Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council held a meeting on February 17, 2026, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chamber in Lexington, KY, presided over by Mayor Linda Gorton. The meeting included 5 agenda items covering a range of procedural and substantive matters, including the approval of the February 10th work session table of motions, new business, a postponement of one new business item, and an informational report from the Social Services and Public Safety Committee. A total of 2 votes were taken during the meeting, with all action items receiving approval. No public comments were heard, and no presentations were recorded during the session.

Attendance

All 15 council members were present at the February 17, 2026 meeting. No members were recorded as absent or late.

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

Votes and Decisions

Two motions were brought before the Council during the February 17, 2026 meeting, both passing by voice vote.

• Approval of the February 10th Work Session Table of Motions 0:02: Ellinger moved and Baxter seconded a motion to approve the table of motions from the February 10th work session. The motion passed by voice vote. No individual roll call tallies were recorded.

• Postponement of New Business Item A 0:47: Wu moved and Curtis seconded a motion to postpone Item A from new business to the February 24th work session. The motion passed by voice vote. No individual roll call tallies were recorded.

Both votes were conducted as voice votes, so no individual ayes, nays, or abstentions were recorded for either motion.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council considered seven financial items at the February 17, 2026 meeting, ranging from grant applications to a major equipment purchase.

• Resolution 0098-26 authorizes execution of a Ground Lease with Social Impact Solar LLC valued at $30,345 for a solar photovoltaic project.

• Resolution 0105-26 authorizes change order #3 with Gresham Smith in the amount of $7,626.72 for the Kelley's Landing Phase 0 Project.

• Resolution 0107-26 authorizes the procurement of dumpster units from Wastequip Manufacturing Company LLC at a cost of $33,845.66.

• Resolution 0109-26 authorizes a purchase agreement with Atlantic Emergency Solutions, Inc. for $1,960,731.00, representing the largest single expenditure on the agenda.

• Resolution 0118-26 authorizes a first amendment to the existing agreement with Arbor Youth Services, Inc. in the amount of $23,994.

• Resolution 0119-26 authorizes submission of a grant application to the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection for up to $110,000 to fund a household hazardous waste collection event.

• Resolution 0123-26 authorizes acceptance of $990,202 in additional federal funding through the Kentucky Cleaner Water Round 2 Grant for the East Hickman Pump Station Expansion project.

In total, the Council acted on approximately $3.16 million in financial commitments and potential revenues, with the Atlantic Emergency Solutions purchase agreement and the Kentucky Cleaner Water grant acceptance accounting for the majority of that figure.

Contested Items

• Solar Project at Haley Pike — Council members engaged in heated discussion over the terms of a lease and community benefits agreement for a proposed solar project at Haley Pike. The disagreement centered on the financial terms of the arrangement and the scope of community benefits associated with the project. The extracted data does not specify which individual council members were involved in the dispute, nor does it record a final outcome or vote on the matter.

Public Comment - Issues on Agenda

2:00

No public comments were made on issues on the agenda during this portion of the Council meeting.

Approval of February 10th Work Session Table of Motions

2:30

The Council took up the approval of the table of motions from the February 10th work session. Ellinger and Baxter were the key speakers on this item. The Council approved the table of motions without noted opposition.

New Business

3:01

The Council took up several new business items during this portion of the meeting, with discussion centered on a solar project at Haley Pike.

Key speakers during this portion of the meeting included Reynolds, Baxter, and Ellinger. The available record indicates the Council engaged in discussion regarding the Haley Pike solar project, though the specific details of what was presented, any concerns raised, and the full scope of debate are not captured in the available record.

The new business items were ultimately approved by the Council.

*Note: Additional details about the specific terms of the approval, individual positions taken by Council members, and the full range of new business items discussed are not available in the provided record.*

Postponement of Item A in New Business

47:21

The Council took up a resolution to postpone Item A under New Business to the February 24th work session. Key speakers on this item were Wu and Curtis. The resolution was approved.

Social Services and Public Safety Committee Report

48:21

Council Member Reynolds presented the report from the Social Services and Public Safety Committee, summarizing the proceedings of the committee's January 13th meeting.

The report covered two primary areas of discussion:

• Carbon monoxide detection requirements — The committee received updates related to carbon monoxide detection standards or regulations, though specific details of any proposed changes or actions were not elaborated upon in the presentation.
• Street outreach — The committee also received updates on street outreach efforts, reflecting the committee's ongoing attention to public safety and social services initiatives in the community.

The presentation was informational in nature, and no votes or formal actions were taken by the full Council in response to the report.