Lexington, KY - BUILD will make drugs and crime its top priority in the coming year, the Lexington faith-based group decided at a meeting Monday, where it also expressed frustration on the lack of progress on one its previous priorities -- affordable housing.
Mayor Jim Newberry commissioned a study of the group's idea for the creation of an affordable housing trust fund, but the mayor has not committed any city money to such a fund. The Rev. John List of St. Peter Catholic Church said Monday a task force to be headed by Third District Councilwoman Diane Lawless that was supposed to be in place weeks ago has yet to be formed. But on Tuesday, Lawless said that earlier that day, a time for the first meeting has been set. The task force will meet at 10 a.m. Nov. 17 in the government center. The members of the task force are co-chairs Lawless and Peggy Henson and fellow Urban County Council members Tom Blues, Chuck Ellinger, Julian Beard and Andrea James, as well as David Christiansen of the Central Kentucky Housing and Homeless Initiative.
Among the possible conversaton starters for the task force are the report on the affordable housing trust fund and a housing market study released by the city last week that said there was a shortage of affordable rental units and houses priced under $120,000 in Lexington.
On the trust fund, Lawless said it was "a good concept but we have to figure out how to get it funded." She said a dedicated tax for such a fund would be a tough sell for some council members.
She said affordable housing benefits not only the tenants but the rest of the city. She said Lexington loses payroll taxes to neighboring cities when people choose to commute from a city where home prices are lower. That commuting also adds to Lexington's traffic problems, said.
BUILD, Building a United Interfaith Lexington through Direct Action, chose to focus on drugs and crime in a close vote Monday evening over pay-day lending, with unemployment and wages a more distant third.
The group, which has had some success at getting the attention of public officials in Lexington, will hone in on a more specific issue regarding drugs and crime over the coming months. In March, BUILD will invite city leaders to a meeting to persuade them to commit resources to addressing the specific issue it identifies. The group hopes to have 2,000 people at that March meeting, which it calls its Nehemiah action rally.
The group, which lists 19 congregations as BUILD members, reviewed progress on other issues it has made its priority in past years. Members pointed out success in improving primary care for uninsured Lexingtonians with cooperation of the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department. With education as its priority last year, the group identified five Fayette middle schools with student suspension rates much higher than other Fayette middle schools. Principals of each of the schools, Tates Creek, Bryan Station, Winburn, Crawford and Leestown, were at the meeting. Michelle Beverly, associate director of student support with Fayette schools, discussed how each school has implemented a plan to address the problem.
List and Deloris Lee of Consolidated Baptist Church were named as co-chairs of the group during the meeting at St. Peter Catholic Church. List encouraged members of the social justice group to keep city officials in their prayers, but also "keep them aware" of the group's strength and priorities.