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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Richmond City Council Meeting December 9, 2025

City Commission Meetings — Tuesday, December 9, 2025

BodyRichmond, Kentucky

SessionCity Commission Meetings

DateTuesday, December 9, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:29:58

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

1:59

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

2:00

We're ready to begin our meeting.

2:02

I want to welcome everyone to the uh chambers of the Board of Commissioners for the City of Richmond.

2:08

We have several uh several items on our agenda tonight, some presentations, and let me just say this after those um uh at least the initial presentation for those who desire to leave.

2:21

You may stay, certainly we hope you will, but if you choose, we'll pause for just a moment and allow uh that you'll be able to exit with the minimal uh interruption of our meeting.

2:33

I'm going to ask that uh Pastor Floyd Bellou of the Mount Nebo Missionary Braps Church would come and uh give our invocation.

2:42

Good evening, sir.

2:43

Good evening, good evening, greetings, Mayor Black, Commissioners, everyone assembled.

2:48

Let us pray.

2:50

Most holy and all-wise God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, Holy Spirit of the living God, we thank you for your amazing grace.

3:00

We are just so grateful to you for the gift of life.

3:04

Lord, we ask now, dear Heavenly Father, that you lead and guide this mayor and the commissioners, Lord, as they work towards justice in this city, as they work toward equity, Lord, as they work toward uh the best uh life that a citizen of Richmond Madison County will be able to live and enjoy.

3:28

Lord, we ask the Heavenly Father that you continue to protect this city.

3:33

As we grow, Lord, we pray that your presence grow in this city.

3:38

Lord, that we live comfortably, peacefully, and lovingly with each other.

3:43

Bless all organizations of this city, oh God, the law enforcement EMS.

3:49

Lord, those the Heavenly Father that work uh for the city and around the city.

3:55

Lord, continue just to keep them safe.

3:57

Bless our youth, oh God.

3:59

Every school district, every school that is assembled, Lord, in Richmond, Lord, we ask that you just continue to favor them with safety.

4:09

Lord, we pray this prayer.

4:11

Just believe we just do believe that you have something special for this commission and the mayor.

4:19

Lord, a vision that will include everyone and everyone will live in harmony and unity.

4:26

This we pray in the mighty name of Jesus.

4:29

Amen.

4:30

Amen.

4:30

Thank you, Pastor.

4:37

Philip Seifert will come and lead us in the pledge.

4:40

I always uh tell those who uh come to do that.

4:44

Uh we'll follow your instruction.

4:46

You notice I won't stand until you ask me to.

4:50

First off, Merry Christmas, everybody.

4:53

Now it's time for you all to stand.

4:56

And I just made a pleasure and allegiance.

5:00

One of the greatest gifts that we have.

5:01

Our country.

5:04

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

5:08

And to the Republic for which you stand, under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all.

5:18

Thank you, Philip.

5:30

For our present presentation, excuse me tonight.

5:33

I'm going to ask first at the coach.

5:37

Those who are representing Musa.

5:40

United Soccer Association would come, please.

5:54

We have certificates tonight and recognition.

5:58

Great achievement on the part of these young people.

6:01

So before we present these, I'm going to ask their coaches if you will.

6:10

Thank you all for having us.

6:11

We're you know we're very happy to be here.

6:14

You know, these are the 2010 girls.

6:16

These are all girls from your community.

6:18

We're very proud of them.

6:20

I'll let Coach Lunsford address the boys uh group here in just a minute.

6:24

But uh this past summer we uh we won the President's Cup, which is a statewide competition.

6:30

So some people would say this is the best 2010 girls group team in the state.

6:35

So we're really proud of them.

6:43

Thank you all.

6:45

Coach Lunzford addressing the boys too.

6:50

Hello, I was very fortunate this year to coach the 2010 boys.

