Metro Lex News

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council has expressed support for Mayor Gorton and her administration's work on the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025) Proposed Budget. The Council emphasized its role in reviewing and adjusting the Mayor’s proposed budget to reflect constituents' priorities and city needs before passing a final budget.

During the budget process, the Council decided to prioritize and fund additional positions across various government departments. These new roles aim to enhance critical services such as traffic management, road condition improvements, access to city resources, and support for E911, Fire, and Police departments.

In recent years, conservative revenue estimates by the administration have resulted in budget surpluses due to positive job and wage growth in Lexington. To fund these new positions without cutting other budget priorities, the Council voted to increase FY2025 revenue estimates by 0.15%. This adjustment is intended to finance the needed positions while maintaining fiscal health without unbalancing the budget or raising taxes.

The Council highlighted its commitment to long-term financial health through increased savings in the Economic Contingency Fund, reducing debt payments via bonding evaluations, and enhancing cost-savings by minimizing employee overtime. The decision to add ten new positions was supported by most of the Council after thorough vetting and discussions with stakeholders.

Despite Mayor Gorton's recent veto of these positions, the approved budget reflects shared goals between the Council and her administration. The Council plans to discuss a proposal to override this veto at their meeting on June 27, 2024.

For more information on upcoming meetings and events, follow the Urban County Council on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LexKYCouncil or Instagram at www.instagram/LexKYCouncil.