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The Weekly is a free guide to what’s going on in Lexington’s city hall that’s sent out every Monday at 8am. It usually takes less than 10 minutes to read. Did we mention it’s free?
Past Coverage in the CivicLex Weekly
After an official opinion from Kentucky Attorney General (AG) Russell Coleman stating that Fayette County Public School’s Occupational License Tax (OLT) increase was unlawful because they did not meet state-mandated public notice requirements was published last week, the FCPS Board of Education has decided not to increase the tax.
This Thursday, Council will have a final vote of approval on the House Bill 443 Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment (ZOTA), which will revise development and planning regulations and processes in Lexington. Separately from the ZOTA, HB 443 is causing LFUCG to make other changes to stormwater and waste management regulations.
Last week, Ed Holmes of EHI Consulting presented an overview of the Homelessness Emergency Shelter Feasibility Study they conducted to evaluate how many emergency homeless shelter beds are needed in Lexington, and what it would look like financially for LFUCG to develop a new homeless emergency shelter.
This Thursday, Council will hold a Public Hearing to vote to confirm or reject two nominees to serve on the Planning Commission.
Last Tuesday, the Fayette County School Board (FCPS) voted to increase its Occupational License Tax (OLT) from 0.5% to 0.75%. This Thursday, the Fayette County Fiscal Court is expected to formally adopt the increase.
In Tuesday’s Council Work Session, EHI Consultants will present an overview of the Homelessness Shelter Feasibility Study. This study identifies how many additional homelessness shelter beds are needed in Lexington, how much it would cost LFUCG to develop and operate a homeless shelter, and four specific sites in Lexington that a shelter could be built.
In Tuesday’s Council Work Session, Lextran General Manager Fred Combs will present an overview of the microtransit feasibility study. The feasibility study outlines how and where a microtransit service could look in Lexington, and how much it would cost to operate a pilot project.
Last Tuesday, Councilmembers made their final changes to the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Budget! While these changes are fairly finalized, the Budget will still need to be officially adopted in a vote on June 12th at 6pm.
Council will begin finalizing the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget this week! Today and Thursday at 10am, Council will hold a Committee of the Whole (COW) Meeting where they will review and vote on recommended changes to the Budget.
Council has moved forward the controversial House Bill 443 Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment (HB 443 ZOTA), which revises Lexington’s planning regulations and development process to be more objective. The HB 443 ZOTA will receive First Reading in May 29th’s Council Meeting, and will receive Second Reading and final vote of approval on June 12th.
In last Thursday’s Council Committee of the Whole Meeting, Long Range Planning Manager Hal Baillie presented the first draft of the Lexington Preservation and Growth Management Program (LP&GMP). The LP&GMP, once adopted, will establish a new process for how the decision to change Lexington’s Urban Service Boundary (USB) will be made. It must be adopted by August 31st, 2026.
There’s a lot happening this week with the city budget, including several Link meetings and a public hearing on the Mayor’s Proposed Budget.
In Tuesday’s General Government and Planning (GGP) Committee, the Committee will hear a presentation from Principal Planner Daniel Crum on the Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment (ZOTA) related to House Bill 443, a recent law passed by the Kentucky Legislature in 2024.
In Tuesday’s General Government and Planning (GGP) Committee, Principal Planner Daniel Crum will present a proposed Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment (ZOTA) that would create and modify regulations for solar panels in residential, commercial, and industrial areas.
In Tuesday’s Council Work Session, Lextran General Manager Fred Combs will present Lextran’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). Council will vote on whether or not to approve the Budget in that meeting.
This week, Council will begin work on the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Budget. Mayor Linda Gorton released her Proposed Budget two weeks ago, and between now and early June, Council will review it, propose any changes, and vote to approve a final version.
In Tuesday’s Council Work Session, Council will take the first step in adopting a Vision Zero Policy.
Council advanced a proposal to increase parking garage and parking violation rates for LexPark.
On Tuesday, the Environmental Quality and Public Works (EQPW) Committee will hear an update on the Lex Grow Trees from Heather Wilson, Urban and Community Forestry Section Manager, and Lauren Gawthrop, Impressions Marketing.
In Tuesday’s Council Work Session, Complete Streets Manager Brandi Peacher will provide an update on the City’s Complete Streets work.
Last Tuesday, Mayor Gorton delivered the annual Budget Address and released her Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26)!