LEXINGTON, Ky. — 36 people from ages 16 to 70 have spent the month of March diving into the inner workings of local government.
"I don't tend to follow city politics on a frequent basis, so I viewed this as a great learning opportunity to find out how the city works," said civic assembly member Alex Stanley.
Civic assemblies are an European concept; a way to get citizens involved in the governmental process. The assembly is picking through Lexington's city charter with a fine-toothed comb. One topic of discussion is city council member compensation.
"The opportunity to be on the ground floor and handing the city council a well-reasoned, community-driven blueprint was an opportunity I couldn't pass up," said Shelly Kuhl, another assembly member.
At the end of the month, the assembly will vote among themselves for what to present to city council. The council will then decide if those changes will make it to ballot in the fall, for Lexington residents to vote on.
The final session will be on the last Sunday in March.
