Crime is on my mind
Since my last column, there have been two shooting incidents in the area around Henry Clay High School. Those two incidents, plus a number of other shootings in other parts of the city, have heightened the awareness of violent crimes in Lexington.
First and foremost, I can assure you that the concerns we have in the 5th District are shared by Mayor Gray, my fellow council members and the police department as we all work together to determine what can be done to maintain the safety and security of our children and families.
Open and timely communication among citizens, neighborhood leaders, schools, the police and local government can be a big help. I have spoken to Henry Clay Principal John Nochta and others to make sure that the flow of information among all parties is encouraged and maintained.
Furthermore, I updated our Code Enforcement efforts in the Fontaine-Lakeshore-Richmond Road area. We have had success with this approach in Lakewood Park (formerly Sonnet Cove) and the same efforts should help again.
Next, I am working to determine if a neighborhood watch program can be put in place, as well as the possible creation of a new neighborhood association in the area to lead the effort.
Finally, Mayor Gray has appointed me to the newly formed Violent Crimes Task Force. I look forward to representing the 5th District in a city-wide effort to fight crime and stem the tide of incidents we have been experiencing.
Change in healthcare benefits needed to keep costs in line
The No. 1 cost of local government is public employee salaries and benefits. No where are those costs more apparent than in the cost of healthcare benefits.
For a number of years, there has been a significant and growing deficit between the cost of those benefits and the revenue available to pay for them.
There is no question that some kind of change in how we pay for public employee healthcare benefits is needed in order to keep costs in line with the budget approved by the council. I am confident that whatever solution Mayor Gray presents will represent his best effort to balance fiscal reality with the desire to provide a quality working environment for city employees.
Winter leaf collection has been scheduled
Leaves on the trees make for great photographs and a beautiful fall landscape. With the exception of piles of leaves for jumping, leaves on the ground make for stopped-up sewers, impassable sidewalks and unnecessarily slick roads, not to mention what it does to your yard.
That's why we pick them up. This year, vacuum leaf collection will be conducted between Nov. 28 and Dec. 22. Your job is to rake them to the curb or edge of the sidewalk (not into the street or on the sidewalk) and our job is to vacuum them up.
Thankfully, more and more people are using Lenny carts for yard waste. As a result, the vacuum-leaf volume has decreased by 50 percent from 2006 to 2010. The more we properly dispose of our leaves the less work and expense there is for local government.
You can also drop leaves off at Jimmie Campbell Drive off Old Frankfort Pike from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. Dec. 17, or the Haley Pike compost facility at 4216 Hedger Ln. (7:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and 7:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays).