Council confirms Ross Boggess to Lexington Board of Adjustment

Ross Boggess was confirmed by the Lexington City Council to the Board of Adjustment on Aug. 14, 2025, the council announced after a brief public hearing and a closed session.

Boggess, who lives in the city’s Third District, told the council he studied at the University of Kentucky and has worked in planning, real estate and development. “I came across city planning and absolutely fell in love with what the potential for cities are,” Boggess said during his public remarks, describing development as a way to “grow the community through development, and then grow the economy through development.” He said his neighborhood experience—his home near Woodland Park was built in 1901 and was substantially rebuilt in the 1990s—helps him understand the “complexities of the urban nature.”

The council’s confirmation hearing focused on how Boggess would apply professional experience, how he would balance neighborhood concerns with development, and how he would handle conflicts of interest related to short-term rentals. Council members asked about his decision-making process and whether he would use neighborhood testimony, written letters, and staff reports when evaluating applications.

Boggess said he studied the Board of Adjustment charter and recent hearings, and he described procedural preparation as part of his readiness. He told the council he had watched the prior six months of Board of Adjustment hearings on the city archive channel and met current board members to seek advice. He described familiarity with parliamentary procedure, saying that knowledge of how meetings run helps him evaluate testimony in context.

Short-term rentals were a recurring subject in the questions. Boggess said he has operated short-term rentals and served on the city’s short-term rental work group. He said his operator experience gave him data points the board could use, including that Lexington’s short-term rentals average about 50% occupancy. “If it's one that I'm personally involved with, say I'm in the radius, ... if I have any financial gain or loss from it, or if I have some sort of personal relationship with that, [I would] recuse myself,” Boggess said when asked about conflicts of interest. He added he would consult the city’s law team if he was unsure.

On neighborhood impact, Boggess said the board must show demonstrable harm to the “general vicinity” when considering whether a short-term rental or other development disrupts neighbors. He described examples where conversion of problem rental properties had been beneficial in some areas while acknowledging that heavy short-term rental use could harm residential character in others.

Council members also asked about preservation and racial equity in neighborhoods. Boggess said he is cautious about the “weaponization of code enforcement” and rapid tax increases that can threaten long-held, multigenerational ownership. He said the Board of Adjustment can help “mild the blow” of market forces through case-by-case decisions.

After councilmembers’ questions, the council briefly recessed into closed session. When the meeting returned to open session later in the agenda, the vice mayor announced, “this council has approved your appointment.” The transcript does not record a roll-call vote or the names of any motioners for the confirmation; the council’s announcement served as the record of approval in the public minutes.

Boggess will take the seat on the Board of Adjustment as an appointee from the mayor’s office; the effective date and any formal oath or reporting requirement were not specified during the hearing.

The confirmation leaves the council with a new Board of Adjustment member who has professional experience in development and direct experience operating short-term rentals; during future cases Boggess said he will weigh neighborhood testimony, written evidence and staff reports and will recuse himself when he has a personal financial interest.