Week of June 6, 2022

Written By Guest User

🔎 - Big Topic: The FY23 LFUCG Budget

The Council Budget Link sessions have finished, as have the Committee of The Whole Council Discussions - that means the Budget is nearly finished! There are only two formal readings before Council left for its finalization - and the first one is this Thursday, at 6pm.

As always, CivicLex is here with some resources to help you understand the budget:

  • Our main education page on the LFUCG budget has a lot of resources - including how the budget is created, past budget guides, and more!

  • Our digital budget database of the Mayor’s FY22/23 Proposed Budget is finished - you can find it here. Once the final budget is adopted, we will update the database accordingly.

    • Our digital database is the only publicly-accessible interactive way to explore LFUCG’s budget. With it, you can read through each major allocation in the budget and sort, filter, or group funding items. You can also download the entire database as a .csv or Excel file for your own use!

  • Our Budget guide will be coming soon as well, including Individual Council Member allocations and approved Link Committee changes.

  • You can also view the Link Committee changes here and the Council Member allocations below, in the updates from last week.

  • Lastly, be sure to look out for our budget workshops! They’re a great opportunity to get an inside look at the budget - and have some fun along the way. Sign up for our first workshop on June 15 at 10 am.

🔎 - This week in City Hall: Downtown Lexington Management District Budget Presentation in Council Work Session

Council will hear a presentation on the Downtown Lexington Management District (DLMD) FY23 Budget at the Council Work Session.

  • The DLMD is responsible for managing marketing and oversight of Lexington’s Downtown that is inside the Management District. The DLMD’s main activities includes promoting the arts and events, providing security and janitorial/beautification services, and communication with downtown property owners and residents.

  • This Budget will be presented by DLMD board member James Frazier. You can find all of the DLMD’s board meeting minutes here, and the map of the district here.

Tune in on Tuesday, June 7, at 3 pm in Council Chambers or via Livestream.

🏃 - Get Engaged

On the Table Data Release Party is This Week!

We're finally ready to release the data after months of preparation, thousands of surveys, and weeks of coding! We want you to be there for our On the Table data release party at Pivot Brewing on Tuesday, June 7, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.

  • Not only will you be able to be the first of the public to see the data, but we'll show you how you can personally interact with the data on your own time.

  • Tickets include a pay-what-you-can donation of $10 or $25. This is optional, but anything you can give is a big help towards paying for future On the Tables!

There is no formal presentation, so feel free to drop by and leave at any time. Mark your calendars and get your tickets here!

🗞 - Updates from Last Week:

A few weeks ago, Council Members presented items for council to consider funding with Budget Stabilization funds. Read the original summaries of these presentations in this newsletter. Here are some takeaways from Tuesday’s Budget COW:

Council Members decided on a new approved budget stabilization list from their own suggested items. Originally, there was $25,184,828 in Budget Stabilization funds. After the Mayor’s Proposed Budget allocations used some of those funds, there is $12,592,414 left in Budget Stabilization funds.

  • D3 CM Hannah LeGris asked for $172,658 for crime prevention through new and brighter lighting for the downtown entertainment district. This allocation was accepted by council, but funding will be taken out of 2020 bond monies.

  • CM Richard Moloney asked for $5M for retention pay for City Public Safety Employees. This allocation was accepted.

  • D10 CM Bledsoe asked for $150,000 for one new school crosswalk in each district designed for safety and longevity. This allocation was accepted.

  • D1 CM James Brown asked for $1M for land acquisition and relocation of Fire Services and the Community Paramedicine Program in an underserved area. This allocation was accepted.

  • D1 CM James Brown asked for $265,500 as a match for a grant for Splash Pad improvements. This allocation was accepted.

  • D11 CM Jennifer Reynolds asked for $2.5M for the Versailles Road Improvement Project. This has been reduced from $4M. This allocation was accepted.

  • D1 CM James Brown asked for $95,000 to fund the Corridors Master Plan. This allocation was accepted.

  • D2 CM Josh McCurn asked for $2.5M for the Lexington Distillery District foundation. This allocation was accepted.

  • D12 CM Kathy Plomin asked for $300,000 for an Arts Master PLan

  • CM Chuck Ellinger’s ask for $3.2M for the High Street Entrance to Town Branch Park was accepted for $1.2M in funding.

  • CM Ellinger’s item for an additional $90,000 for Tandy Park at the 5/3 pavilion in preparation of the Breeder’s Cup.

There were a few more approved individual council member recommendations to fund through Budget Stabilization and the General Fund.

  • D1 CM James Brown’s item for $82,644.00 to a Social Services Coordinator position at the Charles Young Center. This would be to support more programming for residents, specifically programming for after-school activities. This would be funded by the General Fund.

  • D10 CM Amanda Bledsoe’s item for $150,000.00 for a review of development approval processes to compare to cities and counties of comparably-sized cities and counties. This would be funded by Budget Stabilization.

  • D9 CM Whitney Baxter’s item for $30,000 Traffic Calming on Beth Lane for Jessie Clark Middle School. This would be funded through Budget Stabilization.

Here are some items that were pushed for the Fall Fund Balance discussion:

  • D4 CM Susan Lamb’s item for $300,000 for the Arboretum’s Dorothy Oatts Visitor Center.

  • D12 CM Kathy Plomin’s item for $300,000 for the LexArts Master Plan.

  • CM Ellinger’s item for $4M for the Youth Sports Complex.

  • The rest of CM Chuck Ellinger’s item for $2M for the High Street Entrance to Town Branch Park.

All Council Link recommendations were approved by Council.

The remaining fund balances are $456,513 for Budget Stabilization and $1,047,775 for fund balance.

These lists are not yet finalized- they must go through a first and second reading in the next two Council Meetings on June 9 and June 14.

🏢 - This Week in City Government

Monday, June 6

No meetings.

———

Tuesday, June 7

Environmental Quality & Public Works Committee
⏱ - 1:00 pm on June 7
📍 - 2nd-floor Council Chamber, Government Center — 200 East Main St.
📺 - LexTV
🗣 - No public input

Council Work Session
⏱ - 3:00 pm on June 7
📍 - 2nd-floor Council Chamber, Government Center — 200 East Main St.
📺 - LexTV
🗣 - No public input

———

Wednesday, June 8

Congestion Management & Air Quality Committee
⏱ - 10:00 am on June 8
📍 - 3rd floor conference room, Phoenix Building — 101 E Vine St. 
🗣 - No public input

Tree Board
⏱ - 10:30 am on June 8
📍 - 5th-floor Conference Room, Government Center — 200 East Main St.
🗣 - No public input

Transportation Technical Coordinating Committee
⏱ - 1:30 pm on June 8
📍 - 7th floor conference room, Phoenix Building — 101 E Vine St.
🗣 - No public input

———

Thursday, June 9

Planning Commission Meeting Subdivision Items
⏱ - 1:30 pm on June 9
📍 - 200 E Main St, Lexington, KY 40507, USA
📺 - LexTV
🗣 - No public input

Council Meeting (1st Budget Reading)
⏱ - 6:00 pm on June 9
📍 - 200 E Main St, Lexington, KY 40507, USA
📺 - LexTV
🗣 - No public input

———

Friday, June 10
No Meetings.

———

Guest User
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