Council adds amendments to proposed FY 23/24 budget
Update:
Council made it through all recommended amendments to the Mayor’s proposed budget at the first COW on May 30th. The budget COW on June 1st has been canceled.
Overall, Council approved 23 amendments to the proposed budget totaling over $3 million. Some of the big amendments made include:
$1 million to replace the roof on the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center, which is also scheduled to receive significant interior renovations this year
$100k to LexArts for a Grant Writer position and for extra funding for their Community Arts grant programs
$250k to update the 2001 Greenway Master Plan to manage current and future greenways in Lexington-Fayette County
Over $500k for Parks & Recreation to increase and improve ADA accessibility to restrooms, shelters, and community buildings in Whitney Young Park, Green Acres Park, Picadome, and Castlewood, as well as adding an elevator to the Dunbar Community Center
$400k for two Small Area Plans for unspecified areas. Likely, this money will be used for plans related to future USB expansion areas
$79k for the construction of a Dignity Station trailer, with restroom and laundry facilities for Lexington’s homeless population
The budget as amended was approved by Council at the Work Session following the COW that afternoon.
The Urban County Council scheduled two COWs for the week of May 30th for the FY23/24 budget. In these COWs, links and Councilmembers presented and voted on their recommended amendments to the Mayor’s proposed budget, and then voted to adopt the budget as amended.
This is already the largest budget in Lexington history at over $900 million, and there were a lot of notable budget amendments that were recommended both by Link groups and individual Councilmembers. Some of the highlights include:
$72k Housing Navigation Specialist position which would provide a dedicated staff person to assist those with housing navigation, eviction prevention, and identifying affordable units.
$3.5million for a new Paramedicine Facility (Update - this item did not end up being recommended and therefore was not passed)
$400k for two Small Area Plans
$250k to update the 2001 Greenway Master Plan
$100k for LexArts to go towards funding a Grants Writer position and additional Community Arts Development Grants
$79k for the construction of a Dignity Station mobile trailer with showers, restrooms, and laundry facilities to serve Lexington’s homeless population
You can view all the recommended changes here.
The Council held a Budget COW on Tuesday, May 30th at 10:00 AM, and had one scheduled for Thursday, June 1st at 10:00 AM but later canceled this one as they had already made it through all recommended changes. You can watch the recording on LexTV.
Here are ways to get involved in the budget process!
Contact your Councilmember - Councilmembers are making changes until June 1st. If you have priorities, concerns, or things you want to support in the budget, let them know!
Check out our budget database - CivicLex creates a budget database every year, to help explore what exactly is being funded in more detail. The database is open to the public and accessible here.
Read our Budget Guide - Take a gander at our Guide to the Mayor’s Proposed Budget, which explains the budget in a simple, straightforward way.
Making Sense of Lexington's City Budget - Learn about this year’s proposed city budget, hosted by yours truly at CivicLex!
