Council approves $546M FY27 budget with public safety focus

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Urban County Council gave final approval to the Fiscal Year 2027 budget on June 9, concluding a months-long review process and locking in spending priorities that emphasize public safety, infrastructure and community services.

The adopted budget largely reflects Mayor Linda Gorton’s original $546 million proposal while providing additional investments in public safety, accessibility, parks, and community services, according to city officials.

The budget includes nearly $300 million for city public safety divisions, including $1.5 million to replace heavy equipment for the Lexington Fire Department and $2.6 million for new technology for the Lexington Police Department.

Around $13 million is earmarked for street paving and maintenance, and $1 million is budgeted for winter weather preparedness. After criticism regarding its response to winter weather earlier this year, Lexington will have $5.1 million to battle snow and ice.

The budget also includes $7.5 million Park Fund support for Parks’ capital projects, $1.26 million for basic park maintenance, a $5 million investment in the Affordable Housing Fund, and $4.9 million to support local nonprofits through the community services program.

“Today, the Council has approved a responsible, responsive, and balanced budget,” said Council Member James Brown, chair of the Budget, Finance & Economic Development Committee.

The fiscal year 2027 budget begins July 1, 2026 and ends June 30, 2027. The final vote came after the council added over $2 million to the Mayor’s original proposal in May, bringing specific attention to infrastructure improvements and community priorities.

This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from LFUCG Meeting Agendas, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://lfucg.granicus.com/AgendaViewer.php?view_id=4&clip_id=6797.

View in feeds