Week of June 14, 2021
🔦 Highlights
📺 - Watch this: CivicLex presents to Council
This is a very selfish thing to highlight, but we're not above it! This week, we're presenting an interim update on our Public Comment survey findings to the General Government and Social Services Committee of Council.
As a reminder, earlier this year, we offered to work (Pro Bono!) with Council and the Mayoral Administration to evaluate how residents provide input in city meetings and create recommendations to make it better. They said yes!
After we present these preliminary findings, we're gonna start the process of doing a deeper statistical analysis and working to find solutions to what we've found.
See our presentation on our preliminary results here.
🏃 - Do this: Come to our first budget workshop of 2021
Join us for our first in-person budget workshop of 2021 tonight, Monday, June 14, at 6pm! We'll take a look at LFUCG's FY21/22 budget, which is currently before council for approval. We'll also look at how the budget process works and play an interactive game! Registration Required.
Register here.
Social Distancing & Capacity Guidelines:
Capacity of 20 people; social distancing will be encouraged.
We strongly encourage unvaccinated people not to attend our in-person, indoor events.
Masks will be strongly encouraged and we will have extra masks available for anyone that would like one.
Please be respectful of our rules and keep the safety of your neighbors in mind.
🗞 - Read this: More coverage about no-knock warrants
Last week, Council advanced the issue of banning no-knock warrants out of the Council Work Session and the ordinance had its first reading. Read this pair of articles in the Lexington-Herald Leader about the reactions from those who support the ordinance banning no-knocks and those who opposed the ordinance.
💡 This week in City Government
Monday, June 14
♿️ - Commission for People with Disabilities
📺 - 11:00am on June 14 via Zoom
📖 - Read the Agenda here
🏠 - Board of Adjustment Hearing
📺 - 1:00pm on June 14 via Zoom
📖 - Read the Agenda here
Tuesday, June 15
🏢 - General Government and Social Services Committee (GGSS)
📺 - 1:00pm on June 15 via LexTV
📖 - Read the Agenda
🗣 - Sign up for Public Comment
🔦 - Highlights:
CivicLex will present our preliminary results from our Public Comment survey.
The GGSS Committee will hear a presentation analyzing the racial diversity of LFUCG's current workforce.
Using 2010 Census data, LFUCG employs a higher proportion of African-Americans than Lexington overall, and a lower proportion of individuals that identify of Hispanic and Asian.
The data also shows that much of LFUCG's ethnic/racial diversity is within the positions that are in lower pay grades.
The pay grade/job family with the highest proportion of non-white workers (64%) is Service and Maintenance Workers.
The pay grade/job family with the highest number of non-white workers is Skilled Craft Workers.
The report will include several recommendations for attracting and retaining a more diverse workforce - especially for higher-paying positions.
The GGSS Committee will also hear a presentation about the city's proposed new Diversity and Inclusion statement and work plan.
The new plan includes step to improve employee recruitment and emphasizes the need for LFUCG to address systemic racism in all of Lexington.
🏢 - Council Work Session
📺 - 3:00pm on June 15 via LexTV
📖 - Read the Agenda
🗣 - Sign up for Public Comment
🔦 - Highlights:
This Council Work Session will include the second reading of the FY21/22 LFUCG Budget.
While your time to provide input on the budget is drawing to a close, you still have a (shorter than normal) week to email your councilmember and let them know how the budget does or doesn't fit within your values.
We produced a lot of coverage around the budget this year, so we gathered it all up for you:
Wednesday, June 16
🍃 - Greenspace Commission
📺 - 3:00pm on June 16 (No link available)
📖 - No Agenda available
Thursday, June 17
🏗 - Planning Commission Work Session
📺 - 1:30pm on June 17 (no viewing link available)
📖 - No Agenda available
Friday, June 18
No Public Meetings
🏃 Get engaged
📺 - National Association for Public Administration: Public Governance and Civic Engagement
CivicLex will be featured on this panel about Public Governance and Engagement, bringing together NAPA’s Grand Challenges Work and the recent AAA&S report, Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century, which was the product of a two-year bipartisan Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship to study political and civic life around the country.
Panelists will discuss the current state of the media environment, including how changes in the information environment impact citizen engagement. In addition, the discussion will address the prevalence of misinformation and disinformation and provide examples of social media being used to serve community needs and strengthen civic culture.
June 15, 2021 at 03:00pm
Register for the event here.
🚨 - Hot Topic -> No-Knock Warrant Ban
Last week, council took up the contentious issue of a proposed ban on the use of no-knock warrants. The final vote on no-knock warrants is June 24, so take a moment right now to email council your feedback on the issue.
