City of Lexington, Ky - Government

09/22/2023

This is always such a fun event! See you there!

09/21/2023

Prepared for the worst, we’ll be helped by the best. The annual Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program disaster exercise was this week. A big thanks to Southside Technical Center students, Lexington-Fayette Animal Care & Control and our regional partners who participated!

Lexington Fire Department Lexington KY Emergency Management

09/20/2023

🎉 It's time to party!! Lexington is getting ready to celebrate its 250th birthday in 2025 and we need your help. How should we celebrate? What should our celebration logo be? We're taking ideas and suggestions, and having a logo design contest! Share your ideas at 250lex.com

09/19/2023

Free paper shred
Saturday, Sept. 23
9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
1631 Old Frankfort Pike
lexingtonky.gov/papershred

09/15/2023

Save the date for the Job & Resource Fair! Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the Charles Young Center.

Everything is so expensive these days. Join us for the upcoming job and resource fair that can help relieve some of the stress.

09/14/2023

Nature Hop is back this Sunday! This highly popular annual event encourages people to enjoy the variety of green spaces in Fayette County and to experience these spaces in new ways.

Events happen all over town during the day. Check out the link for more info.

This is the sixth annual Nature Hop.

09/14/2023

⚠️ SOUTH BROADWAY TRAFFIC ALERT All outbound lanes are closed between W. Maxwell Street and Cedar Street.

Crews are replacing a damaged electric pole and wires from an earlier collision. The closure is expected at least through rush hour. Traffic is being diverted to Maxwell Street.

09/13/2023

We want to hear from you! Help us design Lexington's Complete Streets Action Plan. Take the survey ➡️ bit.ly/CompleteStreetsSurvey2023

This plan will cover things like how we'll pay for it, how we'll plan and build these streets, and how we'll take care of them once they're built. This plan will guide us over the next five years in making Lexington's streets better for everyone.

09/12/2023

🎉 The Lexington Fire Department received a nearly $1 million grant to fund advanced emergency medical training and certification for 27 firefighters! Last year they responded to over 66,000 emergency calls, with at least three-quarters of those being medical in nature 🤯

Public safety will improve thanks to a $928,655 federal grant to fund advanced emergency medical training and certification for firefighters.

09/12/2023

FREE mulch! This year’s fall mulch giveaway is Saturday, Sept. 16.

Yard waste collected during the past several months is now available as mulch. A portion of that material will be available for pick up at 1631 Old Frankfort Pike between 8 a.m. and noon or until the supply runs out. Please don’t arrive before 8 a.m.

The mulch will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and is limited to one pickup truckload per person.

Once again, there will be a self-load area for residents picking up smaller amounts of mulch. Due to demand, those who self-load mulch will be limited to a 15-minute loading time. Those self-loading must bring shovels, bags and other supplies. The City is not able to provide tools or bags at the event.

The event is for Fayette County residents only. Bring your driver's license with a Lexington address.

Enter via Jimmie Campbell Drive, and look for posted signage directing you through the event site.

09/12/2023

Join us Friday for Art on the Town at Tandy Park for a celebration of local artists, music and food from 5 – 9 p.m.!

September's event features over a dozen local artists and craftspeople. Come check out their paintings, drawings, prints, note cards, jewelry, garden art, body creams and oils, and much more.

Artists include: Diana Thomas, Jason Sturgill, Hope Soch, Elizabeth Beck, Kentucky Humanities, Sam Lunger (Piper and Co.), Frank Leake, LaChrista Ellis, Debbie Blair, Rachelle Gaither, David Gaither, Deborah Sloane, and Chris Huestis

Live music by Warren Byrom & Chris Sullivan
Food by Cardira's Colombian Food Truck

09/11/2023

"Don't forget. Please don't ever forget." - LFD Firefighter Michael Hurt

Thank you to the Lexington Fire Department and Lexington Police Department honor guards and all who joined us this morning in Phoenix Park.

