Lexington's boards and commissions have a representation problem. Could stipends help?

On Tuesday, November 10th, Council reviewed recommendations from a subcommittee that has been working for over a year on ways to make Lexington's boards and commissions more effective and accessible to residents.

Lexington has more than 70 local boards and commissions – such as the Planning Commission and many others – that help make decisions and shape policy here. They cover a swath of important issues, such as homelessness, violence prevention, affordable housing, disability rights, historic preservation, environmental issues, racial justice and equity.

However, they often have vacancies and recruitment issues.

Additionally, because boards are largely made up of volunteers and sometimes require significant time commitments, the question has been raised of whether they are truly representative of Lexington's diverse population. In 2024, CivicLex led a research process that found board and commission members tend to be older, own their homes and have higher levels of education.

In recent years, advocacy from Kentucky Tenants has also pushed the Council to designate seats for renters on housing-related boards and commissions, such as the Planning Commission, which considers many important zoning and development issues.

Council committee moves to improve oversight and operation for local boards

Ultimately, during its November 10th meeting, Council's General Government and Planning Committee approved several reforms.

They include advancing:

• Changes to Lexington's Code of Ordinances that require each board and commission to provide annual reports covering activities and achievements, as well as meeting attendance, membership, vacancies and other information. Boards would also be required to hold regular meetings, advertise them on the city's calendar, make agendas publicly accessible in a timely manner and keep meeting minutes, for example.
• A proposal to strengthen the ties between Council and local boards and commissions. Council committee chairs would determine which boards related to their work, and new Council liaisons would keep communication lines open to improve collaboration.
• A Council resolution that supports budgeting money at some point to fund stipends for members of the Planning Commission, Board of Adjustment, Civil Service Commission and Administrative Hearing Board. Council resolutions are not the same as ordinances (laws) it enacts, so this would be a symbolic show of support for stipends.

The full Council still needs to take final action on these proposals.

Vice Mayor Dan Wu said the committee item will be presented to the full body at its January 19th Work Session. By then, a new Council will be seated.

Board stipends spark debate among some Councilmembers

4th District Councilmember Emma Curtis was the lone vote opposing the Council resolution for board stipends.

Curtis opposed the resolution on the grounds that – without designating seats for renters on those boards and commissions – supporting stipends sends the wrong message and is counterproductive to making them more accessible and representative.

"If we send the message that we are going to pay these specific people – who are by and large wealthy, who are by and large able to do these jobs in a volunteer capacity – we're not creating anything more equitable," Curtis said.

As a member of Council's Boards and Commissions Subcommittee, Curtis said she was eager to engage in the work so that renters and people with lower incomes would have more opportunities to participate in local government.

"As far as I'm concerned, I don't believe that we've gotten there," Curtis said. "I think that we've made a lot of improvements to streamline the functions of our boards and commissions ... But I don't believe the changes that we're making are actually going to lead to more equitable boards and commissions in Lexington."

When it comes to designating seats for renters on Lexington's Planning Commission and Board of Adjustment, for example, a legal review by city staff found that Council is limited by state law. KRS.100 governs the membership requirements for those bodies.

Council will continue to explore designating seats where Lexington's local government is legally allowed, such as for boards and commissions it creates by ordinance. To that end, 2nd District Councilmember Shayla Lynch, who co-chairs the subcommittee with Wu, said a board-by-board review is underway.

Wu agreed with Curtis that there's more work to be done on this issue.

"I think there's still a lot of work to be done in the next year or however long this takes," Wu said, adding Council will continue navigating the legal questions around this issue. "We're going to do what we can in the places where it's appropriate ... This is not the end of our work."

Going forward, Council will get periodic updates on this work and it will continue reviewing potential compensation for boards and commissions members, including reimbursing for child care costs, for example.