City Council Approves Budget Amendments for Security, Digital Access
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LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Urban County Council's Committee of the Whole unanimously approved six budget amendments Tuesday that will allocate funding for building security, digital accessibility and other government services for fiscal year 2027, which begins July 1.
During the May 26 meeting, council members advanced amendments addressing requests from various city departments and committees. The approved amendments included $31,380 for building security equipment, $110,000 for building security personnel, and $50,000 to implement Lexington's Digital Accessibility Plan, which aims to close the digital divide across Fayette County.
The Digital Accessibility Plan sets out several broad goals for closing Lexington's digital divide, including expanding fiber optic broadband throughout Fayette County, financial assistance for qualifying households, device re-use and donation pipelines, and digital skills education.
During the meeting, Finance Commissioner Hensley reported that Fiscal Year 2027 will begin on July 1, 2026 and end on June 30, 2027. The commission also presented a financial update for the current fiscal year through April, noting a $17 million surplus of revenues exceeding expenses.
The council also approved amendments for requests from the environmental quality and public works divisions, general government services, social services and public safety divisions, and budget and finance operations. Additional amendments included funding for council requests related to digital accessibility, with the final vote passing unanimously.
The new fiscal year budget must be adopted by the Urban County Council by June 15. Council members are scheduled to continue budget discussions May 28 before proceeding to formal readings and final adoption.
The amendments move forward recommendations developed through the council's "link" committee process, where council members meet in groups of three to review budget items and consult with city departments. The Tuesday meeting represented the first of two Committee of the Whole sessions dedicated to finalizing the fiscal year 2027 budget before the June 15 adoption deadline.