Gun Violence Task Force recommendations advanced
Kenneth Payne of ONE Lexington speaks on new grant program to addresss gun violence. Source: Lexington, KY City Website
Last Tuesday, members of the Social Services and Public Safety (SSPS) Committee advanced recommendations from the Gun Violence Task Force on how LFUCG should address gun violence in Lexington. You can review the full list of recommendations here.
One recommendation is to create a new Gun Violence Prevention Coordinator position within LFUCG. This position would work across departments and divisions to implement programming and strategies to prevent and address gun violence.
11th District Councilmember Jennifer Reynolds plans to ask for $75k to be allocated from the Fiscal Year 2024 Fund Balance — the extra revenue left over from the City Budget — for the position’s operating budget.
Councilmembers will discuss how to spend the Fund Balance on October 28th at 10am in Council Chambers.
The recommendations propose creating the position in the FY26 Budget, which will be approved in July 2025.
During the meeting, At-Large Councilmember Chuck Ellinger and District 1 Councilmember Tayna Fogle stated support for funding the position through Fund Balance rather than waiting until next year.
Money from Fund Balance is typically used on one-time expenses, such as capital construction projects, LFUCG employee bonuses, or other non-recurring costs.
Councilmember Fogle also stated that she is interested in increasing the position’s operating budget but did not say by how much.
It is unclear when the full Council will vote on the recommendations. According to Councilmember Reynolds, there are still details to be refined by the Council and City divisions and departments.
