Week of October 18, 2021

Oct 18

By: Megan Gulla, Kit Anderson, & Hayley Alfaro

The Highlights:

💡 Big topic this week: ARPA deliberations continue

The five ARPA subgroups have continued meeting to select the project proposals that they would like the full council to consider. Two of the subgroups, Infrastructure and Critical Government Needs/ Public Safety, have completed their list of projects they would like to bring to the Committee of the Whole (COW) on October 26. The other three - Parks, Economic Development, and Equity services, have meetings scheduled this week to finalize their lists. To read updates from these subgroups so far, click here.

The Committee of the Whole has not officially determined how they are going to receive public input on these plans - there will be no public comment at the COW meeting on the 26th. However, it is likely that they will use that time to discuss a plan for public input for the remainder of the process.

Final Update from Infrastructure Subgroup

The infrastructure subgroup has a particularly tricky task because the ARPA guidelines limit “infrastructure” projects to water, sewer, and broadband internet. Most of the proposals council received are in other categories, like environmental initiatives, paving and roads, multimodal transportation, tree canopy projects, and government facilities.

This means that most of the infrastructure projects will be competing for the ~$30 million that LFUCG can spend in “revenue replacement” funds. This is ARPA money that is meant to make up for revenue that LFUCG lost during the pandemic, and has no restrictions on how it can be spent, unlike the rest of the money that has to apply to certain areas like public health or premium pay for essential workers.

With all of that in mind, let's look at what the subgroup decided to move forward! Again, we would like to remind readers that these are just recommendations for the full council to consider, and are not final funding decisions. There is also an understanding that some of the projects are starting at a fairly high price point, and will probably be negotiated down throughout the process.

The subgroup moved forward the following proposals to take to the COW:

$17.5 million for Coldstream infrastructure projects, as requested by the Mayor’s Administration
$3 million for tree canopy improvements via Trees Lexington
$300k for solar energy initiatives on LFUCG buildings
$1.2 million for multimodal transportation projects, specifically
- A Brighton Rail Trail connection at Liberty Park
- A Harrodsburg Road trail from Man O’ War to Dogwood Trace
- A Harrodsburg Road trail from Man O’ War to Corporate Drive
- A Manchester Street pedestrian facility
$4.5m for critical government infrastructure needs, as requested by the Mayor’s Administration

Final Update from Critical City Services Subgroup

The City Government Needs & Public Safety ARPA subgroup held their first meeting at 2:00 pm in the Government Center's 5th floor Conference Room on October 14th. CM's Jennifer Reynolds, David Kloiber, and Chuck Ellinger will decide which projects to recommend out of subgroup for consideration by the Council as a whole.

A big concern for this subgroup was funding for the Fire Department and the city's Fleet, or vehicles for Fire, Police, and General Services. Fire received the most interest from Council and will be a funding priority.

Here's what they decided:

Fire
- Priority 1: Self-contained breathing apparatus
- Priority 2: Fleet; ladder and pump trucks
Premium Pay: not recommended; already addressed in the budget
General Services:
- New City Hall: not recommended
- Fleet Services: requested more information
New Government Center (projects): not recommended
Black and Williams Gymnasium (500k): recommended
Safety: no programs from safety recommended; Paramedicine and One Lexington recommended to fund through budget
Police: Fleet; already addressed above
Hybrid Meetings: need more information; may not be possible at this time due to tech capabilities

To read updates from all the subgroups, click here

🏢 This week in City Hall: KU Tree Clearing

The full Urban County Council will hear a presentation from KU about their Transmission Cycle Based Line Clearing plan at Tuesday's Council Work Session.

This controversial plan has the utility company clearing trees that are within the border zones of their electrical transmission towers and lines. The border zones include the areas 15 ft beside, under, and above the towers and wires. The company reasons that clearing the vegetation around the structures will prevent damage and outages during and after storms and will lead to money saved from fewer resulting repairs.

We covered this topic when it was first brought into Committee back in June. The city was not pleased with the plan, which will cause a significant loss in urban canopy coverage, and was considering an ordinance to require KU to bury all utility lines if they didn't agree to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with LFUCG. The MOU would require KU to consult with the LFUCG Arborist at least one month before cutting down any trees. The City would also require that KU creates a net zero loss Canopy Plan to replace any urban canopy they remove.

So far, KU has moved forward with the plan, clearing trees on Southpoint Dr. and Montavesta Rd., with more planned.

Here's their schedule:

Area 1: Lexington Plant - Loudon (1.23 Miles - Q1)
Area 2: American Ave - Reynolds - Higby Mill (4.57 miles - Q1 & Q2)
Area 3: Lexington Plant - Parkers Mill - Pisgah (0.72 miles - Q2 & Q3)
Area 4: American Ave - Parkers Mill - Higby Mill (3.89 miles - Q3)
Area 5: Loudon Ave - Avon EKPC (2.0 miles - Q3)
Area 6: Loudon Ave - Avon EKPC at Haley Pike (1 mile - Q4)

🏃 Get Engaged:

Give Public Comment for Redistricting Lexington

The Redistrict Lexington Committee will meet at 10am on October 20th in the Government Center's 2nd floor Council Chambers. During this meeting, the Committee will hear public input on their working map for Lexington's proposed district boundaries. The map features significant changes for several districts and the Committee wants to know what residents think about it before moving forward. Anyone interested is encouraged to attend this meeting. If you can't make it in person, you can still email the Committee with any comments or suggestions at redistrictlexington@gmail.com

Redistricting Reading Club

📘 Join CivicLex and our Redistricting Fellow Gabby Mason for our third virtual Reading Club to dive deeper into process of redistricting and how it affects our lives. We will be reading David Wasserman’s article, Is It Time to Rethink Hyper-Minority Districts?