Don't feel like you know enough? Read our primer on the issue, or this pair of articles from the Herald-Leader - one about the position of Black faith leaders, and one about the position of Lexington's Police Chief.
🏘 - Coalition for Livable Lexington Event
The Coalition for a Livable Lexington is hosting a virtual event on Wednesday, June 30, at 12pm about three zoning laws (ZOTAs) on Parking Reform, Accessory Dwelling Units, and Open Space that are making their way through City Hall. The Coalition will provide information on the details of each ZOTA and will share their perspective on how they could help Lexington work towards a more livable, accessible, and affordable community.
Register for the event at bit.ly/livablelex.
🧑⚖️ - Open Government: Where is Kentucky headed?
The Bluegrass Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists will present “Open Government: Where is Kentucky headed?,” a Zoom panel discussion with questions and answers, at 7:30 p.m. ET Thursday, June 17.
The panelists will be:
Michael Abate, Louisville, counsel for the Kentucky Press Association and partner, Kaplan Johnson Abate & Bird
Sharon Burton, Columbia, KPA president and editor-publisher of The Farmer’s Pride and the Adair County Community Voice
Jennifer P. Brown, Hopkinsville, editor-publisher of Hoptown Chronicle and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition
Tom Eblen, president of the chapter and retired columnist and managing editor of the Lexington Herald-Leader, will be the moderator.
You can watch the panel live here.
📰 - Local news: how can we rescue an essential service?
Check out this panel from the Financial Times, supported by our friends at the Knight Foundation.
"A collision of crises across public health, politics and the economy have proven the need for global awareness — but also local nuance. With more local publishers at risk of going out of business, and a variety of motivations for investors, who can be trusted to keep communities informed and united? Watch this Knight-supported panel from the June 10 FT Future of News conference.
Guests - Gabriel Escobar, Philadelphia Inquirer; Susan Leath, The GroundTruth Project; Monica Richardson, Miami Herald; James Fontanella-Khan, Financial Times"
🖐 - Public Comment Survey
We know, we know... you've heard enough about this survey! But, we're wrapping up the process on June 18th. So, if you haven't taken the survey, you can do so here.
💰- Budget Workshop
Join us for our first in-person budget workshop of 2021 tonight, Monday, June 14, at 6pm! We'll take a look at LFUCG's FY21/22 budget, which is currently before council for approval. We'll also look at how the budget process works and play an interactive game! Registration Required.
Register here.
Social Distancing & Capacity Guidelines:
Capacity of 20 people; social distancing will be encouraged.
We strongly encourage unvaccinated people not to attend our in-person, indoor events.
Masks will be strongly encouraged and we will have extra masks available for anyone that would like one.
Please be respectful of our rules and keep the safety of your neighbors in mind.
🅿️ - Rethink Parking
The Division of Planning has put out a call for community members to help gather data to evaluate the current parking situation in our city. Learn more and take the Parking Survey here.
🗞 Did you miss it?
🏢 - June 8th Council Work Session
Council advanced the proposed no-knock warrant ban with a vote of 9-6. The ordinance had its first reading on Thursday, June 8, and had it will have its second reading on June 24.
Council Members that voted in favor: VM S. Kay, C. Ellinger (At-Large), J. Brown (D1), J. McCurn (D2), H. LeGris (D3), L. Sheehan (D5), D. Kloiber (D6), J. Reynolds (D11), and K. Plomin (D12).
Council Members that voted against: R. Moloney (At-Large), S. Lamb (D4), P. Worley (D7), F. Brown (D8), W. Baxter (D9), A. Bledsoe (D10).
The council will continue considering the construction of a new Senior and Therapeutic Recreation Center in Shilito Park.
Council advanced a resolution that "would encourage state environmental officials to allow Waste Services of the Bluegrass’ Central Kentucky landfill to expand" with a vote of 8-4. The resolution had its first reading on June 10, and will have its second reading on June 24.
Council Members that voted in favor: R. Moloney (At-Karge), J. Brown (D1), J. McCurn (D2), L. Sheehan (D5), D. Kloiver (D6), P. Worley (D7), Kathy Plomin (D12).
Council members that voted against: VM S. Kay, H. LeGris (D3), S. Lamb (D4), W. Baxter (D9).
📰 - From the Herald-Leader on this meeting:
‘I feel relief.’ Lexington council votes to move forward ban on no-knock warrants
Lexington police union blasts nine council members who voted for no-knock warrant ban
As tempers flare, Lexington council wades into Scott County landfill fight
Lexington mulls building new recreation center for seniors, people with disabilities