6:54

Um thing that was very evident to me and Coach Sam when we uh stepped in to help with this team is uh how important this group uh was to each other and not just the boys, the girls, they've this entire 2010 group has played together for a long time, they've known each other, and one thing that really I could tell the special from the start is how important and connected these this group was to the community, and you could see that through the way that uh you know the the joy that they brought with each other and I think that was what was really nice about it.

7:25

It was really great to win, but it was a really good experience too, just to uh interact with such uh great representatives of our community uh among the young people.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Personnel Matters█████████████████████████████████████37%

Economic Development█████████████13%

Procedural██████████10%

Youth Programs██████████10%

Homelessness██████████10%

Arts And Culture██████6%

Community Engagement█████5%

Public Safety███3%

Zoning Regulations██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Richmond City Council Meeting December 9, 2025

The Board of Commissioners of the City of Richmond convened for a meeting focused on recognizing community achievements, approving new business expansions, reviewing a clean financial audit, and managing internal personnel changes including several promotions, hires, and retirements. The meeting also featured significant public testimony regarding the community's response to homelessness, highlighting collaborations between local nonprofits and city officials.

Consent Calendar

Order 25-199: Unanimous approval to appoint Patrick Tudor as Fire Chief, effective immediately. The Board acknowledged his 22-year career progression from volunteer firefighter to Assistant Chief.
Order 25-27: Second reading and adoption of the ordinance to rezone 190 acres at 495 Duncan Lane from Agricultural (AG) to Industrial (I-2). The City Manager noted the $2,744,000 investment in this land strategy for robotics and clean industry.
Order 25-189: Unanimous approval to promote Jared Rodis to Firefighter III, effective December 26.
Order 25-190: Unanimous approval to hire Wendy Lynch as Police Records Manager, effective December 15, recognizing her legacy as a 911 dispatcher leader.
Order 25-191: Unanimous approval to adopt amended job descriptions for the Industrial Development Director and EID Grants/Marketing Director, clarifying reporting structures to the RIDC board and Mayor/City Manager, respectively.
Order 25-192: Unanimous acceptance of the resignation of Chase Ramage from the Section 8 Housing Department, effective December 12. Commissioners praised his efficiency and administrative contributions.
Order 25-193: Unanimous acceptance of the retirement of John David Stipes, Executive Director of the Richmond Industrial Development Corporation, effective January 16, 2026. Stipes is recognized for managing multi-million dollar projects and securing hundreds of jobs over nine and a half years.
Order 25-194: Unanimous approval to hire Billy Brown as Equipment Operator I for Public Works, effective December 15.
Order 25-195: Unanimous approval to enter a three-year agreement with Richmond Little League for baseball facilities at Lake Reba Park. An edit was made to shift responsibility for electricity bills from the League to the City.
Order 25-196: Unanimous approval to hire Martin Folio as Labor I for the Recycle Department, effective January 5, 2026, to fill a vacancy left by a resignation.
Order 25-197: Unanimous approval to hire Aaron Burris as Police Records Clerk, effective December 15, recognizing her persistence and education in homeland security.
Order 25-198: Unanimous acceptance of the retirement of Ray "Irish" Rawlings, Environmental Technician, effective December 31, 2026. Commissioners honored his 51 years of service and led a motion to dedicate a building in his honor.
Order 25-200: Unanimous approval to enter a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kentucky State Police Electronic Crime Unit for the use of office space at 2249 Enterprise Road.

Public Comments & Testimony

Monica Barnes (Madison County Haven of Hope): Expressed that the organization has identified a suitable property for an emergency shelter and expects to open overnight shelter within a few weeks using community volunteers and prayerful support.
Jamie Jordan (Enrich Director of Housing): Expressed full support for the emerging continuum of care, including Haven of Hope's new low-barrier shelter and Enrich's transitional living homes, framing it as a system to help individuals achieve self-sustainability.
Molly Zange (Supervisor, Madison Home): Expressed concern that one shelter is insufficient for the population and requested leniency regarding an occupancy permit to allow Madison Home to continue housing people. She stated passionately that individuals should not face freezing or death due to their circumstances, noting she has personally funded housing for those in need.
Margaret (Haven of Hope): Expressed strong support for Madison Home, acknowledging their critical role in the community and the need for both organizations to work together to feed and shelter those in need.

