KENTUCKY — On this week’s program, Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton is our guest. Earlier this spring, she helped lead Lexington’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the formation of the merged Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, which became Kentucky’s first urban county government on January 1st, 1974. This was the first time in Kentucky that a city and county government were merged into a single system, and Lexington became the 19th city in the United States to have a merged government.

Fifty years later, it remains one of a handful of merged local governments nationwide. During this segment, Mayor Gorton discusses some benefits and challenges of having a merged county government.

“Well, we’re really thrilled that we are merged because it makes for more efficiencies in government. We no longer have a County Fire Department and a City Fire Department. We no longer have two different police and sheriff, you know, two systems for public safety. It’s a lot about efficiency, and that is why it was done 50 years ago, and as a matter as a matter of fact, if you look through all of government, it has a lot of efficiencies. We’re just one big government, everybody in the city and the county. It’s great,” explains Gorton.

You can watch the full In Focus Kentucky segment in the player above.