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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Richmond City Commission Meeting - August 26, 2025

City Commission Meetings — Tuesday, August 26, 2025

BodyRichmond, Kentucky

SessionCity Commission Meetings

DateTuesday, August 26, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:04:39

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

2:00

I'll probably just summarize because it's a two-day agents.

2:03

That'll be fine.

2:04

That's okay if you all know.

2:05

Yes, indeed.

2:10

Ready to roll at six o'clock.

2:12

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

2:14

Six o'clock in time for us to begin our meeting.

2:16

Let me mention to those who are in the chambers for the first time in one of our meetings that uh just behind the city manager, there is a pocket that has copies of the uh agenda for the meeting.

2:27

Uh uh Vanna and Van White.

2:33

Secure.

2:35

Our hearts are sad tonight as uh our former city attorney Tyler is not here to demonstrate where the uh agendas are.

2:44

The copies of the agenda are there for you.

2:52

And lead us in the invitation.

2:54

Good to see you, Mary Lou.

3:02

It's a privilege and an honor to be with you this evening.

3:06

And I'm Mary Lou, and I'm the Baptist Health Chaplain at the hospital.

3:12

So I am glad to be here and give you thanks.

3:15

I'm glad to have you also.

3:17

The people that you are in loving and caring for our city.

3:21

Please pray with me.

3:24

Lord, we do give you thanks for the city of Richmond that we called home sweet home.

3:30

We give you thanks for the love that is here.

3:33

We give you thanks for these who are serving on the commission, all of those who spend their time, their energy, their effort, thinking, planning, knowing what is best for our city.

3:47

So for this evening, we simply ask that you would be present with us.

3:53

We ask that you would give wisdom and guidance.

3:57

We ask that you would give them patience to be good collaborators, faithful friends, good citizens, so that the city of Richmond may grow and develop and be the city that you would have us be loving and caring for one another.

4:16

So now, with all of that said, we do give you thanks and praise for this city and all who live in it, and though of those who want to be servants among us.

4:30

Now come and guide us.

4:34

In your name, Lord Jesus.

4:36

Amen.

4:37

Amen.

4:38

Thank you, Mary Lou, always we're honored to have a local U.S.

4:45

Armed Forces veteran with us to lead the pledge of allegiance tonight.

4:49

We're pleased to welcome Mr.

4:51

Theodore Ted Lloyd.

4:53

Mr.

4:53

Lloyd is a native of Northern Wisconsin, but has lived in the Richmond area for the last 39 years.

5:00

Ted served in the United States Air Force from 1968 to 1972.

5:04

He advanced to the rank of sergeant, serving as a crew chief of a C-130 Hercules cargo plane based at Clark Air Force Base, Philippine Island with temporary duty assignments to Cam Cameron Bay, Vietnam, and leading a night shift ground crew for AC 130 gunships based at Yu Bon Royal AB in Thailand.

5:30

Ted currently is serving as the commander of Boonesboro VFW Post 7098, which will be celebrating 80 years of service to Madison County veterans on May 1st, 2026.

5:43

Mr.

5:44

Lloyd, thank you for your service to our country and for leading our pledge this evening.

5:49

Please proceed, sir.

5:51

I thank you all.

5:52

If you got the opportunity and can rise, that would be very helpful.

5:58

You can face the flag, place your hand over your heart.

6:03

For those who have military experience, you can do a hand salute.

6:09

We will begin.

6:12

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

6:20

One nation number two with liberty and justice for our all.

6:28

Thank you.

6:29

Thank you, sir.

6:41

We'll call the meeting to order.

6:42

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

6:44

Commissioner Newby.

6:45

Here.

6:45

Commissioner Brewer.

6:46

Here.

6:47

Commissioner Cole.

6:48

Here.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Personnel Matters████████████████████████24%

Historic Preservation█████████████████17%

Procedural████████████████16%

Parks and Recreation████████8%

Public Engagement███████7%

Alcohol Regulation██████6%

Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%

Transportation Safety█████5%

Economic Development████4%

Summary of Proceedings

Richmond City Commission Meeting - August 26, 2025

The Richmond City Board of Commissioners met on August 26, 2025, at 6:00 PM. The meeting included presentations on local businesses, historical society projects, and the Battle of Richmond reenactment; a first reading of an ordinance to expand downtown entertainment district hours; approval of several personnel actions and contracts; and public comments regarding code enforcement issues.

