Urban County Council Meeting

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Council met on January 8, 2009, at 7:00 P.M. in Lexington, Kentucky, with Mayor Jim Newberry presiding. The meeting covered four agenda items, including the approval of minutes, second readings of ordinances, first readings of resolutions, and a public comments period. Over the course of the meeting, the Council took 6 votes and heard from 3 public commenters. The ordinances on second reading were approved, and the resolutions on first reading were advanced through the legislative process.

Attendance

The following members were present at the January 8, 2009 Council meeting:

• Mayor Jim Newberry
• Beard
• Blues
• Ellinger
• Feigel
• Gorton
• Gray
• Henson
• James
• Lane
• Lawless
• McChord
• Myers
• Stinnett

Absent: Crosbie

No members were recorded as late. A total of 14 members, including Mayor Jim Newberry, were in attendance.

Votes and Decisions

• Approval of Minutes 2:11: Ms. Gorton moved, seconded by Mr. Ellinger, to approve the minutes from previous meetings. The motion passed unanimously 13–0 on a roll call vote, with all members voting in favor: Beard, Blues, Ellinger, Feigel, Gorton, Gray, Henson, James, Lane, Lawless, McChord, Myers, and Stinnett.

• Removal of Item from Docket 3:13: Mr. Ellinger moved, seconded by Mr. Lane, to remove item number one under second reading of ordinances from the docket. The motion passed by voice vote.

• Approval of Two Ordinances Regarding Grants and Donations 4:18: Ms. James moved, seconded by Mr. McChord, to approve two ordinances regarding grants and donations. The motion passed unanimously 13–0 on a roll call vote, with all members voting in favor: Beard, Blues, Ellinger, Feigel, Gorton, Gray, Henson, James, Lane, Lawless, McChord, Myers, and Stinnett.

• Motion to Suspend Rules for Item 12 9:31: Councilmember Blues moved, seconded by Councilmember Lane, to suspend the rules to give a second reading to item number 12. The motion failed and was ruled out of order due to the schedule number.

• Motion to Suspend Rules for Items 19, 20, 29, and 30 21:43: Councilmember Myers moved, seconded by Councilmember Gorton, to suspend the rules to give a second reading to items 19, 20, 29, and 30. The motion passed by voice vote.

• Approval of Resolutions 19, 20, 29, and 30 25:30: Councilmember Stennett moved, seconded by Councilmember McChord, to approve resolutions 19, 20, 29, and 30. The motion passed 12–0 with one abstention on a roll call vote. Voting in favor were: Beard, Blues, Ellinger, Feigel, Gorton, Gray, Henson, James, Lawless, McChord, Myers, and Stinnett. Mr. Lane recused himself on item 29.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council addressed three financial items at the January 8, 2009 meeting, covering a federal grant, a private donation, and an equipment purchase.

• Bulletproof Vest Grant: The Council accepted a grant of $7,818.32 from the U.S. Department of Justice to fund bulletproof vests for the Division of Police and the Office of the Fayette County Sheriff. This federal funding supports officer safety equipment for both agencies.

• State Farm Insurance Donation: The Council accepted a donation of $500.00 from State Farm Insurance Companies. The funds are designated for community events involving child safety.

• Digital Colposcope Purchase: The Council approved a bid award of $21,600.00 to Cooper Surgical, Inc. for a Digital Colposcope Secure Image Documentation System. No resolution number was recorded in the available data for this purchase.

No resolution identifiers were available in the source data for any of the three items listed above.

Public Comment

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

Mr. Louis Cobb 33:56 opened by expressing gratitude for the people in his life and spoke to the value of community involvement. He outlined plans to raise money for local projects, emphasizing his commitment to contributing to the community.

Mr. Bernard McCarthy 37:12 raised economic concerns, specifically suggesting that the city draw on its rainy day fund as an alternative to laying off employees. He also addressed transportation issues, stressing the importance of accommodating multiple modes of transportation within the city.

