Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council met on March 17, 2026, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chamber on the second floor of the Government Center, with Mayor Linda Gorton presiding. The meeting covered 13 agenda items spanning a range of administrative and legislative business, including budget amendments, mayoral appointments, donations, and procurements. Across the session, 8 votes were taken, with action items resulting in approvals across multiple categories including new business, budget amendments, and communications from the Mayor. No public comments were recorded during the meeting, either on agenda items or on issues not on the agenda.

Attendance

All 15 council members were present at the March 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 - Boone

Votes and Decisions

All eight votes taken at the March 17, 2026 Council meeting passed unanimously, with all 15 members present voting in favor on each item. No timestamps are available for the individual votes. The voting members on all items were: Wu, Brown, Ellinger II, Morton, Lynch, Eblen, Curtis, Sheehan, Higgins-Hord, Hale, Beasley, Baxter, Sevigny, Reynolds, and Boone.

• Approval of March 12, 2026 Council Meeting Docket — Motioned by Sevigny, seconded by Curtis. Passed unanimously, 15–0.

• Approval of March 3, 2026 Table of Motions — Motioned by Ellinger II, seconded by Curtis. Passed unanimously, 15–0.

• Approval of Budget Amendments — Motioned by Sheehan, seconded by Baxter. Passed unanimously, 15–0.

• Approval of New Business — Motioned by Baxter, seconded by Wu. Passed unanimously, 15–0.

• Approval of Communications from the Mayor – Appointments — Motioned by Wu, seconded by Curtis. Passed unanimously, 15–0.

• Approval of Communications from the Mayor – Donations — Motioned by Reynolds, seconded by Curtis. Passed unanimously, 15–0.

• Approval of Communications from the Mayor – Procurements — Motioned by Sevigny, seconded by Curtis. Passed unanimously, 15–0.

• Adjournment — Motioned by Curtis, seconded by Sevigny. Passed unanimously, 15–0.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council approved several contracts, agreements, and grant applications at the March 17, 2026 meeting, spanning consulting services, public outreach, facilities work, and transportation funding.

Contracts and Agreements

• Resolution 0192-26 authorized a renewal agreement with Stantec Consulting Services valued at $300,000.
• Resolution 0199-26 approved a $13,000 advertising contract with National CineMedia for a public-facing campaign.
• Resolution 0204-26 authorized Change Order #1 with Zerhusen Holten Commissioning for Air Leakage Testing services, adding $8,000 to that contract.
• Resolution 0210-26 approved an agreement with the University of Louisville Kent School of Social Work and Family Science. This item carries no budgetary impact.
• Resolution 0218-26 approved a Hiring and Training Expense Reimbursement Employment Contract with the Lexington Police Department, also with no budgetary impact.

Grant Applications and Federal Funding

• Resolution 0213-26 authorized applications to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for federal funds totaling $1,190,672.
• Resolution 0214-26 approved Amendment No. 1 to receive $83,828 in additional federal funds, also through the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

Combined, the two Kentucky Transportation Cabinet resolutions represent a total federal funding request of $1,274,500. The three contracts with direct expenditures — Stantec Consulting Services, National CineMedia, and Zerhusen Holten Commissioning — total $321,000.

Public Comment - Issues on Agenda

During this portion of the March 17, 2026 Council meeting, members of the public were invited to comment on items listed on the agenda.

No specific speakers, comments, or concerns are recorded in the available meeting data for this agenda item.

Requested Rezonings/ Docket Approval

No requested rezonings or docket approvals were presented at the March 17, 2026 Council meeting.

Approval of Summary

The Council considered and approved the summary of the previous meeting. No key speakers, debate, or concerns were recorded in connection with this item, and it was approved without noted discussion.

Budget Amendments

The Council took up a resolution on budget amendments during the March 17, 2026 meeting. The resolution was approved.

No additional details are available in the source materials regarding the specific content of the amendments, the amounts involved, the departments or programs affected, the speakers who presented or debated the item, or any concerns that were raised during discussion.

Budget Adjustments - For Information Only

Budget adjustments were presented to Council for information only at the March 17, 2026 meeting. No further details regarding the specific adjustments, amounts, or departments involved are available from the meeting record. No key speakers were identified in connection with this item, and no debate or concerns were recorded.

As an informational item, no vote or formal decision was required or taken by Council.

New Business

New business items were discussed and approved at the March 17, 2026 Council meeting. No additional details are available in the record regarding the specific items presented, the speakers who participated, or any debate or concerns that were raised during this portion of the meeting.

The outcome of the new business agenda item was approval.

*Note: Specific details about individual agenda items, speaker names, and discussion points were not captured in the available meeting data. Readers seeking more information are encouraged to consult the full meeting minutes or recording directly.*

Communications From the Mayor – Appointments

The Council considered appointments communicated by the Mayor during the March 17, 2026 meeting. The appointments were approved by the Council.

No additional details are available in the meeting record regarding the specific individuals appointed, the boards or bodies to which they were appointed, or any discussion or debate that took place on this item.

Communications From the Mayor – Donations

The Council considered donations communicated by the Mayor during the March 17, 2026 meeting. The item was brought forward as a resolution and was approved by the Council.

No additional details are available in the meeting record regarding the specific donors, donation amounts, recipient departments or programs, or any discussion or debate that took place prior to the vote. No key speakers are identified in connection with this item.

The resolution was approved.

Communications From the Mayor – Procurements

At the March 17, 2026 Council meeting, the Council took up procurements communicated by the Mayor for consideration and approval.

The structured record does not identify specific speakers, procurement contracts, vendors, dollar amounts, or debate on this item. No concerns or objections are noted in the available data.

The Council approved the Mayor's communicated procurements.

*Note: Specific contract details, vendor names, and discussion timestamps are not available in the source data for this item.*

Continuing Business/ Presentations

The Council meeting on 2026-03-17 included a segment on continuing business and presentations. No additional details are available in the source materials regarding the specific topics covered, speakers involved, or content of the presentations during this agenda item.

Council Reports

Council members provided reports on various topics during this portion of the March 17, 2026 meeting. No additional details regarding specific speakers, topics discussed, or concerns raised are available in the meeting record for this agenda item. The item was informational in nature, with no formal action taken or vote required.

Public Comment - Issues Not on Agenda

During the March 17, 2026 Council meeting, members of the public were invited to address the Council on issues not listed on the agenda. No specific speakers, topics, or concerns are recorded in the available meeting data for this portion of the session.

This segment of the meeting serves as an open forum for community members to raise matters outside of the formal agenda items before the Council.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned. No additional speakers or discussion were recorded for this agenda item.