Lexington, KY - It is my great honor to once again serve the 5th Urban County Council District as your representative. I suppose every district representative believes theirs is the most interesting and unique district in the city, as well they should. However, as a lifelong resident of the 5th Council District, I take a back seat to no one in the pride I have in the the district, its great people, neighborhoods and community spirit.
That is not to say that everything is perfect. I asked for the chance to be your representative because the 5th District needs a strong, independent voice on the council and a common-sense advocate for making sure that the needs of 5th District residents are addressed by local government.
Better communications is a priority. I have always worked hard to communicate effectively with the people I represent and hope I have done a good job of making sure you have an open line to me and to the Urban County Government.
But I can do better. A lot has changed in the few short years I have been absent from the council. There are new tools for communicating with each other and for encouraging discussion within the district about the important issues we face. Please see, and use, my contact information listed each month at the end of my columns.
By the time you read this particular report, I will have already started a weekly electronic newsletter. The first issue was distributed just 12 days after I took the oath of office.
I have asked leaders of the 31 active neighborhood associations in the 5th to help me with the newsletter by distributing it to their members and, more importantly, by providing information about neighborhood activities and concerns that should be included. I invite any 5th District resident to send me news of activities and events in the 5th, plus ideas and concerns that you might want to share.
To send information or subscribe to the newsletter and e-mail alerts from the 5th District Council Office, send your contact information to bfarmer@lexingtonky.gov.
I will also be using other communications resources like Facebook to facilitate communications and to encourage discussion.
Basic service must be addresses. Making sure that basic needs are addressed effectively and efficiently will always be my priority as your council representative. Street care, sewer improvements, and leaf and trash removal are day-to-day services that affect everyone.
Concerns about snow removal and how it affects other services have been a concern during the recent stretch of bad weather. Mother Nature does make it hard to get some things done, like leaf collection, but I will be working with those responsible in city government to make sure we are always doing the best job we can to keep our streets clean and safe.
I will make sewer repair and improvement a priority again in the 5th. I am disappointed some critical needs in the 5th got moved to the "back burner" and that is something I will be working to correct.
One lawsuit to many. Like many of you, I was astounded that agencies of local government would sue each other. Not only is that a waste of taxpayer dollars, it simply doesn't make sense that agencies of the same government can't figure out a way to resolve their differences without going to court.
As I promised I would do in my campaign, immediately after taking the oath of office, I asked the law department to help me find a way to prevent this kind of wasteful spending from happening again.
Smaller government. Much of the council's time in the next few weeks is going to involve the city budget. There are no easy answers during these tough economic times. I will be working with Mayor Gray and my fellow council members to do the best job possible to make sure the important, basic services of local government are provided for effectively and efficiently.