Lexington mayor explains delay in government-backed drive-up coronavirus tests
A lack of testing kits and personal protection equipment nationwide has led to a delay in starting government-backed drive-through coronavirus tests in Fayette County, Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said
“We’ve been working on identifying sites and everything we need to do. When we have test kits and we have personal protection equipment, we can go forward,” Gorton said during Thursday night’s Lexington Fayette Urban County Council meeting.
Personal protection equipment, which safeguard employees from the spread of the virus, is in high demand and short supply. The tests cannot be conducted without such equipment sometimes referred to as PPE, she said. Examples of the gear include face masks, goggles or face shields, gowns, gloves.
“We have to have test kits. We have to have PPE,” Gorton said.
“We have to every single piece in place before we can move forward,” Gorton said in response to council members’ questions about the status of a public health drive-through testing site in Fayette County. Gorton said she has been working with Fayette County Health Commissioner Dr. Kraig Humbaugh, state health officials, the governor’s office and other entities to have more testing sites available.
Meanwhile, a Lexington doctor started offering drive-through tests Friday. Bluegrass Extended Care Medicine used its Governor’s Lane parking lot.
Fayette Councilman Richard Moloney said Thursday night he was concerned about traffic. In some places in the country, drive-through COVID-19 test sites have created traffic backups on interstates.
“I am also worried that there are going to be people in those lines that aren’t sick,” Moloney said.
Gorton, a registered nurse, said only people with certain symptoms can be tested, under Centers for Disease Control guidelines.
At least one other doctor-operated drive-through testing site has opened in Central Kentucky.
Integrity Extended Healthcare in Boyle County launched a drive-through testing service last week and is currently conducting about 40 to 60 tests per day after a patient is screened by phone for symptoms.
Lexington’s next budget will be bad, Gorton warns
Thursday was the council’s last meeting for several weeks. It is scheduled to return on April 9. This week it only voted on essential items that could not be delayed. Staff also rearranged the council chamber so council members, staff and the public were more than 6 feet apart.
Gorton is supposed to unveil her budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins July 1 on April 28. It’s not clear if the council will be allowed to meet even in late April due to Gov. Andy Beshear’s order banning large, public gatherings.
Gorton warned council members next year’s budget was going to be stark, given the number of businesses that have closed and the number of people who have been laid off in just the last week.
The city is largely reliant on payroll taxes — a tax on wages —and net profit taxes—a tax on businesses. Even prior to coronavirus-related business closures, the city was looking at a more than $4.5 million hole in next year’s budget.
“We haven’t seen fourth quarter numbers,” Gorton said. “We expect a huge drop.”
The city has a rainy day fund, which had $35.3 million in it as of June 30, that the city could tap to plug budget holes. That rainy day fund, called the economic contingency fund, is meant for times like these, she said.
“I don’t think we will see this kind of an emergency, well, maybe ever again,” Gorton said. “This is not the recession of 2008.”
In addition, the city has another savings account —called the budget stabilization fund. That fund— which has $11.2 million in it — was created by the council out of surplus revenues to pay for expected increases in pension payments to the state.
Another item on Gorton’s must-do list — appoint a replacement for Councilman Jake Gibbs, who died unexpectedly of natural causes in early March. Gorton has 30 days to appoint Gibbs’ successor. The 30 days is up on April 3, when the council is still in recess.
The council has 15 days to overturn Gorton’s appointment by a two-thirds vote; 10 of 15 council members would have to vote against the appointment. The council does not have to ratify Gorton’s appointment.
Gorton told the council Thursday that she will talk to each of the council members after she announces her appointment to see if they want to try to schedule a meeting to overturn the appointment.
This story was originally published March 20, 2020 at 12:46 PM.