Discussion Items

Audit Report: Ben Dennison from Cherry Burkhart (audit firm) presented a clean, unmodified opinion on the FY25 budget and financials, noting no non-compliance in the federal money audit. He confirmed the final report would be available shortly before Christmas.
Homelessness Strategy: The City Manager, Mayor, and Commissioners discussed the upcoming work session on December 18 to coordinate with nonprofits regarding shelter and funding. The Mayor and Commissioners commended the community's collective effort and the execution of the Team Richmond Christmas parade, which Mayor Blythe noted successfully showcased city teamwork.

Key Outcomes

Hiring and Appointments: Six new employees/hires (Tudor, Rodis, Lynch, Brown, Folio, Burris) were approved for immediate or near-term start dates. One resignation (Ramage) and two retirements (Stipes, Rawlings) were formally accepted.
Zoning: Approval of the I-2 zoning change for 190 acres at 495 Duncan Lane to support new industrial development.
Facilities: Approval of a three-year agreement with Richmond Little League and a new MOU with the Kentucky State Police Electronic Crime Unit.
Recognition: A formal motion was passed to dedicate a building at the Recycle Department in honor of retiring employee Ray "Irish" Rawlings.
Next Steps: A work session is scheduled for December 18 to further discuss cooperation among nonprofits addressing homelessness.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We're ready to begin our meeting. I want to welcome everyone to the uh chambers of the Board of Commissioners for the City of Richmond. We have several uh several items on our agenda tonight, some presentations, and let me just say this after those um uh at least the initial presentation for those who desire to leave. You may stay, certainly we hope you will, but if you choose, we'll pause for just a moment and allow uh that you'll be able to exit with the minimal uh interruption of our meeting. I'm going to ask that uh Pastor Floyd Bellou of the Mount Nebo Missionary Braps Church would come and uh give our invocation. Good evening, sir. Good evening, good evening, greetings, Mayor Black, Commissioners, everyone assembled. Let us pray. Most holy and all-wise God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, Holy Spirit of the living God, we thank you for your amazing grace. We are just so grateful to you for the gift of life. Lord, we ask now, dear Heavenly Father, that you lead and guide this mayor and the commissioners, Lord, as they work towards justice in this city, as they work toward equity, Lord, as they work toward uh the best uh life that a citizen of Richmond Madison County will be able to live and enjoy. Lord, we ask the Heavenly Father that you continue to protect this city. As we grow, Lord, we pray that your presence grow in this city. Lord, that we live comfortably, peacefully, and lovingly with each other. Bless all organizations of this city, oh God, the law enforcement EMS. Lord, those the Heavenly Father that work uh for the city and around the city. Lord, continue just to keep them safe. Bless our youth, oh God. Every school district, every school that is assembled, Lord, in Richmond, Lord, we ask that you just continue to favor them with safety. Lord, we pray this prayer. Just believe we just do believe that you have something special for this commission and the mayor. Lord, a vision that will include everyone and everyone will live in harmony and unity. This we pray in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Pastor. Philip Seifert will come and lead us in the pledge. I always uh tell those who uh come to do that. Uh we'll follow your instruction. You notice I won't stand until you ask me to. First off, Merry Christmas, everybody. Now it's time for you all to stand. And I just made a pleasure and allegiance. One of the greatest gifts that we have. Our country. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which you stand, under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all. Thank you, Philip. For our present presentation, excuse me tonight. I'm going to ask first at the coach. Those who are representing Musa. United Soccer Association would come, please. We have certificates tonight and recognition. Great achievement on the part of these young people. So before we present these, I'm going to ask their coaches if you will. Thank you all for having us. We're you know we're very happy to be here. You know, these are the 2010 girls. These are all girls from your community.

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