Ever wanted to share your thoughts with our city council, but couldn’t find a way to make it to meetings? A new website is about to simplify the process.
Engage Lexington is a new platform that wants to do just that — engage the public. Here, Lexingtonians can provide comments, ideas, suggestions, and feedback as the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council makes decisions.
“Our responsibility as councilmembers involves both listening to constituent input about our city, and accurately informing the public about the issues and processes of governance,” Councilmember Hannah LeGris said. LeGris is the chairperson of the Council Public Input Subcommittee, which was established to learn about new ways for the public to take part in the government’s decisions.
From there, Engage Lexington was born. The website features different avenues to connect with the council including registration for public input, where your thoughts can be delivered online, by voicemail, or live during in-person meetings. Plus, you can also find progress on specific projects like short-term rental regulations and the proposed 2024-2025 budget, plus opportunities to share feedback.
Not only is this a platform for Lexingtonians to stay up-to-date on the happenings within council chambers, it also provides a step-by-step process of how certain projects are worked through. For instance, there’s a fully fleshed timeline outlining the budget process, which includes:
- A winter retreat where councilmembers can discuss priorities with the Mayor
- The Mayor proposing the budget to council
- The Committee of the Whole and councilmembers discussing the proposal
- A public hearing on Thursday, May 9
- Recommendations from the council due by Wednesday, May 15
- Readings of the amended budget
All of this leads to the final vote on the budget, which must be in place by Sunday, June 30.