Committee of the Whole (COW) - Budget

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government held a committee meeting on May 26, 2026, beginning at 10:00 AM at the Council Chamber, 200 E. Main St, Lexington, KY 40507. The meeting covered five agenda items, all of which were informational in nature, focusing primarily on budget and financial matters including a monthly financial update for April FY2026 and presentations related to FY2027 budget recommendations. No presiding officer was recorded for this meeting, and no public comments were heard. A total of 6 motions and votes were taken over the course of the meeting, with presentations spanning topics such as the Link and Council Member Recommendation Summary, FY2027 Link Report Out Presentations, and individual FY2027 Council Member budget recommendations, as well as Mayor's Late Items.

Attendance

The following 11 members were present at the Committee meeting on May 26, 2026:

• Council member Elliot-Baxter
• Council member Ellinger
• Council member Sevigny
• Council member Sheehan
• Council member Morton
• Council member Reynolds
• Council member Curtis
• Council member Lynch
• Council member Beasley
• Council member Brown
• Vice Mayor Wu

No members were recorded as absent or late.

Votes and Decisions

The committee took six votes during the May 26, 2026 meeting, all decided by voice vote. All six motions passed.

• Include late items and mayor's proposed FY27 budget: Council member Ellinger moved, and Vice Mayor Wu seconded, to include the late items presented on pages 17–23 of the meeting packet and the mayor's proposed budget for fiscal year 2027. The motion passed by voice vote. 32:27

• Amend FY27 budget — Environmental Quality and Public Works: Council member Sevigny moved to amend the mayor's proposed FY27 budget to include the requests for the Environmental Quality and Public Works links. The motion passed by voice vote.

• Amend FY27 budget — General Government and Services: Council member Sheehan moved to amend the mayor's proposed FY27 budget to include the requests of the General Government and Services link. The motion passed by voice vote.

• Amend FY27 budget — Social Services and Public Safety: Council member Baxter moved to amend the mayor's proposed FY27 budget to include the requests of the Social Services and Public Safety link. The motion passed by voice vote.

• Amend FY27 budget — Council Request Labels 7 and 8: Council member Reynolds moved to amend the mayor's proposed FY27 budget to include council request labels 7 and 8. The motion passed by voice vote.

• Amend FY27 budget — Council Request Label 9: Council member Sheehan moved to amend the mayor's proposed FY27 budget to include council request label 9. The motion passed by voice vote.

All six motions were decided by voice vote; no individual roll call tallies were recorded. Timestamps were not available for the five budget amendment votes beyond the first motion.

Budget and Financial Actions

The committee addressed two appropriations during the May 26, 2026 meeting, covering building security and digital accessibility initiatives.

• Building Security Equipment and Personnel ($135,098): The committee considered an appropriation of $135,098 designated for building security equipment and personnel. No vendor, recipient, or resolution identifier was specified in the available meeting materials.

• Digital Accessibility Plan Implementation ($50,000): A second appropriation of $50,000 was taken up for the implementation of a digital accessibility plan. As with the security appropriation, no vendor, recipient, or resolution number was identified in the available materials.

Combined, the two appropriations total $185,098. No additional financial items, transfers, or budget amendments were recorded for this meeting.

Monthly Financial Update - April FY2026

Agenda Item 0437-26 | 6:22

Commissioner Hensley and directors presented the monthly financial update covering activity through April of Fiscal Year 2026. Director Holbrook and Director Lueker also contributed to the presentation.

The key finding of the update was a surplus of $17 million, attributed to two primary factors:

• Revenue performance exceeding projections
• Underspending across departmental budgets

The item was informational in nature, and no vote or formal action was taken by the Committee as a result of the presentation.

Mayor's Late Items

21:44

Director Carey presented the Mayor's Late Items (Agenda Item 0438-26), which addressed a set of additions and corrections to the mayor's proposed budget submitted after the original filing deadline.

Director Carey explained that the late items fell into two categories:

• State legislation-driven changes: Adjustments required as a result of new or updated state legislation that necessitated modifications to the proposed budget after its initial submission.
• Clerical adjustments: Corrections to address administrative or technical errors identified in the original budget documents.

No debate or significant concerns were raised during the presentation. The item was informational in nature, and no vote or formal action was taken by the Committee.

Link and Council Member Recommendation Summary

Agenda item 0439-26 consisted of a presentation in which council members shared their individual link recommendations and personal budget requests for the committee's consideration.

Three council members took part in the presentation: Council Member Sevigny, Council Member Sheehan, and Council Member Baxter. Each presented their respective recommendations and requests as part of the budget process.

The item was informational in nature, meaning no vote or formal action was taken as a result of the presentation. The recommendations and requests put forward by the council members were received by the committee for consideration as the budget process moves forward.

*No transcript timestamp was available for this agenda item.*

FY2027 Link Report Out Presentations

Agenda Item 0440-26 33:32

Council members presented their FY2027 Link Report Out findings during this portion of the meeting, offering budget recommendations and proposed amendments as part of the annual budget process.

The following council members delivered presentations:

• Council Member Ellinger
• Council Member Sevigny
• Council Member Sheehan

Each council member outlined their respective recommendations related to the FY2027 budget, with presentations focused on proposed amendments stemming from their link assignments. The Link Report Out process is a mechanism through which individual council members review specific departments or budget areas and report findings and recommendations back to the full committee.

The item was informational in nature, and no votes or formal actions were taken as a result of the presentations. The discussion served to inform the broader committee of each council member's budget priorities and proposed changes heading into the FY2027 budget deliberations.

FY2027 Individual Council Member Recommendations

2:06:08

During this agenda item, individual council members presented their specific budget requests and recommendations for the FY2027 budget cycle.

Key Speakers: - Council Member Baxter - Council Member Morton

Council Member Baxter and Council Member Morton each brought forward their respective budget recommendations for consideration. This portion of the meeting provided an opportunity for individual council members to formally present priorities and requests they wished to see reflected in the FY2027 budget.

The item was informational in nature, meaning no formal vote or binding action was taken as a result of the presentations. The recommendations presented are intended to inform the broader budget deliberation process as it moves forward.

*Note: The available data for this agenda item does not include the specific details, figures, or subject matter of each council member's individual recommendations. For the full content of each presentation, viewers are encouraged to consult the meeting video beginning at timestamp 2:06:08.*