Week of April 25, 2022

Written By Megan Gulla

🔎 - Big topic this week: Mayor Linda Gorton’s Proposed Fiscal Year 2023 Budget is Here!

Mayor Gorton’s FY23 Budget has been released! We’re hard at work on our budget guide and resources, but in the meantime, you can view the city’s budget document here. This is not the final budget; there will be several upcoming Council Budget Link meetings to make changes. The budget will likely be finalized in June. 

Check out our Budget resources page on the CivicLex website for more info on how you can get involved.

The FY23 budget totals around $772M, with a $460M General Services District Fund.Here are some of the proposed budget allocations:

  • One Lexington, an organization that works to prevent youth gun violence, would receive $375,000.

  • The Lexington Police department would receive $275,000 for more of the new FLOCK cameras and a total of $5 Million for new fleet vehicles.

  • $2 Million this year, outside of ARPA, for affordable housing.

  • $1 Million in new funding for the Lexington neighborhood investment fund to encourage redevelopment for affordable housing.

  • $13 Million for paving improvements.

  • $200,000 in new funding for community programming at the Arboretum.

There will also be funding for a Lexington COVID memorial for loved ones lost in the pandemic thus far, a mobile fresh produce food truck, and funding for a raise for non-sworn LFUCG employees and for replacing their aging technology.

Look out for any proposed budget changes in the coming "link" sessions. Budget links are groups of 3 council members assigned to the 5 different Division/Department groups. These meetings will be public and you can find a list of them on our budget page.

We'll also release our guide to the city budget in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, want to learn how city budgets are made? Check out our guide to the process here.

🔎 - This week in City Hall: Clean Slate Lexington and Addressing Violence in Lexington presentations

This week, there will be two presentations at the Council Work Session on Tuesday, April 26, at 3pm.

Clean Slate Lexington- Expungement Clinic & Job Fair
First, we'll hear a presentation on this upcoming event led by Clean Slate Lexington, a rehabilitation center for drug and alcohol addiction, Lexington's Equity and Implementation Officer, Tiffany Brown, and Community Partners.

This event is based on a recommendation from the Racial Justice and Equality Commission report.

  • The report found that minor criminal convictions and traffic infractions can keep residents from opportunities for housing, work, and education. Residents with a criminal record can also face inequalities in accessing healthcare.

  • This clinic and job fair will allow 230 attendees to undergo the first steps of expungement. This process will enable residents with Class D Felonies and some misdemeanors to erase their criminal records if they have not been convicted in the past five years.

  • Expungement restores voting rights and allows eligibility for professional licenses and eligibility for financial aid.

  • There will also be 35 employers and 600 jobs with immediate availability.

This event is closed for participant registration.

Addressing Violence in Lexington- Prevention and Intervention
Then, we'll hear a presentation on violence prevention and intervention for Public Safety.

This presentation begins with trends in homicides both nationally and regionally compared to Lexington's rates.

  • In the last two years, homicide rates have spiked nationally but are still well below the homicide spikes in the mid-1990s and mid-2000s. Even in the recent national spike, Lexington has considerably lower rates of homicide than cities with similar populations.

  • Regionally, comparable cities saw at least twice the increase Lexington has in the last four years.

  • These trends are attributed to societal and operational impacts of the pandemic, increased access to firearms, and longstanding domestic violence.

LFUCG is continuing to work with partners on violence reduction.

  • One Lexington, Global Lex, Division of Police, Department of Housing Advocacy and Community Development, Department of Social Services, and Division of Parks and Recreation.

This presentation will highlight the work being done by LFUCG and these partners in addressing violence in Lexington.

Watch the Council Work Session in Council Chambers or Livestream.

🏃 - Get Engaged

Primary Candidate Guess Who?
Join us this Wednesday, April 27 at 5:30 pm in Julietta Market for a game of Primary Candidate Guess Who! We are revamping the classic board game "Guess Who?" so that players can learn about primary candidates in Lexington's upcoming races! If you want to learn more about candidates before the big game night, go to https://lex.vote/ for a rundown of the races. RSVP here!

 

Council at Large Environmental Sustainability Forum
What are the Council At-Large candidates' views on environmental sustainability? Attend an At-Large candidate Sustainability Forum hosted by the Bluegrass Youth Sustainability Council at the Henry Clay High School Theater on Monday, April 25 at 7pm to hear their plans!

🗞 - Updates from Last Week

New Task Force on Expansion of Urban Service Boundary
In Tuesday's Council Work Session, Vice Mayor Steve Kay announced the creation of a new task force to study how Lexington should approach expanding its Urban Services Boundary.

The Task Force will be comprised of stakeholders interested in the issue and co-chaired by VM Steve Kay and CM James Brown. CMs Kathy Plomin and Amanda Bledsoe will also sit on the Committee.

The Committee hopes to have recommendations about where the Urban Service Boundary should be expanded for development by the end of the year. It will also produce recommendations about what Fayette County rural land should be conserved in the future.

A decision about expanding the Urban Service Boundary will likely be a part of the 2023 Comprehensive Plan.

Update on Sustainable Growth Taskforce presentation
In this meeting, the Planning & Public Safety heard an update presentation on the Task Force's recommendations based on their Sustainable Growth Study.

