Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton unveiled the results of a “military style review” of the city’s winter storm response during a Monday, April 13 news conference. It comes after Lexington has struggled to adequately clear streets in the wake of multiple snow and ice storms this year and last. “W hile winter’s ice has melted, unfortunately, the problems with our winter weather response did not disappear with it,” Gorton said in a news release Monday. “That will take work. Today we’re taking the first of many steps before winter returns.” Among those first steps: On Tuesday, Gorton said she will ask the Urban County Council to grant initial approval to agreements with eight contractors, giving the city more capacity to respond to snow and ice storms and other weather-related disasters. Gorton also wants to invest more money into the city’s winter storm response and preparations. Susan Straub, Lexington’s communications director, told CivicLex that Gorton will propose allocating about $5.1 million in next year’s budget. The Mayor is expected to deliver her annual budget address Tuesday, April 14. The $5.1 million investment would represent an increase of almost $2 million, Straub said. The announcement on Monday coincided with the release of the city’s internal “After Action Review.” It began February 8 and included feedback from more than 100 drivers, operators, supervisors, and managers – including senior leadership. In the coming weeks, Gorton said she plans to assemble a work group that will include Councilmembers and key city staff to begin putting the After Action Review’s recommendations into place. Asked by CivicLex if the work group’s meetings will be open to the public, Gorton said they will be internal meetings. Where did Lexington’s winter storm response break down? The After Action Review examined the city’s response to Winter Storm Fern, which unfolded in Lexington between January 24-26. Lexington has struggled to respond to multiple winter storms during the last two years, including Winter Storm Blair in early 2025, and a March 17th storm this year that caused more than 150 crashes on slippery roads. That storm prompted the resignation of the city’s Environmental Quality and Public Works Commissioner and other leadership changes. Robert Larkin, the city’s emergency management director, led the review, which focuses on Winter Storm Fern. As the review notes, Winter Storm Fern brought only moderate amounts of snowfall to Lexington, between 4.5 and 6 inches. However, it also left a quarter-inch layer of ice, followed by a long period of extreme cold that limited crews ability to treat. “These conditions resulted in persistent compaction of snow and ice, formation of hardened surfaces, and the development of deep ruts that required mechanical removal,” the reviews states. “As a result, recovery operations extended well beyond the end of precipitation and required sustained, resource-intensive effort.” However, as the review states, weather conditions weren’t the only factor complicating the city’s response. “The primary limitation during the event was not solely environmental conditions, but the absence of a clearly defined, adaptable operational strategy,” the review states. The review identified six major findings related to the city’s preparation, response and storm clean-up: Lack of an adaptable operational strategy reduced effectiveness. One example includes the repeated treatment of priority routes, even when cold conditions limited their effectiveness. Resource capacity and logistical constraints. An example includes limited staffing levels for ongoing, high-tempo operations across all routes, with a recommendation that contractors should be used to fill personnel gaps. Operational execution never established snow plan priorities. An unclear management structure resulted in problems with coordination, inconsistent priorities, and inefficiencies with the city’s partners. Communication was inconsistent and was out of step with actual operational conditions. The review states: “Internal and external communication lacked consistency, structure, and alignment with actual operational conditions, impacting coordination and public expectations.” Workforce and training gaps. There was a mix of training, experience, and staffing levels that reduced response consistency and effectiveness during the event. Lack of an incident management structure to coordinate operations. The review states that “the absence of a formalized incident management structure resulted in fragmented coordination, inconsistent priorities, and limited alignment across departments and external partners.” Read the full After Action Review below: Winter Weather AAR Jan 26 – FINAL Winter Weather AAR Jan 26 – FINAL.pdf 849 KB download-circle The post Mayor outlines changes to Lexington’s winter storm response appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less