Mr. Eric Patrick Marr 39:31 advocated for extending the allotted time for public comment, arguing that greater citizen engagement is directly linked to economic growth. He presented research to support his position, making the case that allowing residents more time to participate in Council proceedings has broader positive effects on the local economy.

Appointments

The Council approved appointments to several advisory boards and commissions during the January 8, 2009 meeting. The following individuals were appointed or reappointed:

• Clarence H. Thomas was appointed to the Address Enforcement Hearing Board.
• Karen J. Ekstrom and Jeffrey S. Collins were both appointed to the Alarm Advisory Board.
• Peggy Henson and Tammie K. Geis were appointed to the Commission for Citizens with Disabilities. Margaret N. Steinman was reappointed to the same commission.
• William Brooks was appointed to the Emergency Medical Advisory Board.
• Scott Brown and Tom Wilson were both appointed to the Exaction Appeals Board.
• Ed Lane was appointed to the Internal Audit Board.
• Marilyn F. Machara was appointed to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.
• Michael Jordan was appointed to the Special Events Commission.

In total, the Council took action on twelve appointments across eight separate boards and commissions, with eleven individuals newly appointed and one — Margaret N. Steinman — reappointed to her position on the Commission for Citizens with Disabilities.

Contested Items

Public Comment Time Limit

A procedural dispute arose during the meeting regarding the amount of time allotted for public comment. Council members debated whether the applicable limit was three minutes or five minutes, with discussion referencing existing council rules and established practices. The transcript does not indicate a definitive resolution to this disagreement, but the exchange reflected differing interpretations of the council's own procedural guidelines. [timestamp: not specified]

Lexington-Fayette Urban County Airport Board

A resolution concerning the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Airport Board generated notable contention among council members. The resolution called for the Airport Board Chairman to resign and for the board to suspend its activities until an audit had been completed. The item prompted a recusal by Mr. Lane, who removed himself from the discussion and vote, presumably due to a conflict of interest. Other council members requested additional information before proceeding, suggesting that at least some members were not prepared to act on the resolution without further review. The combination of the recusal and the calls for more information indicate that the resolution did not move forward without friction, though the structured data does not specify the final vote tally or outcome of the resolution. [timestamp: not specified]

Approval of Minutes

2:11

The Council took up the approval of minutes from several previous meetings. The minutes under consideration covered the following meeting dates:

• June 10, 2008
• June 12, 2008
• June 24, 2008
• June 26, 2008
• July 3, 2008

Ms. Gorton and Mr. Ellinger were the key speakers during this agenda item. The Council reviewed the minutes from these five prior meetings and moved forward with their approval.

The minutes were approved.

Ordinances Second Reading

4:18

The Council took up two ordinances on second reading, both related to grants and donations. Key speakers during this portion of the meeting included Ms. James and Mr. McChord.

The two ordinances addressed the following subjects:

• Bulletproof vests — An ordinance related to grant funding for the acquisition of bulletproof vests.
• Community events — An ordinance related to donations supporting community events.

Both ordinances were approved by the Council.

Resolutions First Reading

10:05

The council took up several resolutions on first reading, covering the establishment of price contracts and the acceptance of bids for various services and equipment. Mr. Myers was the key speaker presenting this agenda item.

The resolutions were given first reading by the council, moving them forward in the approval process. No additional details regarding specific contract values, vendors, or the nature of the individual services and equipment involved were recorded in the available meeting data.

The outcome of this agenda item was the completion of first reading for the resolutions presented.

Public Comments

33:56

During the public comments portion of the meeting, three members of the public addressed the Council on a range of topics.

• Mr. Louis Cobb spoke before the Council, with his remarks touching on themes of gratitude.

• Mr. Bernard McCarthy addressed the Council on matters related to economic concerns.

• Mr. Eric Patrick Marr also addressed the Council, with his comments focused on public engagement.

This agenda item was informational in nature, and no formal action was taken as a result of the public comments.