Week of November 22, 2021
By: Richard Young, Megan Gulla, & Hayley Alfaro
Council goes on Thanksgiving Break / Tumbleweeds / Redistricting Workshop / Last Week’s Meetings / This Week in City Government
💡 Big topic this week: Council goes on Thanksgiving Break
Except for an errant Planning Commission Technical Meeting on Wednesday, there are no city meetings this week. You can read the agenda for that meeting here.
So, we'd like to direct you to all of the craziness that is happening next week in advance of Council's winter recess, just to get you ready. Here are the big meetings for the week of 11/30:
On Tuesday (11/30):
ARPA Funding Discussion (ARPA COW) - 10:00a
Environmental Quality & Public Works Committee - 11:00a
Budget, Finance, & Economic Development Committee - 1:00p
Council Work Session - 3:00pm
On Wednesday (12/1)
Public Input meeting on the proposed Redistricting map - 5:00p
On Thursday (12/2)
ARPA Funding Discussion (ARPA COW) - 1:00p
Council Meeting - 6:00p
🏢 This week in City Hall:
🏃 Get Engaged:
🗯 Redistricting Workshop - Districts 6 & 7
Learn more about the ins and outs of Lexington's Redistricting process, with a special focus on Districts 6 & 7, at our Redistricting Workshop on Monday, November 22nd at 6:00pm on Zoom. We'll talk about how these districts have changed over time and what they will look like moving forward.
Note: Every attendee at every redistricting workshop we host will be entered to win a $25 cash prize!!! 💸
Join the workshop using this zoom link.
🗞 Updates from last week: : Redistricting & KU Tree Clearing
Redistricting goes to Council
Chair of the Redistrict Lexington Committee, Bill Wilson, presented the Committee's recommended district map during November 18th's COW meeting.
Council members had several questions about how the Committee decided on the map and the timeline for implementation.
Wilson talked through their process, challenges, and considerations.
Keith Horn from the city's Law Department explained that the new boundaries would go into effect immediately once the map is adopted.
Several CM's were concerned about how big of a change the new map proposed - Wilson responded by saying that the number of precinct changes wasn't unprecedented: 32 and 42 precincts were moved in 2011 and 2001, respectively.
VM Kay, who presided over the meeting, discouraged Council members from proposing motions to change the proposed map until after the December 1st Public Comment meeting.
KU Provides an update on tree clearing
During November 18th's Council Work Session, Kentucky Utilities presented an update to their Transmission Cycle-based Line Clearing Program.
A KU representative explained that the company plans to take a slightly more individualized approach to the tree clearing set to occur across Lexington.
Instead of applying a 15 ft limit to any trees within a set radius of a transformer tower and suspended lines, tree crews will now consider tower and line height.
Newer transformer towers are taller and allow for higher allowable vegetation.
Council appreciated this change but pressed the company to make their plan more specific to the Lexington community.
The company is not required to clear cut, and rates for customers will be unaffected whether trees are cut or periodically trimmed.
Who is Running for Office?
We have new candidates who have filed for the Council at Large race. You can find our candidate listing page here - we plan to update it every week. New candidate filings are below.\
Council At Large:
Lillie Miller-Johnson, Elected Supervisor of the Fayette County Soil and Water Conservation District, has filed with a campaign fund of $0.
District Council:
Brenda Monarrez, the District 4 representative on the Redistricting Commission, has filed with a campaign fund of $0.
🏢 This week in City Government
Monday, November 22
No City Meetings.
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Tuesday, November 23
No City Meetings.
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Wednesday, November 24
🌳 Planning Commission Technical Committee Meeting
⏱ - 8:30am on November 24
📍- Via Zoom
📺 - Watch via Zoom
🗣 - No input option available
📖 - View Agenda
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Thursday, November 25 🦃
No City Meetings. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Friday, November 26
No City Meetings.