Richmond City Commission Meeting - August 12, 2025
Richmond City Commission Meeting - August 12, 2025
The Richmond City Commission held a regular meeting on August 12, 2025, at 6:00 PM. The meeting included two presentations, a consent calendar of routine orders, a city manager report, and commissioner comments. All consent orders were approved unanimously. No public comments were received.
Presentations
- Battle of Richmond Reenactment Update: Philip Seyfrit announced the 2025 reenactment will be held August 23–24 at Richmond Battlefield Park. Gates open 10 AM to 4 PM; battles at 2 PM each day. Admission is $15 cash only. A period baseball game between the Cincinnati Red Stockings and Georgetown Gentlemen will be played for the "big red stick" trophy. Camping reservations have already reached a record high (second only to the 150th anniversary year).
- Blue Grass Army Depot Chemical Weapons Disposal Update: Greg Williams, chair of the Governor's Commission, reported that all GB nerve agent has been destroyed, with VX destruction expected by end of September 2025. Employee count has fallen from approximately 1,400 to 906, with a further reduction of 200 jobs next month. Economic impact: $208 million spent in Kentucky, $112 million in Madison County. Safety record: 17 million hours without a lost-time accident. Site demolition is expected to begin July 2026, with regulatory closure by late 2027. The depot's future is under review by the Joint Munitions Command; no BRAC decision has been made. Two potential defense contractor operations are exploring location on the depot, but no public disclosures yet.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes: Approved minutes of the regular meeting held July 22, 2025.
- Order 25-116: Adopted a new Richmond Police Department policy (Section 2.21 Police Paramedic) and entered into a memorandum of agreement with Madison County Emergency Medical Services for paramedic support during catastrophes, natural disasters, or fatalities.
- Order 25-117: Hired a full-time Section 8 Housing Inspector (Pay grade 4, effective August 13, 2025), contingent on pre-employment requirements.
- Order 25-118: Hired Shay Hearst as Finance Assistant Director (Pay grade 7, effective August 13, 2025), an at-will position with one-year probation.
- Order 25-119: Declared surplus property (including four mopeds) from the police department and authorized disposal via govdeals.com.
- Order 25-120: Accepted the resignation of City Attorney Tyler S. Frazier, effective July 31, 2025, with thanks for his service since 2020.
- Order 25-121: Reclassified Tristan Crane from Records Clerk to Senior Records Clerk in the police department (Pay grade 4, effective August 18, 2025).
- Order 25-122: Accepted the resignation of Justin Brock from the Parks Maintenance Department, effective August 4, 2025.
- Order 25-123: Reclassified Ryder Cavadigan from Finance Clerk to Senior Clerk in the finance department (Pay grade 3, effective August 18, 2025).
City Manager Report
- Madison County schools start August 13, 2025. A traffic plan for the new Madison Middle School on Goggins Lane is in place, including new turn arrows, and a connector road from Cattleman's Drive to Barnes Mill is about a year away.
- The city's five-year comprehensive plan is progressing: two stakeholder meetings and one public meeting held. A joint presentation with the planning and zoning board will occur next Thursday in a work session.
- Eastern Kentucky University move-in begins this week, with the freshman walk on Thursday night on Lancaster Avenue.
Commissioner Comments
- Commissioner Brewer raised the issue of grass clippings being blown into roadways; the city has an ordinance prohibiting this, and code enforcement will issue warnings followed by citations. Requests for enforcement can be submitted with an address.
- Commissioner Goebel asked about the finalized list for street paving. The city manager confirmed bids were advertised and are due August 22; if under budget, additional roads may be added.
- Mayor Blythe reminded residents of the Tasty Tuesdays event and thanked all attendees.
Key Outcomes
- All consent orders (25-116 through 25-123) were approved unanimously (7-0).
- Presentations were received and noted; no formal votes were taken.
- Commissioner inquiries were directed to staff for follow-up.
Meeting Transcript
Of course, everybody was. But uh he got started talking. They would oh we supposed to be in an hour two and a half hours. You can bring up everything. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. It's six o'clock with a bit we that's not a good sign. Six o'clock. Time for us to begin our meeting. It's good to see all who've come. Um I don't sling this term around loosely, and he knows it. I'm gonna ask my friend, former pastor of the first Baptist Church on the bypass to come. Be a fort and lead us in prayer. Good to see you, my friend. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. That means a lot to me too. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for this day, and we recognize that despite our busyness, we understand that this day's a gift. And God, we embrace it for all its worth because we know that it comes from you, because every good and perfect gift comes from above. And so I pray that we who are on the outside, that we would support and encourage them, but particularly that we would pray for them. And that they would feel supported and encouraged. That we're pulling on the same side of the rope. Because this is all about you and wanting us to live life to the fullest. And God, I pray for them, and I pray for us, and I pray for all of us in our community that we would take the Apostle Paul's sweet words to heart. That whatever's true, whatever's noble, whatever's right, whatever's pure and lovely and praiseworthy, that we would think on those things, and that we would put them into practice. And God finally, I pray for all of these people who serve you and us. Because we understand also that they have families, and we ask your sweet blessings on their families, that they would be able to spend time together, do things together, make memories, and years from now they will recall any number of things, but most importantly that they would recall that you have given them this life, and that they have enjoyed living in this community. And it's in your name that we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you, sir. Let me mention this for those who have come to the meeting tonight. If you'd like a copy of the agenda where that gentleman just pulled one out, you can get that at any time. We're honored to have a local scout with us to lead the pledge of allegiance. Representing Troop 401 is Mr. David Wills, Scout Second Class. He is an honor student at Berea Community High School where he is in his freshman year. In addition to scouting, David is a multi-sport athlete with baseball as his favorite. David has been a member of Scouting America since 2016, and his goal is to reach the rank of Eagle Scout. Let us know if we can help you here. Thank you, David, for leading us in our Pledge of Allegiance this evening. Please proceed. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States to the Republic for which is you want to tell us anything about your troop while you're there. Don't feel obligated, but if you like to. It's really fun. If you have any children or grandchildren, we could use the extra people. Thank you all for having me. Thank you very much. As I find myself saying so often, Jennifer, there's hope, there's hope, there's hope.
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