News Editor City of Lexington officials are seeking a legal opinion on whether Lafayette Regional Health Center owes the city compensation for nonemergency transfers of patients from LRHC to other medical facilities in the region.

During last week’s City Council meeting, Councilman Thomas Rowland provided information showing that to date, the city has conducted a total of 20 non-emergency transfers, costing the city $76,000. Rowland said the maximum possible recovery of costs for the city, through the billing of individual patients, is $41,000.

At the current pace, the total cost for the year for non-E transfers would be around $238,000. The maximum possible recovery cost is $165,000.

The city and LRHC had a one-year agreement in place last year for payment for non-emergency transfers, but that agreement expired Dec. 31, 2025. The new (current) agreement went into place on January 1, 2026 and expires on December 31, 2026.

There is currently a disagreement over whether the hospital is responsible for footing the bill for the non-E transfers.

Rowland said the city should not have to “subsidize a service that primarily benefits the hospital. The city gets no money (for running non-E transfers).”

If the current situation continues much longer, Rowland said the city would have to make sacrifices elsewhere in the city budget in order to compensate.

“This is an urgent issue that needs to be resolved quickly before we put ourselves so deeply in a hole that we’re going to have to cut something out that’s really going to hurt us,” said Rowland.

City Administrator Shawnna Funderburk said “we are currently getting clarification from legal counsel” on whether the hospital is responsible for helping pay for the non-E transfers, and whether there would be any legal issues regarding the city canceling non-emergency transfer service.

Under state law, the city is not legally responsible for providing the non-emergency transfers, said Funderburk.

The Administrator added an attorney is preparing a legal opinion to present at the next Council meeting.

Even if the service is canceled, the city would continue to be responsible for emergency ambulance transport services.

Mayor Tom Hughes said he has always been against dropping the non-E transfer service because of the number of local seniors who depend on the service, but added the city might soon have no choice in the matter. Hughes stated Lexington is among a dwindling number of cities its size that runs non-E transfers, adding most have abandoned the service because of the costs involved.

“If we keep losing money, we can’t afford to continue to do it,” said Hughes.

Funderburk added that according to research by Fire Chief Erika King, only 38 percent of non-E transfers represent actual Lexington residents, meaning that Lexington taxpayers are subsidizing non-E trips to metro hospitals for out-of-town patients.

No decisions on the matter were made during the meeting.

In other matters:

• A group of residents approached the Council to voice their objections to a proposal to develop a pair of fourplex units near the ballfields. Planning and Zoning recently approved a zoning change from an R-1 Single Family Residential District to an R-3 Multiple Family Residential District to allow the development to take place.

The residents brought forth concerns over traffics and the aesthetics of the proposed units.

Rowland, who serves as the Council liaison to the Planning and Zoning Commission, said the Commission did take residents’ concerns into account when making a decision. He added the proposed units also tie into the city’s goal of expanding its housing offerings.

• The Council approved a contract between the city and KSHB 41 for $18,500 to promote upcoming events over the air and on its and social media platforms. Bob Florence, Director of Economic Development & Communications Manager, spoke about the plan.