On behalf of Councilmember Bledsoe, thank you for your e-mail regarding the Fountains at Palomar, LLC request. As you know, the Urban County Council sits in a “quasi-judicial” capacity in respect to Planning Commission decisions. It could potentially be a breach of ethics if Councilmember Bledsoe were to have any discussion or communication with those for or against the development, including the developer or citizens, occurring outside of the official Council public hearing and therefore could be cause for Councilmember Bledsoe’s recusal on any vote regarding this matter. The Council must remain impartial until they are presented both sides of the issue during the zone change hearing, and make its decision based solely on information presented at the actual zone change hearing. For these reasons Councilmember Bledsoe is not able to be present at the Planning Commission meeting on March 22nd and it is very important that she be able to vote and be a part of the process when it comes to Council for any final votes and changes. Tomorrow, March 22nd, the Planning Commission can accept, postpone, or amend the zone change with or without certain conditions. Once the planning commission votes on a final zone change, the application is forwarded to Council. The Council must approve the zone change before it is final and at that time Council also has the ability if requested by citizens or the developer to accept or amend the zone change and the conditions. Any letters Councilmember Bledsoe has received, we have saved for her review for the Council process, as noted above, and we have forwarded the letters to the planning staff to be a part of the official record. If you have any questions, please let me know. Councilmember Bledsoe encourages you to continue to share your concerns and feedback at any time on any issue in Lexington and hopes that you continue to keep her informed on matters of importance to you. Jamie Rodgers, MPA Legislative Aide to Councilmember Bledsoe 859.425.2285 office jrodgers@lexingtonky.gov lexingtonky.gov |
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January 2021
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