Urban County Council Work Session

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council convened on February 3, 2009, with Vice Mayor Gray presiding over the session. The meeting included three agenda items, covering a mix of action items and informational presentations. The Council took 3 votes during the session and heard 1 public comment. Business conducted included the approval of authorization for change orders and agreements, as well as two informational presentations — one on Raven Run and one providing an update on a KU power outage.

Attendance

The February 3, 2009 Council meeting was called to order with 13 members present and 3 members absent. No members arrived late.

Present (13): - Vice Mayor Gray - CM Ellinger - CM Gorton - CM Blues - CM Stinnett - CM McChord - CM Feigel - CM Beard - CM Henson - CM Crosby - CM Lane - CM Lawless - CM Taylor

Absent (3): - CM James - CM Martin - CM Myers

Votes and Decisions

Three votes were taken during the February 3, 2009 Council meeting.

• Approval of the January 27, 2009 Summary: CM Ellinger moved and CM Gorton seconded a motion to approve the summary of the January 27, 2009 meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

• Adjournment of Work Session: CM Ellinger moved and CM Gorton seconded a motion to adjourn the work session. The motion passed unanimously.

• Request for Open Records from the Airport Board: VM Gray moved and CM Gorton seconded a motion to request open records from the airport board. The motion passed on a roll call vote of 7 ayes to 5 nays.
• Voting in favor (7): VM Gray, CM Gorton, CM Crosby, CM Stinnett, CM McChord, CM Feigel, and CM Beard.
• Voting against (5): CM Lane, CM Blues, CM Lawless, CM Taylor, and CM Henson.

Budget and Financial Actions

During the February 3, 2009 Council meeting, one financial item was addressed involving a grant allocation for a local nature and recreation facility.

• Raven Run Tourist and Visitor Center – $500,000 Grant to Friends of Raven Run: The Council considered a grant of $500,000 directed to Friends of Raven Run in connection with funding for the Raven Run Tourist and Visitor Center. No resolution number was associated with this item in the meeting record.

No additional budget amendments, appropriations, or financial resolutions were recorded for this meeting session.

Public Comment

One member of the public addressed the Council during the public comment period. 12:49

• Mr. Murphy, representing Lamar Advertising, spoke regarding concerns about the advertising zone around Newtown Pike. Mr. Murphy requested that Lamar Advertising be included in any future discussions related to advertising regulations in that area.

No additional public comments were recorded during this portion of the meeting.

Contested Items

• Open Records Request for Airport Board Documents [timestamp: N/A]

The council was divided over a motion to request documents from the airport board — specifically, the same documents that had already been provided to the Lexington Herald-Leader through an open records request. The vote was close, passing 7-5, reflecting significant disagreement among council members about whether to pursue the request. The narrow margin indicates that a substantial minority of the council opposed the measure, though the available record does not detail the specific arguments made on either side. Ultimately, the majority prevailed, and the council moved forward with requesting the airport board documents.

Authorization of Change Orders and Agreements

The Council took up a resolution authorizing various change orders for construction projects and agreements related to the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The item was ultimately approved.

Discussion involved a number of Council members and staff, including Hancock, Cole, Ebel, Kelly, Dhuwaraha, Askew, Rayan, Webb, P. KingWebb, Martin, Taylor, and Bush. The breadth of participation suggests the item drew notable interest from the Council, likely reflecting both the scope of the construction-related change orders and the significance of the World Equestrian Games agreements to the community.

The resolution bundled together authorizations for change orders — modifications to existing construction contracts — alongside agreements connected to the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, an international equestrian competition that represented a major event for the area. No additional detail on the specific dollar amounts, contract parties, or the precise nature of each change order or agreement is available in the record for this item.

The Council approved the resolution. No specific dissenting votes or unresolved concerns are reflected in the available record.

Raven Run Presentation

16:35

Representatives from Friends of Raven Run appeared before the Council to present a $500,000 check to Parks Director Jerry Hancock for the Raven Run Tourist and Visitor Center. Lucy Van Meter was among the key speakers during the presentation.

This item was informational in nature, with no vote or formal action required from the Council.

KU Power Outage Update

38:27

David Freiberg from Kentucky Utilities appeared before the Council to provide an update on power restoration efforts following a severe ice storm.

Freiberg's presentation was informational in nature, offering the Council an overview of where restoration work stood in the wake of the storm's impact on the service area. No vote or formal action was taken as a result of the presentation.

*Note: The available data for this agenda item is limited to the summary above. For full details on the specific restoration timelines, customer outage numbers, crew deployment figures, or any questions raised by Council members, viewers are encouraged to consult the meeting video beginning at timestamp 38:27.*