LEXINGTON, Ky. — Vice Mayor Dan Wu announced Wednesday that a second wave of medical debt relief has erased $5.6 million in unpaid bills for more than 3,200 Fayette County residents, bringing the city’s total debt cancellation to roughly $18 million for nearly 10,000 households since the program launched. Wu shared the news during the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council’s Feb. 26 meeting at Council Chambers, playing a recorded video message for residents who may have received letters from the national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt. “If you received this letter in the mail … saying that your debt has been acquired and canceled, this letter is indeed real, as is your medical debt relief,” Wu said. He thanked fellow council members for their unanimous support of the $1 million appropriation he proposed in 2024 and signaled that additional rounds of relief could follow. “We are not done yet,” he said. “The work continues and there may be more waves of relief to come.” The announcement punctuated an otherwise procedural session in which all 15 council members were present, all votes were unanimous, and no members of the public signed up to speak on agenda items. Carbon monoxide detectors eyed for all existing buildings. The council gave first reading to a pair of ordinances, introduced by Councilmember Joseph Hale of District 7, that would require carbon monoxide detectors in existing buildings across the city. One measure would amend the local fire-prevention code to adopt 2024 International Fire Code standards for carbon monoxide detection. The companion ordinance would update the property maintenance code to mandate detectors in existing single-family and multifamily dwellings. Both would take effect 180 days after final passage, giving property owners a six-month compliance window. A second reading and vote could come as early as the council’s next regular meeting. Solar farm proposed for closed landfill. Also introduced on first reading was a ground lease that would allow Social Impact Solar LLC to develop a solar photovoltaic project on roughly 357 acres of the Haley Pike Landfill. The deal, awarded through a competitive request-for-proposals process, would generate an anticipated base lease payment of $30,345 in its first year. A separate community benefit agreement tied to the project will require its own council vote before the lease can be executed. Two zoning changes advance. The council introduced zone change requests for two properties. One would reclassify about 3.3 acres at 2914 Clays Mill Road in District 10 from single-family residential to mixed low-density residential, a proposal by Dailey Homes LLC that cleared the Planning Commission on an 8-1 vote with objectors noted. The second would convert roughly half an acre along South Limestone Street and adjacent parcels in District 3 from residential to a neighborhood business zone for Subtext Acquisitions LLC; the Planning Commission approved that request 9-0. Both carry an objector deadline of April 29. Budget and contracts. The council unanimously approved on second reading a budget amendment — FY 2026 Schedule No. 23 — adjusting current-year spending. A second budget amendment, Schedule No. 24, received first reading. Among the notable contracts passing on second reading were $175,576 for exercise equipment for the Division of Aging and Disability Services, $474,477 for the East Vine Street retaining wall, and a $50,000 agreement with A Caring Place Inc. to pilot neighborhood social hubs under the city’s “Village Model” for older adults. Council members also voted to suspend the rules and give immediate second reading to five time-sensitive resolutions. Those included a $92,000 change order and a $13,870 inspection contract increase for the new Senior and Therapeutic Center, a $658,867 street stabilization project in the Meadows Northland Arlington area, a design change order for Kelley’s Landing park, and a partition wall replacement at a city facility. All passed unanimously by roll call. Consent decree penalties paid. Buried in the evening’s resolution package was a $64,000 payment — split evenly between the Kentucky State Treasurer and the U.S. Department of Justice — as stipulated penalties under the city’s federal sewer consent decree, a long-running agreement governing Lexington’s wastewater system improvements. Black Church Coalition honored. Mayor Linda Gorton opened the meeting with a proclamation declaring Feb. 26 “Black Church Coalition of the Bluegrass Day,” recognizing the organization’s four decades of service. Founded in 1983 by four churches inspired by the late Betty Dowd, the coalition has distributed more than $2.5 million to assist 23,723 households, according to the proclamation. Interim Chair Deacon James Weathers accepted the honor and urged continued outreach. “This is just one way the Black Church Coalition each month can help those who are falling through the cracks,” Weathers said. Councilmember-at-Large James Brown credited the faith community for filling gaps government cannot, calling the coalition “a real true example of how that work can be done.” Public comment. One resident, Gary Jones of District 11, addressed the council during the non-agenda public comment period, describing persistent low-frequency vibrations and noise at his home that he said have disrupted sleep and daily life. Jones told council members he has ruled out interior sources through structural inspections and monitoring and asked the city to conduct an engineering assessment of underground utilities and nearby infrastructure. “This is fundamentally a habitability and public health issue,” he said. The council also confirmed several mayoral appointments, including Councilmember Tom Eblen to the Downtown Lexington Management Board and Councilmember Dave Sevigny to the Economic Development Investment Board. The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council meets at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers at 200 E. Main St. Meetings are broadcast on LexTV. The council’s next regular session has not yet been publicly scheduled. The post Lexington Wipes Out $5.6M in Medical Debt as Council Advances Carbon Monoxide, Solar Proposals appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less