Urban County Council Meeting

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Council convened on April 23, 2009, at 7:00 P.M., with Mayor Jim Newberry presiding. The meeting covered four agenda items, beginning with an invocation before moving into the substantive business of the session. The Council approved three items in total: a resolution honoring Virginia Bell, a set of ordinances given their second reading, and a resolution ratifying the Department of Law's execution of a Settlement Agreement. Over the course of the meeting, three votes were taken, one public comment was heard, and one presentation was made in the form of the resolution honoring Virginia Bell.

Attendance

All members were present at the April 23, 2009 Council meeting. No members were recorded as absent or late.

Present (15 members): - Martin - McChord - Myers - Stinnett - Beard - Blues - Crosbie - Ellinger - Feigel - Gorton - Gray - Henson - James - Lane - Lawless

Votes and Decisions

Three roll call votes were taken during the April 23, 2009 Council meeting, all of which passed.

• Resolution Honoring Virginia Bell 0:03: Moved by Feigel and seconded by Myers, this resolution passed unanimously 15–0. All members voted in favor: Martin, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, Beard, Blues, Crosbie, Ellinger, Feigel, Gorton, Gray, Henson, James, Lane, and Lawless.

• Ordinances Given Second Reading 0:11: Moved by Myers and seconded by Gorton, this motion passed unanimously 15–0. All members voted in favor: Martin, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, Beard, Blues, Crosbie, Ellinger, Feigel, Gorton, Gray, Henson, James, Lane, and Lawless.

• Resolution Ratifying the Department of Law's Execution of a Settlement Agreement in Kentucky Public Service Commission Case No. 2008-00427 0:30: Moved by Myers and seconded by Henson, this resolution passed 10–5. Voting in favor were Martin, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, Crosbie, Ellinger, Feigel, Henson, Lane, and Lawless. Voting against were Beard, Blues, Gorton, Gray, and James.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council approved several contracts at the April 23, 2009 meeting, covering a range of municipal infrastructure, equipment, and parks projects. No resolution identifiers were recorded for these items.

• Rooftop Make-Up Air Unit Replacement: The Council approved a contract with A & B Industrial Sheet Metal in the amount of $19,915 for the replacement of a rooftop make-up air unit.

• Sewer Cleaning Equipment: Two separate contracts were awarded to Jack Doheny Supplies, Inc. for combination sewer cleaner vehicles. The first, a 15 cubic yard combination sewer cleaner, was approved at $319,400. The second, a 3 cubic yard combination sewer cleaner, was approved at $224,200. Combined, these two equipment purchases totaled $543,600.

• Castlewood Park Picnic Shelter and Restroom Building: The Council approved a contract with Spectrum Contracting Services in the amount of $129,444 for the construction of a picnic shelter and restroom building at Castlewood Park.

• Secondary Digester Transfer Pumps: A contract with Boerger, LLC was approved in the amount of $34,422 for secondary digester transfer pumps.

In total, the Council authorized approximately $727,181 in contract expenditures across these five items, spanning facility maintenance, wastewater infrastructure, heavy equipment procurement, and parks improvements. No resolution numbers were available in the source materials for these actions.

Public Comment

One member of the public addressed the Council during the public comment period. 50:35

• Bernard McCarthy spoke on two separate issues. First, he expressed opposition to the proposed stormwater fees currently under consideration by the Council. Second, on the topic of street configuration, McCarthy offered an alternative perspective to any plans involving the conversion of one-way streets to two-way streets, suggesting instead that the city consider extending existing two-way streets rather than pursuing such conversions.

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

Contested Items

• Settlement Agreement in Kentucky Public Service Commission Case No. 2008-00427: A resolution to ratify a settlement agreement related to Kentucky Public Service Commission Case No. 2008-00427 was brought before the Council and generated notable division among members. The item was approved, but only after a split vote of 10 in favor and 5 opposed, indicating that a significant minority of Council members had reservations about the agreement. The available data does not specify the particular points of disagreement among those who voted against ratification, nor does it identify which individual members voted on each side. Despite the opposition, the resolution passed and the settlement agreement was ratified.

Invocation

0:40

Father Chris Clay from the Cathedral of Christ the King delivered the invocation to open the Council meeting, offering prayers for the Council and the community.

Resolution honoring Virginia Bell

3:14

The Council took up a resolution honoring Virginia Bell for her contributions to Alzheimer's care. Speakers Feigel and Lane participated in the discussion of the resolution, which recognized Bell's work in the field — particularly her development of the Best Friends Approach, a model for Alzheimer's caregiving.

The resolution was approved by the Council.

Ordinances given second reading

11:22

Several ordinances were brought forward for second reading during this portion of the meeting. Myers and Gorton were the key speakers during consideration of these items. The ordinances included budget amendments and grant acceptances. All ordinances presented for second reading were approved.

Resolution Ratifying the Dept. of Law's Execution of a Settlement Agreement

30:33

The Council considered a resolution to ratify the Department of Law's execution of a Settlement Agreement related to the rates of Kentucky-American Water Company.

Key speakers on this item included Myers and Henson. The resolution was brought before the Council to formally approve the settlement agreement that the Department of Law had already executed, bringing the matter before the full Council for ratification.

The Council approved the resolution.