LEXINGTON, Ky. — Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton has proposed a $531.8 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year which is the largest in city history. It’s a 5% increase from the current year’s budget of $505 million.

What You Need To Know

  • Lexington mayor Linda Gorton proposed a $531.8 million budget, the largest in city history 

  • $24 million will go toward the construction of a new senior center 

  • The office of homelessness prevention and intervention is getting its budget nearly doubled 

  • $2.1 million is allotted for a regional industrial park

Gorton said this budget addressed the city’s needs and not its wants. One of those needs is a second senior center.

Part of Gorton’s budget allots  $24 million for the construction of a new senior center at Shilito Park off of Reynolds Road. The other senior center opened in 2016 off of Richmond Road.

“We know from the last census that 25% of our population in Fayette County is age 55 or older, so that’s a fourth of the people here,” Gorton said.

Gorton said around 1,200 people a month use the current senior center. The construction will also include a therapeutic recreation facility for people who live with disabilities.

“It’s a huge need also. It’s for people five years and up that have disabilities and right now our therapeutic services are kind of spread all over Fayette County,” Gorton said.

More than half of Gorton’s budget proposal goes toward police, fire and EMS. It also doubles the city’s office of homelessness prevention and intervention budget to $1.4 million.

Jeff Herron, homelessness prevention manager, said this extra money gives them room to try new things and put more funds to current projects.

“We had recently expanded our street outreach programming which works with persons who are unsheltered or on the street; bringing services to them to help move them toward permanent housing,” Herron said.

$2 million is also allotted toward a winter warming shelter to get homeless people out of the cold in winter.

This is the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that the city could not tap into or use American Rescue Plan Act funds to fund projects or balance its budget. It’s still the largest budget in city history and Gorton said it was accomplished with no additional burden to taxpayers.

“Our revenues are really good, our economy is really strong, and that is what allows us to increase our services for people without raising taxes,” Gorton said.

Lexington will also put $2.1 million toward a regional industrial park in coordination with Scott and Madison counties.

“This will bring revenue and as well as jobs, so it’s all good,” Gorton said.

Other major highlights include a nearly $3 million investment in parks improvements and a combined over $8 million for police and fire vehicles.

The full council can change to the budget, they have until the end of June to do so.

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