The first week of April in the bluegrass brings a budget recommendation from the mayor of Kentucky’s second largest city. As At least one Lexington council member isn’t expecting any major surprises from Mayor Jim Gray.
Lexington Vice Mayor Steve Kay says a number of major projects are underway, including finishing the Legacy Trail, refurbishing the city’s old courthouse, and the Town Branch Commons Park. Kay says the cost of borrowing money is low and that makes it a good time to consider building a new city hall. He’s not sure if money will be in the budget for such a new government center. “We’re still doing an evaluation of sites and so on, so if there’s any money in the budget, it might be just for the early kind of investigation and design stages,” said Kay.
Kay envisions the mayor to outline a “continuation budget.” Kay says Gray’s decision to run for U.S. Senate should not change the dynamics in offering a budget. “He’s running for higher office, that’s perfectly fine. But, that will not have any significant impact on really any of the projects that we’re now undertaking or any of the ways in which money would be allocated,” Kay explained.
Council members will review the mayor budget recommendations over the next few months with a vote expected in June.
