Urban County Council Meeting

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Council met on July 2, 2009, at 7:00 PM in Lexington, Kentucky, with Mayor Jim Newberry presiding. The meeting included three agenda items: an invocation, a second reading of ordinances, and a discussion of the Lyric Theatre Renovation. Both the ordinances on second reading and the Lyric Theatre Renovation item were approved by the Council. A total of 2 votes were taken during the meeting, no formal presentations were recorded, and no public comments were heard.

Attendance

The following members were present at the July 2, 2009 Council meeting:

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

Absent: Crosbie

Late arrivals: None

A total of 15 members were in attendance, with one member, Crosbie, absent from the meeting.

Votes and Decisions

Two roll call votes were taken during the July 2, 2009 Council meeting.

• Approval of Ordinances (Second Reading) 7:18: Motioned by Myers and seconded by McChord, the Council voted to approve ordinances given their second reading. The motion passed unanimously, 14–0. All members present voted in favor: Ellinger, Feigel, Gorton, Gray, Henson, James, Lane, Lawless, Martin, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, Beard, and Blues. No members voted against, and there were no abstentions.

• Approval of Resolution for Lyric Theatre Renovation 1:23:07: Motioned by James and seconded by Gorton, the Council voted on a resolution related to the Lyric Theatre renovation. The motion passed 13–1. Voting in favor were Ellinger, Gorton, Gray, Henson, James, Lane, Lawless, Martin, McChord, Myers, Stinnett, Beard, and Blues. Feigel cast the sole vote against the resolution. There were no abstentions.

Budget and Financial Actions

The Council addressed two financial items at the July 2, 2009 meeting involving a major construction contract and a federal grant award.

• Lyric Theatre Renovation and Addition: The Council considered a contract with Denham-Blythe Co., Inc. in the amount of $5,560,322.66 for the renovation and addition of the Lyric Theatre. This represented the largest single financial action taken at the meeting.

• Wireless Mesh Network Installation: The Council addressed a grant of $410,023 from the U.S. Department of Justice to fund the installation of a wireless mesh network. No additional vendor or contractor information was included in the available data for this item.

No resolution numbers were available in the source materials for either item.

Contested Items

• Lyric Theatre Renovation: The resolution concerning the Lyric Theatre renovation generated notable disagreement among council members, with concerns raised about the budget implications of the project. The item resulted in a split vote, indicating that council members were divided on whether to proceed under the proposed financial terms. No further details regarding the specific vote count, the names of members voting for or against, or the final outcome of the resolution are available in the meeting record.

Invocation

1:05

Rev. Dr. Dan Hans of Second Presbyterian Church delivered the invocation to open the Council meeting.

Ordinances Second Reading

7:18

Several ordinances came before the Council for second reading during this portion of the meeting. Key speakers during this agenda item included Myers and McChord.

The ordinances considered on second reading included amendments to zoning ordinances as well as the acceptance of grants. Second reading represents the final formal step before ordinances are adopted into law, giving the Council an opportunity to confirm their approval of measures previously introduced.

All ordinances presented for second reading were approved by the Council.

*Note: The available meeting data does not include the specific ordinance numbers, detailed descriptions of each individual measure, or a record of any debate or concerns raised during this portion of the meeting.*

Lyric Theatre Renovation

1:23:07

The Council took up a resolution to accept the bid for the Lyric Theatre renovation. Key speakers on this item included Lane, Feigel, and James, who participated in presenting and discussing the matter before the full Council.

According to the meeting record, the discussion included a detailed financial overview related to the renovation project. The structured data does not provide specifics on the individual arguments made, concerns raised, or the precise nature of each speaker's contribution beyond their participation in the item.

Following the discussion, the Council approved the resolution to accept the bid for the Lyric Theatre renovation.