Zoom link can be found here.

Redistricting Bingo Night

Reading club not to your taste? Check out Redistricting Bingo night this Friday night at 7pm, with your host CivicLex! This will be a fun, social, and educational way to engage with your community and learn a little about the process that affects our lives every 10 years.

🗞 Updates from last week:

ARPA Bonanza!

All five ARPA subgroups met to consider which project proposals they would like to bring to the COW last week. Use our new database to view meeting notes and summaries from each!

Parks Subgroup, October 11th
Equity Services Subgroup, October 12th
Economic Growth Subgroup, October 14th
Infrastructure Subgroup, October 14th
City Government Needs/ Public Safety Subgroup, October 14th

Redistricting Lexington

Redistrict Lexington has decided on a working map for Lexington's Council Districts. The proposed map reassigns 47 precincts. Here's a quick reference for some of the most impactful changes:

District 3 extends to New Circle Road with the Shady Lane, Shadeland, Zandale, Glendover, Lansdowne, Brookhaven, Leawood, Malabu precincts
District 10 picks up the Imperial, Picadome, Lafayette, Goodrich, Pershing, Garden Spring, and The Colony precincts

Send your feedback on the current Redistricting plan to the Committee here: redistrictlexington@gmail.com. Alternatively, if you happen to be free on Wednesday (10/20) morning, the Committee will be accepting public input in person at their 10am meeting in Council Chambers.

ADU Update

Last week, Accessory Dwelling Units advanced through both the Council Work Session and First Reading. This means that ADUs are one vote away from becoming legal in Lexington.

In the meeting, CM Preston Worley introduced an amendment to allow the new construction of detached ADUs. The amendment would also have made all ADUs a Conditional Use, meaning they would have to go before the Board of Adjustments prior to being approved on a case-by-case basis.
This amendment failed with a 10-5 vote and the ADU Ordinance was approved as written in the Work Session unanimously. The Second Reading (and final legislative approval) will come within the next two weeks.
Read here to understand what is in the ADU ordinance.

🏢 This week in City Government

Monday, October 18

💰 Special ARPA Subgroup: Parks
⏱ - 11:00am on October 18th
📍 - Government Center – 5th floor conference room
📺 - No viewing option available
🗣 - No input option available

📖 - View Agenda

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Tuesday, October 19

💰 Special ARPA Subgroup : Equity Services
⏱ - 9:00am on October 19th
📍 - Government Center - 5th floor Conference Room (200 East Main Street)
📺 - No viewing option available
🗣 - No input option available

📖 - View Agenda

—

🚜 Environmental Quality & Public Works Committee Meeting
⏱ - 1:00pm on October 19th
📍- 2nd Floor Council Chamber (200 East Main Street)
📺 - Watch on LexTV
🗣 - No input option available
📖 - View Agenda

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⚖️ Council Work Session
⏱ - 3:00pm on October 12th
📍- Council Chambers (200 East Main Street)
📺 - Watch on Lex TV
🗣 - Give public comment in person
📖 - View Agenda

——

Wednesday, October 20

⚖️ Redistricting Lexington Meeting
⏱ - 10:00am on October 20th
📍- TBD
📺 - No viewing option
🗣 - No input option
📖 - No agenda available

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🌳 Greenspace Commission Meeting
⏱ - 3:00pm on October 20th
📍 - Coldstream Park (1850 Pisacano Dr.)
📺 - No viewing option available
📖 - View Agenda
🗣 - Give input in person

———

Thursday, October 21

🛣 Corridors Commission Meeting
⏱ - 12:00pm on October 21st
📍 - Virtual
📺 - Watch Via Zoom
🗣 - No input option available

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🗺 Planning Commission Work Session
⏱ - 1:30pm on October 21st
📍 - Phoenix Building - 3rd Floor Conference (101 E. Vine St.)
📺 - Watch Online
🗣 - No input option available
📖 - No agenda available

—

💰 Special ARPA Subgroup : Parks
⏱ - 2:00pm on October 21st
📍 - Government Center - 5th floor conference room (200 E Main St.)
📺 - No viewing option available
🗣 - No input option available
📖 - No agenda available

—

⚖️ Mayor's International Affairs Advisory Commission (MIAAC) Outreach Committee Meeting
⏱ - 5:00pm on October 21st
📍 - Virtual
📺 - Watch Via Zoom
🗣 - No input option available
📖 - No agenda available

———

Friday, October 8

No City Meetings!

🏃 More ways to get engaged

Improv at the Bell House

Need a good laugh? Join comedian and Civic Artist in Residence Debra Faulk at the Bell House for skits, role-playing, storytelling and stand-up comedy this Wednesday morning at 10:30am. Call the Bell House at (859) 233-0986 to RSVP.

🎄 City Seeking Two Christmas Trees for Downtown

Do you have a large evergreen tree that is nicely shaped that you want removed from your property? If so, consider donating it for the city to use for Lexington’s holiday season celebration!
City officials will evaluate all trees and select the two chosen for the city Christmas trees. If your tree is chosen, the City and Kentucky Utilities will coordinate with the property owner remove it in early November. There’s no financial compensation, however removal of the tree and stump grinding is FREE.
The chosen trees will be placed in Triangle Park and in front of the KU building on Quality Street. They will be decorated and lit Friday, Nov. 26, as part of Luminate Lexington presented by Kentucky Utilities and Baird. Help your tree live out its Christmas destiny! The trees need to meet certain guidelines, which can be found here.

Richard Young