Lexington aims to strengthen snow and ice response after winter failures

Lexington is overhauling its winter response after an after-action review found that Winter Storm Fern exposed breakdowns in plowing routes, contractor staffing and ice treatment. Mayor Linda Gorton said the city’s snow plan must become a snow and ice plan that can handle harsher conditions, after the January storm brought snow, ice and nearly two weeks of freezing temperatures.

Winter Storm Fern hit Lexington from Jan. 24-26 and left its most serious damage stretching through Feb. 3. The storm dropped about 4.5 to 6 inches of snow, then added roughly a quarter-inch of ice and a long stretch of bitter cold. Lexington stayed below freezing for about ten days, with wind chills below zero at points, which made ice removal harder and limited the effectiveness of treatment on neighborhood streets.

City officials said Lexington had been prepared for a normal snow event, not an ice storm, and internal confusion over plowing routes slowed the response. Some drivers were unsure whether they were supposed to finish full routes or keep clearing rank 1 and rank 2 streets until those were complete. The city also said it did not have enough contractor support. Earlier in the year, only one company responded to the city’s public bid for heavy snow plow contractors, and some contractors later ran into equipment problems when temperatures fell into the single digits.

The city said its rock salt was ineffective about 47% of the time because the temperature was too low for it to work. Another 21% of the time, it melted ice only sluggishly. Nearly two weeks after the storm, many neighborhood streets were still impassable, and Fayette County Public Schools had been closed for two weeks, intensifying the public backlash.

Gov. Andy Beshear called Lexington’s response “unacceptable,” adding pressure on city leaders as residents questioned why streets remained untreated so long. Beshear also said state government had offered help, a claim Gorton disputed.

In response, Gorton said the city will seek initial approval from the Urban County Council for agreements with eight contractors to expand heavy-equipment capacity for future winter storms and other disasters. Lexington is also pursuing an emergency snow and ice removal contractor through a request for proposals, and officials said national and regional companies have already committed to help if needed before a final contract is approved.

Susan Straub, the city’s communications director, said Gorton will propose about $5.1 million for next year’s winter-weather response, nearly $2 million more than before. Gorton previously said the city spent an extra $2 million after the 2025 ice storm and now believes more is required.

Robert Larkin, Lexington’s emergency management director, led the review, which began Feb. 8 and drew input from more than 100 drivers, operators, supervisors, managers and senior leaders. Gorton said she will form an internal work group with council members and key city staff to carry out the recommendations. Public Works Commissioner Nancy Albright said the city wants more contractors with the right equipment, including graders, front-end loaders, skid steers and dump trucks, and that the new contract could also support tornado debris removal.