LONDON, Ky. (LEX 18) — London City Council is holding a special meeting tonight following explosive outbursts from city leaders and community members at a canceled special session Wednesday night.
Re-instated Mayor Randall Weddle canceled last night's special-called session due to capacity issues and concerns that it could have violated a Kentucky statute for open meeting attendance.
"Under the city attorney's advice and other attorneys' advice, this is a violation so we're not going to proceed," Weddle said to cancel the special session.
Council members shot back at the announcement, with one asking about venue capacity.
"Is upstairs gonna be enough or should we have this at the Corbin arena? How much room is enough room?," said Council Member Anthony Ortega.
The packed house was due to what was on the agenda that night: proposed ordinances which some say could cut city employee pay.
"You don't care about these city employees...is that why you're trying to cut our pay by 30% two weeks before Christmas? Because you care? You care about my family? You're gonna pay my bills?," a member of the audience said.
A heated debate ensued between Mayor Weddle and Council Member Judd Weaver before Weddle left the room.
"Hey guys, remember, he cares so much about what every one of you said in this room, that he's only gonna give you a $3 raise over a twenty year period. Not only that, if our fire department does CPR on you, they're gonna lock em up for 6 months and charge them with $500. That's how much they care," Weddle said.
"I have put up with your trash, you can dish it out to me but you cannot to the employees. That's where I draw the line and you will get me fired up when you go after innocent people over your political system. You're a liar," Weddle continued.
In an interview with LEX 18 Thursday, Mayor Weddle called the proposed ordinance "retaliatory."
"We're strong financially so there's just no reason for it and the people that know, know this. So that's the outcry. Why are you doing this other than it being retaliatory against these employees and retaliatory against me," Weddle said.
Weddle called the meeting after he left the room "illegal."
"I wasn't there for the debacle, the illegal meeting, whatever was taking place after. But I've seen on Facebook that quite the eventful thing happened down there," Weddle said.
Meanwhile, a class action lawsuit has been filed against Mayor Weddle by James Phelps and London Auto Service. This follows two other lawsuits filed in November.
"I don't think anything about it. I don't think anything about him or anything him and his brothers filed. I said it in the council meeting, I think if anybody starts looking it's the same attorney that's filing these lawsuits and I find them to be very suspicious," Weddle said.
Looking ahead to tonight's meeting, Mayor Weddle hopes for clarity.
"I hope we'll get clarity on why they're taking this action. They'll tell me the 120 employees we have why they're taking this action, and then I hope they tell the community. Because the community is upset," Weddle said.
The London City Council also provided a statement on Thursday:
The London City Council met yesterday and passed critical ordinances to correct unauthorized expenditures and restore the city's budget and pay plan to compliance with Kentucky state law.
In August 2025, the council reinstated the official pay plan, notifying the Mayor that hiring practices must conform to state law. Despite this, the Mayor continued creating positions, setting salaries, and hiring without legislative authorization.
On Monday, December 2, the council conducted the first reading of corrective ordinances. During that meeting, the Mayor assured attendees that the ongoing state audit was proceeding well with no issues and the city's finances were "excellent." On Tuesday, December 3, the city received correspondence from the State Auditor indicating issues had been identified requiring further investigation. On Thursday, December 4, a class action lawsuit was filed demanding refunds related to alleged illegal expenditures and inappropriate spending of garbage fund revenues.
We are not a large city. London cannot afford to sustain this fiscal irresponsibility. We have a fiduciary duty to ensure the legal spending of any/all public funds. We will not shirk from making difficult decisions to protect taxpayers and restore accountability.
State law is clear: the legislative body—not the executive—has budgetary authority. The Mayor's unilateral actions of creating positions, setting salaries, and making hires outside the approved pay plan violate Kentucky municipal law.
The council appreciates the widespread citizen support, welcomes resident input, and remains committed to transparent governance and compliance with state law.
In light of pending litigation, the council cannot comment further at this time.
