Florence City Council October 21

All City Council members and Mayor Julie Metzger Aubuchon were present. Florence YouTube channel

Item numbers correspond to the published agenda item numbers.

#5 – SECOND READING ORDINANCE O-22-2025: Change of Concept Development Plan for Wawa

• An Ordinance adopting and approving a Change of Concept Development Plan in a C-2/PD zone for approximately 3.8 acres at 8540 US 42 (PIDN 062.00-00-039.00, northeast corner of US 42 and Hopeful Church Road).
• Permits demolition of existing gas station, convenience store, and restaurant to construct a 6,372-square-foot Wawa convenience store with gasoline pumps.
• Previously discussed at the September 23, 2025, meeting with presentations on design, traffic impacts, and residential neighborhood effects; first reading occurred on October 14, 2025.

Key Speakers

• Mayor Aubuchon read the ordinance and Todd (Florence Director of Community Development) provided an overview of concerns: reiteration of prior discussions on traffic flow; residential impacts; and state jurisdiction over entrances/exits.
• Conditions: Several new conditions from the Planning and Zoning Committee, including upgrades to lighting, entrances and exits, building structure and facade, ingress/egress within the property, and an extensive traffic study approved by the State of Kentucky.
• Q&A Highlights: Council Member Patricia Wingo summarized: “This is for the construction of a Wawa Station… it replaces an existing gas station and restaurants… we returned with several new conditions… upgrades to some of the lighting, the entrances and the exits, the structure of the building, some of the facade on the building… ingress and the egress as you’re inside the property itself. There was also an extensive traffic study done that was submitted to the state of Kentucky. The state did approve the entrances and exits and the traffic study as submitted… quite a number of additional conditions that we added to the approval of this.”

The council voted 4-2 to approve the second reading, with Councilmembers Lesley Chambers and Angie Cable dissenting.

#6 – MUNICIPAL ORDER MO-13-2025: Declaration of Surplus Property and Transfer to Breathitt County High School

• A Municipal Order declaring one 2017 Ford Interceptor police vehicle (Cruiser 2706) as surplus property, approving its transfer to the Breathitt County High School Criminal Justice Program in Jackson, Kentucky, and authorizing the execution of a transfer agreement.
• Police Chief Tom Mallery explained: “Our department’s extremely fortunate to have money budgeted each year to purchase a couple new cruisers. Those new cruisers are assigned to officers and the older cruisers are used as spares… some of the current spares are either used by other city departments or auctioned off. And in the past we’ve also donated some of our surplus cruisers to needy departments. Recently we were contacted by Kenneth Spicer who is a criminal justice instructor for Breathitt County High School… Mr. Spicer is a retired police chief with 25 years of law enforcement experience and is now a high school teacher… this program is designed to prepare students for careers in law enforcement and public safety… a decommissioned cruiser would help them do traffic stops, patrol simulations, and vehicle searches… we’re asking tonight for council’s approval to help out Breathitt County High School’s criminal justice program by donating… Cruiser 2706. It’s a 2017 Ford Interceptor. It’s been stripped and all the decals for Florence have been taken off of it and it was set to go to auction, but we would like to donate it.”
• Council support noted: Councilmember Angie Cable stated, “I think it’s a great opportunity.” Chief Mallery responded, “We’ve donated a couple of them in the past, but to be able to donate it to help out a high school to get kids hopefully leaning towards law enforcement, I think is great.”
• No specific Q&A, public comments, or concerns reported; presumed routine.

Approved 6-0 without dissent.

Not one person interested in running for election to the city council next November, outside existing city council members, was in attendance.