Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council met on April 21, 2026, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chamber in Lexington, KY, with Mayor Linda Gorton presiding. The meeting covered 2 agenda items, both of which were informational in nature: a presentation on the Opioid Abatement Funds Spending Plan and a review of the Lexington & Fayette County Parking Authority's proposed FY27 budget. Over the course of the meeting, 2 motions or votes were taken and 1 public comment was heard. No final actions or approvals were recorded on the agenda items discussed.

Attendance

All 16 members of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council were present at the April 21, 2026 meeting. No members were absent or late.

Present: - Mayor Linda Gorton - Vice Mayor Wu - Council Member Brown - Council Member Ellinger II - Council Member Morton - Council Member Lynch - Council Member Eblen - Council Member Curtis - Council Member Sheehan - Council Member Higgins-Hord - Council Member Hale - Council Member Beasley - Council Member Baxter - Council Member Sevigny - Council Member Reynolds - Council Member Boone

Votes and Decisions

Two motions were brought before the Council during the April 21, 2026 meeting, both passing by voice vote.

• Community Grant Program Allocation 1:25:11: Council Member Lynch moved, and Vice Mayor Wu seconded, a motion to allocate $3 million to the tiered community grant program. The motion passed by voice vote. The allocation carried the condition that the $3 million must not come from the homelessness task force allocation.

• Homelessness Task Force Allocation 1:46:57: Council Member Curtis moved, and Council Member Morton seconded, a motion to allocate $2.2 million for the Homelessness Task Force recommendations. The motion passed by voice vote. The allocation was conditioned on pertaining to opioid abatement criteria.

Both votes were conducted as voice votes; no individual roll call tallies were recorded.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council considered two financial actions at the April 21, 2026 meeting, covering a professional services contract and an equipment lease renewal.

• Police Promotional Process Contract (L0284-26): The Council took up authorization to initiate a Statement of Work with I/O Solutions, Inc. in the amount of $81,000 to support the police promotional process. This contract covers the professional services associated with administering the promotional evaluation process for the police department.

• AED Lease Renewal (L0292-26): The Council also considered authorization to approve a three-year lease renewal agreement with CINTAS for Automated External Defibrillator (AED) equipment. The agreement carries an annual cost of $13,716.00, totaling approximately $41,148 over the full three-year term of the renewed contract.

Together, these two items represent procurement and service commitments tied to public safety operations — one supporting personnel advancement within the police department and the other ensuring continued access to emergency cardiac response equipment. No other financial items, appropriations, or budget amendments were included in the extracted data for this meeting.

Public Comment

During the public comment period of the April 21, 2026 Council meeting, one comment was recorded.

• Council Member Morton addressed the Council regarding the Opioid Abatement Fund allocation 59:14. Council Member Morton expressed the need for the city to respond to the opioid crisis and suggested that any remaining funds should be directed toward expanding city services.

Contested Items

• Allocation of Opioid Abatement Funds: Council members engaged in a heated discussion over how to distribute opioid abatement funds, with the central disagreement focusing on the balance between addressing immediate needs and ensuring long-term financial sustainability. Specifically, members held differing opinions on how much of the funds should be directed into an interest-bearing account. The discussion did not yield details on the specific individuals involved or the final outcome as recorded in the available data.

Opioid Abatement Funds Spending Plan

57:10

Commissioner Kacy Allen-Bryant presented Mayor Linda Gorton's recommendations for allocating opioid litigation settlement funds. The presentation outlined a proposed spending plan focused on two primary areas: establishing an interest-bearing account to hold the settlement funds, and directing resources toward housing and integrative services.

The item was informational in nature, meaning no vote or formal action was taken by the Council at this meeting. No additional details regarding the specific dollar amounts of the settlement funds, the timeline for disbursement, or the particular housing and integrative service programs to be supported were included in the available record of this agenda item.

Lexington & Fayette County Parking Authority FY27 Proposed Budget

2:20:32

Laura Boison, Executive Director of the Lexington & Fayette County Parking Authority, presented the agency's proposed FY27 budget to the Council. The presentation was informational in nature, with no vote or formal action taken.

Boison's presentation centered on the need for rate adjustments to sustain the Parking Authority's operations and address ongoing infrastructure challenges. The proposed budget highlighted the financial pressures facing the authority and outlined the rationale for adjusting parking rates as a mechanism to maintain operational stability and fund necessary infrastructure improvements.

No additional details regarding specific rate figures, capital projects, or budget totals were recorded in the available summary of this agenda item. The item concluded as an informational presentation with no formal outcome beyond Council's receipt of the budget proposal.