09/08/2023

✨ Didn’t get tickets? No need to see Red – let’s make this whole place shimmer! Calling all Swifties to our Sing-along & Dance Party – get ready to shake it off at Moondance for a Taylor Swift tribute night! Just say yes to this epic evening celebrating Taylor’s music and community. Bring your besties, come dressed as your favorite Era, and sing and dance your heart out as our DJ spins the entire set-list from the Eras Tour. 🎤

Bring a lawn chair or blanket for seating. Food, beverage and dessert trucks will be present, but feel free to bring your own picnic.

Swiftie Sing-along & Dance Party
Saturday, Oct. 7
6 – 9 p.m.
Moondance Amphitheater
1152 Monarch St.
All ages – $5 at the gate

*Proceeds benefit Dance Attack, a competitive dance program through Lexington, KY Parks & Recreation .

09/07/2023

Where would you expand the Urban Service Area? Join us for public comment on the proposed draft maps on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. in the Government Center, 200 E. Main St. Can't make the meeting? Email your thoughts to [email protected]

The Urban County Council has requested the Planning Commission to identify 2,700 – 5,000 acres of land to expand the Urban Service Area. To complete this task, an Urban Growth Management Advisory Committee was created and charged with aiding the Planning Commission with this process. The mission of this committee is guided by Theme E, Goal 3, which states: Through a robust public engagement process, the Urban County Council has identified a critical need for additional acreage inside the Urban Service Area for housing and job creation. The 2045 Comprehensive Plan shall maintain the Urban Service Area concept, but it is also this Plan's responsibility to meet existing needs and plan for future growth to meet the needs of our community through 2045.

“This committee has been charged with guiding the Urban County Planning Commission's task of fulfilling Goal 3 of the adopted 2045 Comprehensive Plan's Goals and Objectives,” Committee Chair Larry Forrester said. “The committee has expressed a strong desire to be attentive to the community's voice and needs, and to enlist the public for a role in framing the outcome.”

Learn more about the map and other areas for consideration here: imaginelexington.com/ugm

09/06/2023

🙋🏽‍♀️ Who wants a new job? Apply 👉 lexingtonky.gov/jobs

09/05/2023

Don't let these bird-watching events fly by! Join Ronan O’Carra from Raven Run Nature Sanctuary (and board member for the Central Kentucky Audubon Society) on birding walks this month! Beginner and experienced birders are welcome. Dress appropriately for the walk through the trails at Raven Run or along the golf course. Binoculars available. Registration is required: bit.ly/3L8Jf2U

• Raven Run | 9 a.m. |Sept. 8, 15, 22, 29 & Oct. 13
• Tates Creek Golf Course (meet at ballroom parking lot) | 8:45 a.m. | Sept. 6, 13, 20

09/02/2023

Sorry folks. Shillito Pool is the only pool that will be open this weekend. Please see this update from Lexington, KY Parks & Recreation ⬇️

Pool Update: Due to limited staffing as schools have resumed, Woodland Aquatic Center will be closed for the season beginning tomorrow 9/2. Shillito Pool will remain open through Monday 9/4, and close on-schedule following that day. Charles Young, Jacobson, and Masterson Station spraygrounds also remain open until October 1.

09/01/2023

📣 The Neighborhood Enhancement Match Grant Program is now accepting applications! Are you looking to enhance Lexington’s corridors or roadways through projects such as beautification, litter awareness and clean-ups, and repairs of dilapidated neighborhood features? Then check out this grant opportunity 👉 bit.ly/44Aojss

08/31/2023

We wanted to give smooches to all of these pooches at Yappy Hour yesterday! Missed it? Save the date for the remaining Yappy Hours 🐶
• Sept. 27 – Veterans Park
• Oct. 25 – Howloween Pawty – Wellington Park

08/31/2023

Looking to get your kid involved with dance? Check out the variety of dance classes offered through Lexington, KY Parks & Recreation! Learn more and register at lexingtonky.gov/kiddiekapers

08/29/2023

Waste Management will adjust its collection schedule for the upcoming Labor Day holiday.

No collections will be made on Monday, Sept. 4. If you usually receive curbside pickup on Mondays, your carts will be serviced on Wednesday, Sept. 6. Place your carts out after 4 p.m. on Tuesday to ensure Wednesday collection.

