Ordinance amending budgets for FY 2026 Schedule No. 10

Agenda Item: 0911-25 24:15

The Council took up Ordinance 0911-25, an ordinance to amend the budgets of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government to reflect current requirements for municipal expenditures for Fiscal Year 2026, designated as Schedule No. 10.

Mr. Ellinger and Ms. Reynolds were the key speakers on this item. The ordinance was presented as a budget amendment measure intended to align the government's financial appropriations with current operational needs for the fiscal year.

The item was approved by the Council.

> *Note: The available structured data for this agenda item does not include details on the specific budget figures amended, the departments or funds affected, the nature of any debate or concerns raised, or the vote count. For a full account of the discussion, viewers are encouraged to consult the meeting video beginning at timestamp 24:15.*