Lexington-Fayette County Charter Survey

Thank you for taking the time to answer this survey about Lexington’s Urban County Charter! The charter is the foundational document of Lexington’s local government, like a local version of the constitution.

Your responses to this survey will help decide what pieces of the charter a group of randomly selected residents will consider through a process called a Civic Assembly. The goal of the assembly is to help residents make Lexington's local government better represent and respond to our community. 

This survey and the Civic Assembly are being organized by the nonprofit CivicLex. Your responses will be anonymized and accessible to the public. All questions are optional.

Feel free to visit civiclex.org/civic-assembly or email info@civiclex.org with any questions.

Number of Council Members and Districts

Every city decides how many people should serve on its local council.

Some cities have larger councils, with many councilmembers representing smaller neighborhoods. Others have smaller councils that focus on coordination and efficiency.

In Lexington, there are 15 Councilmembers:

• 12 District members who represent smaller areas across the city
• 3 At-Large members who represent everyone in Fayette County

Having more council districts could mean that smaller communities have stronger voices and that it’s easier for residents to connect with their representative.

Having fewer districts could make decision-making simpler and the work of Council easier for residents to follow.

Redistricting

Every 10 years, after the U.S. Census, Lexington updates council district boundaries to keep populations roughly equal. Redistricting is important because how districts are decided can change who is elected to serve that district. 

Right now, the Charter gives Lexington's Council the power to make the final decision on how districts are drawn. In recent redistricting, each councilmember has appointed a resident to a Redistricting Work Group to draw the map. Council then decides the final map.

Some cities have independent groups or extra steps for public input, while others keep this responsibility with elected officials.

Council Term Lengths

Across the country, different cities have different term lengths for their councilmembers. 

Right now, Lexington's district councilmembers serve two year terms and At-Large councilmembers serve four year terms. 

There are different opinions about how long Council terms should be:

• Some say that having longer terms could increase stability and help councilmembers focus on getting things done, not just campaigning.
• Some say that shorter terms allow voters to give feedback more frequently by electing or unelecting their councilmembers.

Council Term Limits

Different communities have different restrictions on how many years someone can be a councilmember.

Right now, Lexington's councilmembers have a term limit to serve for up to 12 years in a row. If a councilmember "sits out" a cycle, their term limit resets and they can serve additional time.

There are different opinions on how Lexington's term limits should work:

• Some say that longer term limits could help build up knowledge and experience on Council.
• Some say that shorter term limits could help bring new people and ideas into council.

Council Salaries

Cities compensate their councilmembers at different levels -- some pay them as full-time positions, some as part-time, and some go unpaid.

Right now, being a district councilmember in Lexington is paid as a part-time position -- about $40,000 a year. This amount is changed based on inflation every year. 

There are different opinions about how much councilmembers should be paid: 

• Some say that making council a full-time position could make it easier for everyday people to afford to run for council and would allow council members to better serve their constituents.
• Some say that keeping council a part-time position could save public funds and keep council an act of community service.

Filling Empty Council Seats

Across the country, there are different processes for how communities fill council seats when someone can no longer serve.

Right now, in Lexington, if any councilmember leaves their office, the Mayor of Lexington appoints a new councilmember. The rest of the council has the ability to confirm or reject this candidate. If a candidate is rejected, the mayor will continue to suggest candidates until someone is approved by the council.

There are different opinions about how Council seats should be filled.

• Some say that council should fill its own empty seats.
• Some say that the current system provides checks and balances.
• Some say that voters or an independent commission should decide.

How Lexington involves the public

Different communities have different requirements for how their local government involves the public in decision making. Some include a section in their charter outlining values and strategies for public engagement.

Right now, Lexington’s Charter doesn’t include any section detailing how local government should involve the public in decision making.

There are different opinions on how public engagement should be required in the charter:

• Some say that adding new public engagement section could make involving Lexington residents in local government decisions a higher priority.
• Some say that not having a public engagement section reduces regulations and makes it more flexible for each department and policy.

How often Lexington reviews its Charter

Different communities review their city charters at different times -- some do it regularly, and some rarely do it at all.

Right now, Lexington’s charter doesn’t specify how often it should be reviewed. The last formal review of the charter was in 1998.

There are different opinions on the frequency of charter review:

• Some say that setting a regular review schedule for the charter could encourage local government to be more flexible and innovative.
• Some say that requiring a regular charter review schedule could create needless work and that government should be changed less often.

What is the most important?

Thank you for taking the time to weigh in on these parts of Lexington's Charter! Now we want to ask our biggest question: Which of these topics do you think is the most important to consider changing in Lexington?