Businesses with dumpsters (landfill-bound and recycling), normally serviced by the city on Mondays, will have their units picked up on Tuesday, Sept. 5. Businesses with dumpsters, normally serviced on Tuesdays, will have their units picked up on Wednesday, Sept. 6.

08/25/2023

FREE music this weekend!
• CANCELED Northside Nights - due to illness and technical difficulties. We are hopeful to reschedule with The Tim Talbert Project, please stay tuned for the make-up date.
Northside Nights series featuring The Tim Talbert Project
Friday | 7 p.m. | Castlewood Park

•From the Front Porch series featuring Keith McCutchens w/ Clarice Taylor Bell
Saturday | 6 p.m. | Isaac Murphy Art Garden

08/24/2023

The Lexington Police Department is now utilizing the Fūsus platform to integrate police technologies as part of its Real-Time Intelligence Center (RTIC).

This lets LPD detectives combine other resources, like Flock License Plate Readers, traffic cameras, and other cameras operated by private entities who opt-in, to investigate and solve crime.

The Lexington Police Department is now utilizing the Fūsus platform to integrate police technologies as part of its Real-Time Intelligence Center (RTIC). “We’re taking an exciting step forward today that will make our community safer through technology,” Mayor Linda Gorton said. “Fūsus wil...

08/22/2023

Waste Management will adjust its collection times through Friday, Aug. 25 due to the daytime heat index remaining in the danger category.

City waste collections will start one hour earlier than usual each day to limit the time employees are working during the hottest part of the day. Collections staff will start servicing containers by 4:30 a.m., possibly a little earlier. Residents should place their carts out the night before.

To sign up for text alerts about changes to your waste collection schedule, text your regular collection day (MONDAY, TUESDAY, THURSDAY or FRIDAY) to 888777 from your mobile phone. To sign up for email alerts, please visit lexingtonky.gov/311alerts.

08/21/2023

WOW! What a great weekend it was for the Woodland Art Fair! Thank you to all of the patrons, vendors, volunteers, staff and of course the Lexington Art League for a wonderful weekend!

08/21/2023

🥵 With the heat this week it's important that you stay safe. Visit one of our cooling centers if you need a place to cool down.
• Dunbar Community Center | open from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Tates Creek Golf Course | open from 8 a.m. – dark
• Picadome Golf Course | open from 8 a.m. – dark
• Lexington Senior Center | open from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

More information can be found on our website: lexingtonky.gov/extreme-heat

08/20/2023

With the daytime heat index expected to be in the danger category, Waste Management will adjust its collection times on Monday, Aug. 21, and Tuesday, Aug. 22.

City waste collections will start one hour earlier than usual each day to limit the time employees are working during the hottest part of the day. Collections staff will start servicing containers by 4:30 a.m., possibly a little earlier. Residents should place their carts out the night before.

To sign up for text alerts about changes to your waste collection schedule, text your regular collection day (MONDAY, TUESDAY, THURSDAY or FRIDAY) to 888777 from your mobile phone. To sign up for email alerts, please visit lexingtonky.gov/311alerts

08/19/2023

There's still time to register for the League of American Bicyclists seminar in September! The workshop is focused on certifying bilingual cyclists from across KY. The program is funded by a Paula Nye Memorial Bicyclist & Pedestrian Education Grant from the Kentucky Bicycle and Bikeway Commission. lexingtonky.gov/bikewalk

08/18/2023

Secretary of Transportation Jim Gray’s mayoral portrait was unveiled yesterday before a crowd of family, friends and supporters.

The portrait, a photo collage by UK Photography Professor James Robert Southard, will hang in the Urban County Council Chamber, along with the portraits of all of the mayors who have served Lexington since the merged local government began operating in 1974.

“It was the privilege of a lifetime to serve as Mayor, especially alongside all the talented people in the administration and government,” Gray said.

Southard said “hundreds of images” were edited together to create the portrait. The portrait shows Gray at home with his dog, May Lake, at his feet.

“This portrait tells the story of Mayor Gray’s vision for our city. It is full of references to the progress our city made during his administration, and to the people who worked with him,” Mayor Linda Gorton said.

