Week of May 24, 2021

May 24

Written By Richard Young

🔦 Highlights

📺 - Watch this: C ouncil Committee of the Whole

The budget process for FY22/23 is nearing its final stages. Now that the Council Budget Links have finished meeting with LFUCG Divisions and Departments, the Council and the Mayoral Administration will put their final touches on the budget. Watch these two meetings to see how the final document may shake out.

🏃 - Do this: Complete our Public Comment Survey

If you haven't completed our Public Comment survey developed in partnership with the City of Lexington, you are running out of time! The survey closes May 31.

🗞 - Read this: A pa ir of articles from the Herald-Leader on No-Knock Warrants

As no-knock warrants come up for review by Council the first week of June, many Black faith leaders in the city have expressed exasperation with the Mayor's Office on their stance on the issue. Cities around the country have been banning the use of no-knock warrants since their use in the killing of Breonna Taylor last year in Louisville.
- This pair of articles from Jeremy Chisenhall presents the contrasting perspectives of many of Lexington's Black faith leader and Lexington's Chief of Police.

💡 This week in City Government

Due to COVID-19 and the State of Emergency declared by Governor Andy Beshear, all public meetings are taking place digitally. Most meetings take place over Zoom. For the most accurate links, please see the individual event's calendar page on the City's website.

Watch City Meetings:
LexTV & City Zoom Channel

Monday, May 24

No Meetings Scheduled

Tuesday, May 25

💰 - Budget Committee of the Whole - Part One
📺 - 10:00am on May 25 via LexTV
📖 - Read the Agenda

Highlights:

Council Budget Links are presenting their recommended changes to the Mayor's Proposed Budget.
- Major changes include:
  - $20M increase for a new Sports Complex for Parks and Recreation
  - $3M increase to create a new Police Facility in the East Sector
  - $1.2M increase for a new ladder truck for the Division of Fire & Emergency Services
  - $150k increase for Human Rights Commission
  - $24k to increase the Citizen's Advocate position from 20 to 25 hours per week.
Council Members are also adding their recommendations and funding priorities to the budget.
- These include:
  - $750k for improvements to Shroprshire Ave. (J Brown)
  - $150k for a design study for improvements to Phoenix Park (LeGris)
  - $90k for a new Sustainability Cooridnator position (Kay)
  - $50k for the Lexington History Museum (Plomin)

🏢 - Council Work Session
📺 - 3:00pm on May 25 via LexTV
📖 - Read the Agenda

Highlights:

New Circle Investments, the developer of the proposed hotel in the Distillery District is requesting the City of Lexington subsidize their development by issuing them $39M in Industrial Revenue Bonds for their development.
- The proposed $37.4M development will feature a luxury hotel, including a rooftop bar, full-service bar, and more.
Brandi Peacher will provide an update on the progress of the Town Branch Commons project, the linear trail system running through downtown Lexington on Vine Street.
- The project is estimated to be completed in December of 2022.

Wednesday, May 26

🏡 - Planning Commission Technical Committee Meeting
📺 - 8:30am on May 26 via Zoom
📖 - Read the Agenda

Webinar ID: 952 6392 2758
Password: 948361
Call In Number: +1 (929) 436 2866

🐎 - Rural Land Management Board Meeting
📺 - 3:00pm on May 26 via Zoom (no link available)

🏞 - Parks and Recreation Advisory Bord
📺 - 4:00pm on May 26 via Zoom (no link available)

Thursday, May 27

💰 - Budget Committee of the Whole - Part Two
📺 - 10:00am on May 27 via LexTV
📖 - Read the Agenda
See Budget Committee of the Whole - Part One for details.

🚧 - Planning Commission Zoning Public Hearing
📺 - 1:30pm on May 27 via Zoom (no link available)

🏢 - Council Meeting
📺 - 6:00pm on May 27 via LexTV
📖 - Docket Not Available. We will update civiclex.org when it is released.

Friday, May 28

No Meetings Scheduled

🏃 Get engaged

✋ - Public Comment Survey
In case you didn't know, we just released a survey in partnership with the City of Lexington to examine and reimagine the public comment/input process. We'd love to hear from you about your experience interacting with City Government, and how you think it could be better.

Interested? Fill out the survey here before May 31.

🅿️ - 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?

♻️ - May 18th Environmental Quality & Public Works Committee

CM LeGris' home compost pilot program is moving on and is included in this week's Budget COW.
A new Sustainability position is also added to this week's Budget COW as a result of the presentation on single use plastics and climate change.
This meeting in the Herald Leader:
- Why Lexington’s trash is causing legal headaches, stink in Scott County
- Could a pilot home composting program help decrease food, yard waste in Lexington?

🏢 - May 18th Council Work Session

LexTran's budget was approved by Council.

More good reads from our friends at the Lexington Herald-Leader:

Richard Young