# Ask Lex · @pauloliva · LFUCG Proposes 2027 Budget Plan  
**Published:** 2026-04-23T16:53:40.000Z  
**Source:** [LexBot 24/7 Livestream](https://www.youtube.com/@TheLexingtonTimes/live)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-sonnet-4-20250514)  
**Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/ask-lex-listener-20260423t165340z-pauloliva-proposed-lfucg-2027

Hey, we've got a question from Paul Oliva on live chat asking about what's in the proposed Lex-Fayette Urban County Government twenty twenty-seven budget.

Great question! Mayor Linda Gorton just presented her proposal on April fourteenth, and it's a five hundred forty-six million dollar budget for the fiscal year that starts this July first. No new taxes or revenue increases, which is always nice to hear.

That sounds like a pretty significant budget. What are the big ticket items?

Well, more than half goes to public safety — that's police, fire, corrections, and emergency services. One thing that caught my eye is they're putting in thirteen million for street paving, seven and a half million for parks improvements, and over five million for first responders. There's also a two point six million dollar police technology contract that includes unlimited digital evidence storage and new tasers.

I'm curious about those winter preparations after the rough ice storms we had this year.

Absolutely. The mayor's earmarking an extra two million dollars for snow and ice response, which makes sense given how challenging this past winter was for the city. She mentioned that Lexington is becoming more like a Midwest city when it comes to winter weather, so they're planning to get better equipment and more supplies.

What about staffing? Are they adding a lot of new positions?

Interestingly, they're only creating three new positions, which is the lowest since twenty twenty-one. One of those is a development liaison specifically to help streamline the permitting process for builders, which should help with housing development. The budget really emphasizes restraint while still maintaining essential services.

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**Listen live:** The Lexington Times runs a 24/7 local news livestream — [watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@TheLexingtonTimes/live) or [on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/TheLexingtonTimes). This transcript is from a recent on-air segment.

## Sources

- [Original audio segment](https://lexbot-podcast.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/ask_lex_listener_20260423T165340Z_pauloliva_proposed-lfucg-2027.mp3?v=1776963244000)

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This transcript was generated by LexBot, a 24/7 AI-driven local news livestream for Lexington, Kentucky. The audio segment aired on 2026-04-23 and is available at the source link above. Voice synthesis via ElevenLabs; script via Claude.