The portrait includes images of the Historic Courthouse, which Gray restored, plus a newspaper carrying the story of his decision to relocate the Confederate statues from the Courthouse lawn; the names of members of his administration on the spines of books; a photograph of 21C Museum Hotel, which opened in Lexington’s historic Fayette National Bank Building during Gray’s term; the reinvented Rupp Arena and Central Bank Center; a Lexington flag; the city seal; Kentucky symbols; and much more.

08/17/2023

🎉 We know how much y'all love pickleball and tennis! Pickleball courts are coming to Constitution, Meadowbrook, Picadome, River Hill and Shillito parks and the new Cardinal Run Park North! Tennis courts will be rebuilt and restored at Belleau Woods, Constitution, Mount Tabor, Shillito and Woodland parks. Courts at Belleau Woods and Mount Tabor parks will be double-striped for use by both sports.

New and rebuilt courts to improve access and quality of pickleball and tennis facilities across Lexington.

08/16/2023

Who's excited for this weekend?! See you at the Woodland Art Fair!
• Saturday | 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Sunday | 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Music lineup: lexingtonky.gov/woodland-art-fair

08/16/2023

Hey nonprofits! Interested in our Capital Grant Program? Register for this informational webinar Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 4 p.m. LInk to register 👉 bit.ly/45w2pHO

Lexington-Fayette Nonprofits!

If you are a 501(c)(3) agency, make certain to join us on August 30 at 4 PM for a webinar discussing the new cycle of the City’s Nonprofit Capital Grant Program.

You must register in advance for the webinar at https://bit.ly/45w2pHO, or use the QR code below.

NOTE: Agencies who received funding from the ARPA-funded Nonprofit Capital Grant Program in 2022 are not eligible to apply or to receive funds.

08/16/2023

Happy first day! 📚✏️🍎

08/15/2023

What’s your vision for Lexington’s future? We're seeking input for the 2045 comprehensive plan – Imagine Lexington 2045.

There are four ways to offer input for Imagine Lexington 2045:
• In-person open house – Aug. 30, 3 – 7 p.m., Lexington Senior Center, 195 Life Lane
• Online form – open through Aug. 30, 2023.
• Online personal meeting sessions. Residents can register for a 30-minute Zoom meeting with Planning staff. Sessions are available from Aug. 16 – 29, 2023.
• Email comments to [email protected]

We want to hear your vision for Lexington’s future.

08/15/2023

🛑 🚌 School starts tomorrow! Be aware of students heading to school in the morning and home in the afternoon. And stop for school buses - it's the law!

08/11/2023

🚧 One lane of Buckhorn Drive is closed for sanitary sewer construction over the next six months. Two-way traffic will be maintained during the lane closure, and driveways will remain accessible to residents.

This is a rolling lane closure that begins at Buckhorn Drive where the Squires Trail crosses to Berry Hill Park. The lane closure will move down Buckhorn Drive to end at Fenwick Road.

Please proceed slowly through the construction area and be aware of pedestrians, especially once school starts. The sidewalk on the Berry Hill Park side of the street will also be closed. You should use the sidewalk on the other side of the street and avoid the construction area.

The Squires Trail will be open to pedestrian traffic in time for the first day of Fayette County Public Schools on Wednesday, Aug. 16. The trail was closed over the summer for sewer construction. Final surface restoration and paving of the trail are scheduled for later this fall.

This project is part of the East Hickman Force Main, which involves nearly six miles of sanitary sewer pipe constructed from the new East Hickman Pump Station to the West Hickman Wastewater Treatment Plant. This new pipeline will allow the sewer system to support our growing community. This project is part of the federal consent decree requirements for Lexington to improve its sanitary sewer system.

08/11/2023

Nature Hop is back and open for event submissions! This family-friendly event will be coming to green spaces near you this September. We're seeking events from community partners to help make Sunday, Sept. 17 an educational and fun day in nature. Have an idea for an event? Check this out ⬇️

Nature Hop is back and open for event submissions! This family-friendly event will be coming to green spaces near you this September. The City’s Division of Environmental Services is currently seeking events from community partners to help make Sunday, Sept. 17 an educational and fun day in nature...

08/10/2023

Thanks to federal funds, our paramedicine program has received two new vans. 🎉

The vans were purchased with federal funds.