Urban County Council Meeting

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Council met on December 4, 2008, at 7:00 PM in Lexington, Kentucky, with Mayor Jim Newberry presiding. The meeting covered 3 agenda items, all of which were approved, including a closed session for real property acquisition, the Phoenix Park/Courthouse Development Area Ordinance, and the Lexington Distillery District Development Area Ordinance. Over the course of the meeting, the Council took 5 votes and heard 3 public comments.

Attendance

All 16 council members were present at the March 12, 2026 meeting. No members were recorded as absent or late.

Present: - Jim Newberry - Gray - Henson - James - Lane - McChord - Myers - Stevens - Stinnett - Beard - Blevins - Blues - Crosbie - DeCamp - Ellinger - Gorton

Votes and Decisions

The Council took five formal votes during the March 12, 2026 meeting.

• Closed Session (Real Property Acquisition): Motioned by Mr. Blues, seconded by Mr. Beard, the Council voted unanimously (15–0) to enter closed session to discuss real property acquisition. All 15 members voted in favor: Gray, Henson, James, Lane, McChord, Myers, Stevens, Stinnett, Beard, Blevins, Blues, Crosbie, DeCamp, Ellinger, and Gorton. 1:41

• Return to Open Session: Motioned by Mr. McChord, seconded by Mr. Blevins, the Council voted unanimously (15–0) to return to open session. All 15 members voted in favor. 26:37

• Approval of Council Meeting Minutes (May 22, 2008): Motioned by Ms. Gorton, seconded by Mr. Blues, the minutes were approved unanimously (15–0). All 15 members voted in favor. 27:10

• Ordinance Establishing Phoenix Park/Courthouse Development Area: Motioned by Mr. Stinnett, seconded by Mr. McChord, the ordinance passed 10–5 on a roll call vote. Voting in favor: Henson, Lane, McChord, Myers, Stevens, Stinnett, Beard, Crosbie, DeCamp, and Ellinger. Voting against: Gray, James, Blevins, Blues, and Gorton. 33:23

• Ordinance Establishing Lexington Distillery District Development Area: Motioned by Mr. Stinnett, seconded by Mr. McChord, the ordinance passed 14–0 on a roll call vote, with one abstention. Voting in favor: Gray, Henson, James, McChord, Myers, Stevens, Stinnett, Beard, Blevins, Blues, Crosbie, DeCamp, Ellinger, and Gorton. Mr. Lane recused himself and did not vote. 34:29

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council approved several financial actions at the March 12, 2026 meeting, covering purchases, contracts, and a grant across multiple city departments.

• Dump Truck Purchase: The Council authorized the purchase of a dump truck equipped with snow removal equipment from Countryside Motors for $109,796.

• Fire Alarm Testing and Inspection Contract: A contract was approved with Siemens Building Technologies, Inc. in the amount of $23,371 for fire alarm testing and inspection services.

• Wastewater Treatment Plant Contract: The Council approved a contract with Arnold, Dugan & Meyers for $25,930 to cover Phase 2 of the West Hickman Wastewater Treatment Plant Screw Pump Replacement project.

• Anti-Gang Juvenile Program Contract: A contract totaling $17,000 was approved with the Board of Education of Fayette County, Ky. to support an Anti-Gang Juvenile Program at Martin Luther King Jr. Academy for Excellence.

• Fire Division Health and Wellness Equipment Grant: The Council accepted a grant of $5,309 from the Commission on Fire Protection, Personnel, Standards, and Education to fund health and wellness equipment for the Division of Fire and Emergency Services.

No resolution numbers were available in the meeting record for these items.

Public Comment

Three members of the public addressed the Council during the public comment period.

• Kevin Williams 1:22:57 expressed gratitude to the Council for its support of firefighters.

• Mr. McCarthy 1:23:34 voiced opposition to the closing of a public road and offered a suggestion regarding the use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) bonds. He argued that TIF bond funds should be directed toward road widening rather than what he characterized as frills.

• Mr. Cobb 1:26:19 spoke about his shoe shining business and expressed interest in having more opportunities to provide his services during Council meetings.

Contested Items

• Phoenix Park/Courthouse Development Area Ordinance — This ordinance was the sole contested item at the March 12, 2026 Council meeting, passing on a split vote of 10–5. The divided outcome indicates that five council members were opposed to the measure, though the specific points of disagreement and the identities of those voting for or against are not detailed in the available record. The ordinance ultimately passed with the support of ten council members.

Closed session for real property acquisition

1:41

The Council convened a closed session to discuss the possible acquisition of real property. The stated basis for moving into closed session was that public disclosure of the deliberations could affect the value of the property under consideration — a standard legal justification for excluding the public from real estate acquisition discussions.

Mr. Blues and Mr. Beard were the key speakers involved in this agenda item. The motion to enter closed session was approved.

No additional details regarding the specific property, its location, purchase price, or other terms are reflected in the available record from the open portion of the meeting, as those discussions took place outside of public view.

Phoenix Park/Courthouse Development Area Ordinance

33:23

The Council took up an ordinance to establish a development area for economic purposes in downtown Lexington, to be known as the Phoenix Park/Courthouse Development Area.

Mr. Stinnett and Mr. McChord were the key speakers on this item. The ordinance was presented as a measure to formally designate the Phoenix Park/Courthouse area as a development area, a step typically used to facilitate economic development activity in a defined geographic zone of downtown.

The ordinance was approved by the Council.

*Note: The available data does not include detailed information on the specific arguments made, concerns raised, or the vote count for this item. Readers seeking the full discussion are encouraged to view the meeting video beginning at timestamp 33:23.*

Lexington Distillery District Development Area Ordinance

34:29

The Council considered an ordinance to establish the Lexington Distillery District Development Area, a designated development area created for economic purposes in downtown Lexington.

Mr. Stinnett and Mr. McChord were the key speakers on this agenda item. The ordinance formally establishes the development area framework, which is intended to support economic development activity within the defined district in the downtown area.

The Council approved the ordinance.

*Note: The available data does not include detailed information about the specific provisions debated, concerns raised, or the full scope of discussion during this agenda item. Readers seeking additional detail are encouraged to review the meeting video beginning at timestamp 34:29.*