Presentations

New Business Recognition: Carrie Hensley, Small Business and Economic Development Coordinator, introduced Bill Daff, owner of Leaf and Barrel Cigar and Bourbon Lounge, located at 103 Big Hill Avenue. The business is now open Tuesday through Saturday, with plans to expand to Sundays during football season. Commissioners welcomed the new business.
Madison County Historical Society Update: Sharon Graves, president, thanked the city for grants. She presented commissioners with a children's activity book funded by a $10,000 grant. The society also reported that three footprint signs highlighting African American history in Richmond are at the graphic designer and will be installed soon. She invited the public to a rededication ceremony on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at 6:00 PM at the North Second Street side of the courthouse for World War I and World War II memorials.
Battle of Richmond Presentation: Philip Seifert and George Ridings, president of the Battle of Richmond Association, reported on the 22nd annual reenactment held August 23-24, 2025. Attendance was estimated at 1,300 to 1,800 people, with 525 cars counted. There were 150 living historians and about 100 volunteers. Highlights included a period baseball game, a visit from a descendant of the original owner of Pleasant View (the battlefield park house), and attendees from Spain and Illinois. The battlefield corridor spans from Big Hill to the Kentucky River. The association presented Mayor Blythe with a replica period badge and named him "Encourager in Chief" for his support.

Public Comments & Testimony

Joe Kokinda (downtown resident) expressed frustration about a neighbor at 314 N 2nd Street operating a construction business (Blue Jade Construction) without a home occupancy permit or business license. He reported that despite complaints to code enforcement over 14 months, issues remain, including a porta-potty, heavy trucks in the alley, and unauthorized use of his property for driveway access. The city manager acknowledged the complaint and said the city would readdress the matter.
Ed Brown (Richmond Downtown Neighborhood Association) invited commissioners to a neighborhood walk on September 16, 2025, at 5:00 PM starting at City Hall Park, to better understand downtown issues.

Discussion Items

Ordinance 25-21 (First Reading): An ordinance to amend the downtown entertainment destination center. The city manager explained that the change would permanently activate the entertainment district from Thursday at 11:00 AM through Sunday at 1:00 AM, allowing alcohol to be carried out of licensed establishments. The ordinance also transfers permit approval authority from the city manager to the city attorney (ABC administrator). Commissioners discussed that this would eliminate the need for special event permits for homecoming, Millstone Festival, and Christmas parade. No vote was taken; it will return for second reading.
Order 25-126 – Hiring City Attorney: The board approved hiring Chris Johnson as city attorney/ABC administrator, effective September 2, 2025, at pay grade 10. Johnson previously worked at the Kentucky League of Cities and is an EKU alumnus. The vote was unanimous (5-0).
Order 25-127 – Firefighter Retirement: The board accepted the retirement of Brooks Elder from the fire department, effective August 31, 2025, after 23 years of service. Commissioners praised his leadership. Vote: unanimous (5-0).
Order 25-128 – Hiring Firefighters: The board approved hiring Christopher Neal and Shane Thornton as Firefighter 1, effective September 19, 2025, at pay grade 3, with a 12-month probationary period. Vote: unanimous (5-0).
Order 25-129 – Playground Project Bid: The board awarded contracts for the Richmond Regional Sports Complex playground: Bluegrass Recreational Sales for Playground Area 1 ($683,000) and Playground Area 2 (turf only, $160,000), and Recreation Insights for Playground Area 3 ($249,000), total $1,092,000. Funding comes from bond allocation. The project is under budget; the playground is expected to open late August 2026 for the first half, with the second half in fall 2026. Commissioner Newby asked about handicap accessibility; the city manager confirmed it includes all-inclusive pieces. Vote: unanimous (5-0).
Order 25-130 – Housing Authority Board Appointment: The board appointed Jamie Jordan to the Richmond Housing Authority Board for a term expiring January 1, 2026. Jordan also serves on the Section 8 housing board, which the city manager noted helps coordination. Vote: unanimous (5-0).
Order 25-131 – Hiring Public Works Employee: The board approved hiring Christopher Mullins as Equipment Operator 1, effective September 2, 2025, at pay grade 2, with a one-year probationary period. Commissioner Brewer noted he may be a local driver. Vote: unanimous (5-0).
Order 25-132 – Street Paving Bid: The board awarded the paving bid to Allen Company Inc. for $463,146.30, funded from the municipal road aid fund. A public hearing was held on August 26, 2025, at 5:00 PM. The city manager noted the initial bid was $578,000, so some streets were eliminated to stay within the $533,000 available. Vote: unanimous (5-0).
Meeting Schedule Change: The city manager proposed moving the second September meeting from September 23 to September 16 due to the Kentucky League of Cities Conference. The board approved the change, resulting in meetings on September 9 and September 16, 2025, with no work session on September 23 due to the State of the University event at EKU. Vote: unanimous (5-0).

