Week of April 11, 2022

Written By Megan Gulla

🔎 - Big topic this week: On the Table is Here!

By serving as the primary public input process for Lexington's next Comprehensive Plan, your input through this year's On the Table will help inform so much about how our city grows and changes over the next 20 years, including:

  • Neighborhoods - housing costs; neighborhood amenities like restaurants, shops, schools, and parks; how new neighborhoods are designed

  • Environment - Flooding & stormwater; parks & greenspace; Lexington's carbon footprint & natural resources

  • Jobs & Prosperity - Job growth & wages; regulations; higher education; tourism; land for new economic development

  • Transportation - traffic; sidewalks & bike lanes; transit system; trails and shared-use paths

  • Urban-Rural Balance - locations for new development; farmland & rural preservation

If you think these topics are important to the future of Lexington, we need your voice at the table!

Here's how you can get involved:

Join

The easiest way to get involved is to join a Public Table! Over the next week, you can join over 100 Public Tables hosted by community organizations, businesses, faith groups, and civic leaders. Find a table that works best for you here.

Host

There is still time to register to host a private table - and it's easy! Just get together a small group of friends, family, or neighbors between April 10 - 16.

Nervous about hosting? We have many resources to help you along the way!

If you have any questions for us, please contact us at info@ottlex.org. We look forward to seeing you at the table!

🔎 - This week in City Hall: CivicLex Presents about Public Input!

On Tuesday, April 12 at 1pm, CivicLex will present at the General Government and Social Services Committee about public input on legislative items before Council. The presentation results from a year plus study in partnership with LFUCG and professors from the Martin School at UK and Transylvania University. This study aims to recommend ways that LFUCG can improve the public input process.

Public input and public comment are an important democratic function in local government, allowing residents to weigh in on decisions being made by the Urban County Council.

Right now, residents can either email/call their council person or show up to the council meeting to give public comment.

Through a survey process reaching over 1,000 residents in Lexington and 75+ LFUCG employees, we heard that there is room for making this process more effective and efficient.

At the Committee meeting, we'll present an overview of our findings and hear Council input on our draft recommendations. Some of our recommendations include more options for virtual input, clarifying when public input would be most effective, and a "front-of-house" service person in city hall to help residents know where to access different resources.

Stay tuned for our update next week, or watch the meeting on Tuesday at 1pm in Council Chambers or via Livestream.

🏃 - Get Engaged

It's not too late to sign up for On The Table!

Just another reminder to join or host an On the Table conversation! We promise, we're almost done plugging On the Table - it'll be over this time next week!

🗞 - Updates from Last Week

Permanent Racial Justice and Equality Commission Meeting

The Racial Justice and Equality Commission met for the second time on Wednesday, April 6. The commission worked with Tiffany Brown to discuss the racial justice and equality report recommendations and how they will move forward.

Since it was only their second meeting, the commission members discussed communication with each other and Tiffany Brown outside of the monthly meetings. They also started to ask questions about the recommendations. Here are some examples:

  • A commissioner asked if they could be involved in LFUCG's summer youth programs to ensure that they would be effective.

  • Another commissioner highlighted that these programs' effectiveness could be improved by asking for student input to ensure they benefit.

Join us next month for an update on the commission's next meeting. If you'd like to see it yourself, it will be live-streamed on Wednesday, May 4 at 3:30 in Council Chambers.

🏢 - This Week in City Government

Monday, April 11

Board of Adjustment Meeting
⏱ - 1:30 pm on April 11
📍 - 2nd Floor Council Chamber, Government Center — 200 East Main St.
📺 - No virtual option
🗣 - No public input

———

Tuesday, April 12

Ad Hoc Committee
⏱ - 11:00 am on April 12
📍 - 2nd Floor Caucus Room, Government Center — 200 East Main St.
📺 - No virtual option
🗣 - No public input

General Government & Social Services Committee Meeting
⏱ - 1:00 pm on April 12
📍 - 2nd Floor Council Chamber, Government Center — 200 East Main St.
📺 - LexTV
🗣 - No public input

Council Work Session
⏱ - 3:00 pm on April 12
📍 - 2nd Floor Council Chamber, Government Center — 200 East Main St.
📺 - LexTV
🗣 - No public input

Council Meeting — Zone Change Public Hearing
⏱ - 5:30 pm on April 12
📍 - 2nd Floor Council Chamber, Government Center — 200 East Main St.
📺 - No virtual option
🗣 - In person

———

Wednesday, April 13

Congestion Management & Air Quality Committee (CMAQ)
⏱ - 10:00 am on April 13
📍 - 7th Floor Conference Room, Phoenix Building — 101 E. Vine St.
📺 - Zoom
🗣 - No public input

Transportation Technical Coordinating Committee (TTCC)
⏱ - 1:30 pm on April 13
📍 - 7th Floor Conference Room, Phoenix Building — 101 E. Vine St.
📺 - Zoom
🗣 - No public input

The Rural Land Management Board Meeting
⏱ - 3:00 pm on April 13
📍 - Council Chamber — 2nd Floor, 200 East Main St.
📺 - LexTV
🗣 - No public input

Tree Board
⏱ - 10:30 am - 12:00 pm on April 13
📍 - 5th Floor Conference Room, Government Center — 200 E. Main St.
📺 - No virtual option
🗣 - No public comment

———

Thursday, April 14

Water Quality Fees Board
⏱ - 9:00 am on April 14
📍 - Tate Building, North Elkhorn Conference Room — 125 Lisle Industrial Ave.
📺 - No virtual option 
🗣 - No public input

Planning Commission Meeting Subdivision Items
⏱ - 1:30 pm on April 14
📍 - 2nd Floor Council Chamber, Government Center — 200 E. Main St.
📺 - LexTV 
🗣 - No public input

Council Meeting
⏱ - 6:00 pm on April 14
📍 - 2nd Floor Council Chamber, Government Center — 200 E. Main St.
📺 - LexTV 
🗣 - In person

———

Friday, April 15

No meetings

Megan Gulla
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