Lexington council adds $2.75M to new city budget. Here’s what it’s for
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council came one step closer to finalizing the next city budget, adding $2.75 million in new expenses in a Tuesday meeting.
The council amended Mayor Linda Gorton’s proposed $546.72 million general fund budget. The budget is slated to get final approval at a June 9 council meeting.
Most of the new expenses the council added to the budget - $2.53 million’s worth - come from a specific capital reserve fund rather than the city’s general fund. $1 million of that money will go toward additional fleet vehicles across different city departments, and $1.5 million will go toward implementing the city’s Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan, which will make widespread accessibility improvement across Lexington.
Additionally, $31,380 will purchase two metal detectors and a baggage scanner to be set up at the entrance of the government center.
The council created two new security officer positions, supported through the general fund, to staff those machines. The two positions combined will cost $103,718.
In 2024, Gorton vetoed 10 new positions added by the council to the fiscal year 2025 budget, citing concerns that slower revenue growth in the future would make it harder to support additional staff in the long term. The council overrode her veto.
Last year, the council added two new full-time positions and increased two part-time positions to full-time in the fiscal year 2026 budget. Gorton declined to veto those, but told the Herald-Leader at the time she’s “always concerned when positions are added because the cost of salaries and benefits will continue in future budgets.”
She’s made very similar points about this year’s budget. In February, before her proposed budget was finalized, Gorton even told the council she would not be adding any new positions to her budget.
However, she did end up including three new full-time staff positions in her proposal: two positions to staff the soon-to-open senior center at Shillito Park and a development liaison position that will help developers navigate city planning processes. The latter was a priority of both the council and local development groups.
Susan Straub, a spokesperson for the mayor, said she “can’t answer” if the mayor will veto the new positions added by council until after the budget is approved.
In addition to the two new security officers, the council allocated $25,000 for temporary administrative support in the Citizens’ Advocate office. The Citizens’ Advocate provides support to residents who have complaints and unresolved issues with the city government. The office is staffed only by one full-time position and is specifically outlined in the city charter.
The money could go toward creating a part-time position, or the city could hire a contractor to help with administrative tasks. A council committee will eventually discuss longer term ideas for how to best staff the office.
A new pilot program, funded at $50,000, will partner with the University of Kentucky to provide mental health counseling and wellness programming for firefighters and E911 staff. The Lexington Police Department has had a similar service available to them for several years.
The Police Activities League, which provides sports programming for youth from local officers, will get $20,000 from the budget thanks to an additional council allocation.
A new nature trail at Coldstream Park will be built with $25,000 from the city’s water quality fund, which cannot be used for general city expenses but can be used for environmental projects.