Key Outcomes

All orders and motions passed unanimously (5-0) unless noted.
Ordinance 25-21 received first reading; second reading will occur at a future meeting.
The September 2025 meeting schedule was changed: regular meeting on September 9, second meeting moved to September 16.
The city manager committed to re-address the code enforcement complaint from Joe Kokinda.
Commissioners were reminded of the neighborhood walk on September 16 at 5:00 PM.

Meeting Transcript

I'll probably just summarize because it's a two-day agents. That'll be fine. That's okay if you all know. Yes, indeed. Ready to roll at six o'clock. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Six o'clock in time for us to begin our meeting. Let me mention to those who are in the chambers for the first time in one of our meetings that uh just behind the city manager, there is a pocket that has copies of the uh agenda for the meeting. Uh uh Vanna and Van White. Secure. Our hearts are sad tonight as uh our former city attorney Tyler is not here to demonstrate where the uh agendas are. The copies of the agenda are there for you. And lead us in the invitation. Good to see you, Mary Lou. It's a privilege and an honor to be with you this evening. And I'm Mary Lou, and I'm the Baptist Health Chaplain at the hospital. So I am glad to be here and give you thanks. I'm glad to have you also. The people that you are in loving and caring for our city. Please pray with me. Lord, we do give you thanks for the city of Richmond that we called home sweet home. We give you thanks for the love that is here. We give you thanks for these who are serving on the commission, all of those who spend their time, their energy, their effort, thinking, planning, knowing what is best for our city. So for this evening, we simply ask that you would be present with us. We ask that you would give wisdom and guidance. We ask that you would give them patience to be good collaborators, faithful friends, good citizens, so that the city of Richmond may grow and develop and be the city that you would have us be loving and caring for one another. So now, with all of that said, we do give you thanks and praise for this city and all who live in it, and though of those who want to be servants among us. Now come and guide us. In your name, Lord Jesus. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Mary Lou, always we're honored to have a local U.S. Armed Forces veteran with us to lead the pledge of allegiance tonight. We're pleased to welcome Mr. Theodore Ted Lloyd. Mr. Lloyd is a native of Northern Wisconsin, but has lived in the Richmond area for the last 39 years. Ted served in the United States Air Force from 1968 to 1972. He advanced to the rank of sergeant, serving as a crew chief of a C-130 Hercules cargo plane based at Clark Air Force Base, Philippine Island with temporary duty assignments to Cam Cameron Bay, Vietnam, and leading a night shift ground crew for AC 130 gunships based at Yu Bon Royal AB in Thailand. Ted currently is serving as the commander of Boonesboro VFW Post 7098, which will be celebrating 80 years of service to Madison County veterans on May 1st, 2026. Mr. Lloyd, thank you for your service to our country and for leading our pledge this evening. Please proceed, sir. I thank you all. If you got the opportunity and can rise, that would be very helpful. You can face the flag, place your hand over your heart. For those who have military experience, you can do a hand salute. We will begin. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. One nation number two with liberty and justice for our all.

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