The Midway City Council heard the second reading of a new Landlord-Tenant ordinance at its regular meeting Monday night – only the 18th one in Kentucky. Like the city’s passage of a fairness ordinance 10 years ago, Midway is the first in Woodford County to pass a law that provides real protections to tenants of residential rentals— be they apartments or houses.
The Midway Landlord-Tenant ordinance regulates the lease contract between a landlord and a tenant. Councilmember Patrick Hall, the primary drafter of the ordinance, said at its core, the law “requires landlords to provide a safe and habitable residence, affords residents an enforcement mechanism to make sure required repairs are carried out, and that their security deposit is in a separate account and is promptly returned at the end of the lease, allowing for reasonable deductions by the landlord.”
Frankfort Plant Board addendum
The City Council unanimously passed an addendum to the contract between the city and the Frankfort Plant Board, which provides water to the city.
As part of the switch, the city is responsible for paying the capital costs to the Plant Board, which was expected to be $160,289.34. However, there was an overage of $160,289.34, primarily caused by a water line extension, bringing the total cost of the project to $1,784,289.34.
Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said the overage was abandoned by the Plant Board.
The City Council will pay a surcharge of $1.55 per 1,000 gallons of water delivered by the Plant Board, up to 180,000 gallons a day. Any water delivered above that threshold will not carry a surcharge.
Vandegrift said the surcharge will be $8,600/month and will begin in October 2026.
Given the significant savings the city is already realizing in monthly costs with the switch from Kentucky-American Water, Vandegrift, with the approval of council, said the city will absorb the surcharge cost for now instead of passing it on to city ratepayers.
World Communion Sunday
The council approved a request from the Midway Ministerial Association for additional parking at Midway Christian Church, which will host this year’s special World Communion worship service on Sunday, Oct. 4.
Midway Fall Festival
Vandegrift reported that the city enjoyed a successful annual festival despite the unseasonably high temperatures. He expressed his gratitude for the foresight of Woodford County EMS Director Freeman Bailey, who arranged for a dedicated EMS-tent and cooling station prior to Bailey going on administrative leave. The tent was set up near the railroad tracks near The Brown Barrel restaurant.
Councilmember Steve Simoff also expressed his gratitude to the Midway Merchants Association for their advocacy in expanding the footprint of the festival to Bruen Street. Simoff pointed out that this made for a better pick-up/drop-off for golf carts ferrying visitors from parking lots, provided a large shaded area where new vendor spots were located, and cut down on the pedestrian gridlock on Main (Railroad) Street that has been typical in past festivals.
Next meeting
Due to the Woodford County Public Schools fall break, the City Council will not meet on Oct. 5. The next meeting will be Oct. 19.