Latest news with #Lexington-FayetteUrbanCountyCouncil
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Lexington council approves $540 million city budget. Here's what's in it
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council unanimously passed a $540.2 million spending plan Thursday that includes money to improve sidewalks, millions for sewer system renovations and raises for most city employees. The budget is for the fiscal year that begins July 1, and includes no tax increases. It is the largest budget in the city's history, up 7% from two years ago, which was the first time the budget surpassed $500 million. Mayor Linda Gorton's budget proposal included $28.2 million for improvements to the city sewer system; 3% raises for all non-union city employees; $19.2 million for street improvement projects, like connecting sidewalks and installing new traffic lights; and $3.4 million for new snow plows and street salt. The council added nearly $1 million in additional spending. It added five positions, including an additional social worker for Lexington's Community Paramedicine Program and a deputy director of accounting. The total cost to add that staff is $305,508.32. Most of that money comes from decreasing spending in other budgeted areas, like lowering the cost of allotted overtime for the fire department. Gorton's budget included funding for 16.5 new positions. With council changes, the new budget has money for 21.5 new positions. 'I am always concerned when positions are added because the cost of salaries and benefits will continue in future budgets,' Gorton told the Herald-Leader. Last year, Gorton vetoed personnel expenses added by the council, but that was ultimately overridden. Gorton doesn't plan to make any vetoes this year, spokeswoman Susan Straub said. City council also added $500,000 to the budget for Lextran, the city's bus service, to run two pilot programs. The downtown connector pilot program will run a bus on weekends from 4 p.m. through midnight connecting downtown to the distillery district. A second pilot program will test micro-transit, a government-funded rideshare service — like Uber or Lyft — for trips where Lextran buses don't go. The budget uses $18 million in bonding or borrowing, the smallest debt since the COVID pandemic. That includes $6.2 million for new city, police and road management vehicles, and $3 million to design a new training facility for the Lexington Fire Department. The budget includes $14 million for paving, the same amount as last year's budget.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lexington makes changes to diversity, equity and inclusion office as DEI attacks ramp up
The city of Lexington is giving its Officer of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion a new role as attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion ramp up. Arthur Lucas, who has served in the position for several years, will continue to work on diversity efforts but through the human resources department, said Sally Hamilton, the city's chief administrative officer. Lucas currently works out of Hamilton's office. When Lucas was hired, there was debate on whether he should be placed in Hamilton's office or with human resources. Because his work is across city government it would be better if he was in human resources so his duties can also be expanded, Hamilton said. His title will be changed to a senior administrator to better reflect the breadth of his duties, she said. The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council took its first vote on the title change at a Tuesday work session. A final vote will likely come at its March 6 meeting. Lucas helps the city with a lot of different initiatives. In hiring, the city doesn't give additional weight to someone who is diverse. Rather, the city makes sure everyone has the same opportunities, Hamilton said. 'For example, when we have interview panels we make sure that everyone on that panel is not all the same type of person,' Hamilton said. Employers often hire people who look like them, Hamilton said. Hamilton said the city is not making other major changes in light of federal and state efforts to eliminate DEI initiatives. The University of Kentucky also voluntarily eliminated its Office of Institutional Diversity in August 2024 in light of efforts to ax DEI offices. In one of his first acts in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order dismantling all federal DEI offices. State legislators also have proposed bills in the Kentucky House and Senate that target DEI efforts in state universities and in local government. Senate Bill 164, filed Thursday by Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, would block all levels of government from 'providing preferential treatment' to individuals or groups based on race, sex, color, or national origin. It also would prohibit state and local government agencies from 'requiring or incentivizing' a person to attend a DEI training, or from allocating resources to 'establish or maintain diversity, equity and inclusion offices.' Senate Bill 165, also filed by Tichenor, would prohibit similar DEI initiatives in Kentucky public schools. A similar bill targeting DEI in public schools has been filed in the House. Efforts to pass anti-DEI legislation have so far failed in the Republican-controlled General Assembly.
