The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council applauds Mayor Gorton and her administration for their work on the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025) Proposed Budget. It is the role of Council to review the Mayor’s proposed budget and make adjustments to reflect our constituents’ priorities and the needs of the city before passing a final budget. This is one of the most essential functions of Council in the shared governance of Lexington-Fayette County. During the Council Budget process, Council decided to prioritize and fund additional positions across government following interviews with LFUCG division and department leaders. These new positions will deliver critical services to the residents of Lexington including traffic management, improving road conditions, improving access to city resources and services, not to mention additional support for our E911, Fire, and Police departments.
In recent years, the administration made very conservative revenue estimates that have consistently resulted in budget surpluses due to Lexington’s positive job and wage growth. In order to pay for these new positions without having to cut any other budget priorities, Council voted with confidence to increase the FY2025 revenue estimates by a mere 0.15%. This adjustment will fund these needed positions and keep us living well within our means. It will in no way endanger the fiscal health of the government, threaten to unbalance the budget, nor force us to raise taxes.
The City’s long-term financial health is a top priority for Council and it is reflected in our funding and policy recommendations during the budget process. We demonstrated this with a recommendation to increase savings in our Economic Contingency Fund, continually evaluating our bonding to reduce debt payments, and enhancing cost-savings by reducing employee overtime. The decision to add the 10 new positions represents the will of the vast majority of Council and was based on careful vetting and robust discussion with stakeholders. Despite the Mayor’s recent veto of these positions, the approved budget reflects the many shared goals and priorities between Council and the Mayor’s Administration. We will continue to work together to build budgets that affirm the values of our community while meeting the needs of all Lexingtonians.
The Council will discuss a proposal to override the Mayor’s veto to restore these needed positions on June 27, 2024 at the 6 p.m. Council Meeting.
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