Several groups attended the meeting to express opposition to the Sustainable Growth study's process recommendations, including Commerce Lexington and the Builders Industry Association of Central Kentucky.

No resolutions were adopted in this meeting, but it did open up a discussion of sustainable growth. The Committee discussed the pros and cons of growing via infill & redevelopment or expanding the Urban Service Boundary.

This study considers vacant land analysis, economy and employment, population and demographics, housing market trends, LFUCG's fiscal profile, and community facilities and infrastructure. This information will guide LFUCG on how Lexington can grow while providing enough housing, agricultural land, office space, and industrial space for residents and businesses.

The Planning and Public Safety Committee will continue their discussion at their meeting next month, on Tuesday, May 24, at 1pm.


Update on Government Initiated Zone Changes
The city's Infill and Development Committee proposed a new approach to zone changes on Nicholasville Road in and around Waller Avenue and Crescent Avenue.

The proposal encouraged a council-led zone change to push forward the goals of Lexington's Imagine Nicholasville Road plan. Usually, zone changes are initiated by developers. The Infill and Development committee hopes to see more resident participation in a council-led process.

  • This zone change does not mean developers would immediately start redeveloping the area. Instead, it would encourage future redevelopment to potentially be denser, mixed-use housing with retail locations incorporated into the neighborhood.

  • Sally Lambert-Warfield, the aide to D3 CM Hannah LeGris and representative of the Infill & Redevelopment Committee, said that the process can stop if residents express opposition.

  • Councilmembers were generally supportive of this infill-based zone change. One Councilmember discussed possible conditions to this zone change, like disallowing drive-thrus and apartment buildings past a certain height. The Infill and Development committee said this was entirely possible.

Everyone in the area will be notified by mail of the proposed zone change by LFUCG, including renters and owners. The Infill and Redevelopment committee will hold meetings with property owners and residents in early May to see if there is community support for the proposal.

Head to our newsletter from the previous week to read the comprehensive packet summaries!

🏢 - This Week in City Government

Monday, April 25

No Meetings

———

Tuesday, April 26

City Employees Pension Fund Board Meeting
⏱ - 10:00 am on April 26
📍 - 12th floor Conference Room, Government Center — 200 East Main St.
📺 - No virtual option
🗣 - No public input

Tree Canopy Ad Hoc Committee
⏱ - 10:00 am on April 26
📍 - 5th-floor Conference Room, Government Center — 200 East Main St.
📺 - No virtual option
🗣 - No public input

Committee of the Whole: Budget COW
⏱ - 1:00 pm on April 26
📍 - 2nd Floor Council Chamber, Government Center — 200 East Main St.
📺 - LexTV
🗣 - No public input

Council Work Session
⏱ - 3:00 pm on April 26
📍 - 2nd Floor Council Chamber, Government Center — 200 East Main St.
📺 - LexTV
🗣 - No public input

———

Wednesday, April 27

Courthouse Area Design Review Board Application Filing Deadline
⏱ - 8:00 am - 4:00 pm on April 27
📍 - 7th-floor Planning Office, Phoenix Building — 101 East Vine St.
📺 - No virtual option
🗣 - No public input

Technical Committee Meeting
⏱ - 8:30 am on April 27
📍 - 3rd-floor Conference Room, Phoenix Building — 101 East Vine St.
📺 - No virtual option
🗣 - No public input

Transportation Pollicy Committee (TPC)
⏱ - 1:30 pm on April 27
📍 - 7th-floor Planning Office, Phoenix Building — 101 East Vine St.
📺 - Zoom
🗣 - No public input

Commission for People with Disabilities
⏱ - 11:00 am on April 27
📍 - Lexington Senior Center — 195 Life Ln
📺 - No virtual option
🗣 - No public input

The Rural Land Management Board Meeting
⏱ - 3:00 pm on April 27
📍 - 2nd-floor Council Chamber, Government Center— 200 East Main St.
📺 - No virtual option
🗣 - No public input

———

Thursday, April 28

Council Budget Link: Environmental Quality & Public Works
⏱ - 10:00 am - 2:00 pm on April 28
📍 - Virtual
📺 - LexTV
🗣 - No public input

Planning Commission Public Hearing — Zoning Items
⏱ - 1:30 pm on April 28
📍 - 2nd-floor Council Chamber, Government Center — 200 East Main St.
📺 - No virtual option
🗣 - No public input

Special Committee of the Whole (Budget Stabilization)
⏱ - 4:00 pm on April 28
📍 - 2nd-floor Council Chamber, Government Center — 200 East Main St.
📺 - LexTV
🗣 - No public input

Council Meeting
⏱ - 6:00 pm on April 28
📍 - 2nd-floor Council Chamber, Government Center — 200 East Main St.
📺 - LexTV
🗣 - No public input

———

Friday, April 29

Clean Slate Lexington Expungement Clinic & Job Fair
⏱ - 8:30 am - 6:00 pm on April 29
📍 - Central Bank Center, Exhibit Hall A2
📺 - No virtual option
🗣 - No public input

Subdivision Regulations Waiver Deadline
⏱ - 4:00 pm on April 29
📍 - 7th-floor Planning Office, Phoenix Building — 101 East Vine St.
📺 - No public input
🗣 - No public input

Megan Gulla
Previous

Week of May 2, 2022
Next

Week of April 18, 2022