The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council hosted a short public hearing Thursday as it finalizes its budget plan.
Mayor Linda Gorton is proposing a $540 million budget this year, with no proposed cuts to city services. The city projects a 5% rise in revenue, but they’re also seeing a 9% rise in costs because of rising prices of materials.
Two Lexingtonians spoke during the public comment period. That includes Phoenix Berry, who says they’d like to see more money for rental and housing assistance amid federal Department of Housing and Urban Development cuts.
“There's a lot of people that rely on housing vouchers and housing assistance, and this is something that I feel like in the city, we could possibly help fight back against,” Berry said.
Alice Hilton is a member of Living Streets Lexington, which advocates for safer roadways. She says she’d like to see that reflected with the city’s $20 million proposed for streets.
“I'm hoping that means that this administration is going to take every paving project as an opportunity to really evaluate the roadway and do community input and make the kind of changes that would make it easier and safer for elementary school kids to bike to school,” Hilton said.
This year’s budget takes effect July 1, at the start of Lexington’s next fiscal year. It’s expected to be approved in June.
