Budget and Finance and Economic Development Committee on 2025-10-21 1:00 PM

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government held a committee meeting on October 21, 2025, at 1:00 PM in the Council Chamber at 200 E. Main St, Lexington, KY 40507. The meeting covered six agenda items spanning administrative, financial, and legislative matters. Two votes were taken during the session, resulting in the approval of the September 16, 2025, Committee Summary and a decision on the FY25 Fund Balance following council discussion. No public comments were heard during the meeting.

The committee received several informational presentations, including an update on change orders, a FY26 Quarter 1 Financial Update, and a FY25 Fund Balance Presentation, as well as a review of items referred to committee. No presiding officer is identified in the available meeting record.

Votes and Decisions

The committee took two votes during the October 21, 2025 meeting, both decided by voice vote.

• Procedural Motion – Agenda Reordering 54:12: Councilmember Ellinger moved to shift the microtransit pilot program fund balance discussion to a later point in the meeting, after the relevant presentation. The motion passed by voice vote. No roll call was recorded, so individual member votes are not available.

• Approval of Fund Balance Proposals 1:43:06: Councilmember Morton moved to approve all fund balance proposals that had been presented during the meeting. The motion passed by voice vote. As with the procedural motion, no roll call was conducted, and individual member votes are not available.

Both motions passed without recorded opposition. No roll call votes were taken at this meeting, so a breakdown of individual ayes, nays, or abstentions is not available for either item.

Budget and Financial Actions

The committee reviewed a series of appropriations, purchases, and grants totaling approximately $2.395 million across multiple initiatives. No resolution identifiers or specific vendors were recorded in the meeting materials for these items.

Appropriations discussed include:

• $750,000 for a Council capital project fund
• $700,000 for implementation of street safety task force recommendations
• $110,000 for intersection improvements at Loudon Avenue and Bryan Avenue
• $20,000 for the Neighborhood Voices Project
• $50,000 for the Boys and Girls Club Lexington Chapter
• $50,000 for Black and Williams Community Center programming
• $100,000 for A Caring Place pilot program
• $55,000 for wayfinding sign removal

Purchase:

• $100,000 for Toughbooks (ruggedized laptops) for code enforcement staff

Grant:

• $460,000 in solar grants designated for low- to moderate-income homeowners

The largest single items were the Council capital project fund appropriation ($750,000) and the street safety task force funding ($700,000). Community-focused appropriations included support for the Boys and Girls Club Lexington Chapter and Black and Williams Community Center, each receiving $50,000, as well as $100,000 for the A Caring Place pilot program. No vendor or recipient organization names beyond those listed above were identified in the available meeting data, and no resolution numbers were recorded for any of the financial actions.

Approval of September 16, 2025, Committee Summary

Agenda Item 1014-25 3:30

The committee took up the approval of the summary from its September 16, 2025 meeting. No significant debate or concerns were recorded in connection with this item, and no specific speakers were noted in the record as having raised issues or offered commentary on the document's contents.

The summary was approved by the committee.

Change Orders

4:00

Agenda item 1015-25 covered change orders, which were presented to the Committee for informational purposes only. No action or vote was required on this item.

The change orders were discussed as a standing informational matter, and no key speakers were identified in connection with this agenda item. No specific concerns, debates, or notable discussion points were recorded in the available data.

The outcome of this agenda item was informational, meaning the Committee received the change order details for awareness without taking any formal action.

FY26 Quarter 1 Financial Update

4:33

Agenda Item 1016-25 | Presentation | Informational

Commissioner Hensley presented the FY26 Quarter 1 Financial Update to the Committee, providing an overview of the county's revenues and expenditures for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026. Additional speakers also contributed to the presentation.

The item was informational in nature, meaning no vote or formal action was taken by the Committee. No further details regarding specific revenue figures, expenditure amounts, variances from projections, or concerns raised during the discussion are available in the provided record.

FY25 Fund Balance Presentation

1:34:28

Commissioner Hensley presented the FY25 Fund Balance to the Committee, providing an overview of allocations and unassigned funds for the fiscal year.

The presentation was informational in nature, with Commissioner Hensley walking members through the details of how fund balances were distributed and what remained unassigned. No further specifics regarding the individual allocation amounts, fund categories, or unassigned fund totals were provided in the available record.

• Agenda Item: 1017-25
• Presenter: Commissioner Hensley
• Outcome: Informational — no vote or action was taken

The item concluded without a formal decision, serving as a briefing for Committee members on the current state of the FY25 fund balance.

FY25 Fund Balance Council Discussion

1:48:06

The committee took up agenda item 1018-25, a discussion on the allocation of the FY25 fund balance. Councilmember Morton and Councilmember Lynch were the key participants in the debate over how the fund balance should be distributed.

Council members presented and debated various proposals for how the FY25 fund balance should be allocated. The item was brought forward as a discussion, allowing members to weigh competing priorities and approaches before reaching a decision.

The item was ultimately approved by the committee.

*Note: Specific dollar amounts, individual proposals, and the details of any concerns raised during this discussion are not available in the source data provided.*

Items Referred to Committee

The committee reviewed items that had been referred to them for further discussion during the October 21, 2025 meeting (Item 1019-25). This agenda item was informational in nature.

No additional details are available in the record regarding the specific items discussed, speakers who contributed, or concerns that were raised during this portion of the meeting.