Metro Council's Budget Committee meets today to consider an ordinance which would raise the insurance premium tax.  I will be voting for an amended version of the ordinance, with smaller increases than originally proposed.  I'll do that reluctantly, because that will mean far deeper cuts in City services in the budget we will pass in June.  But government, like most things, requires compromise, and I and others have been working hard to find a balance of cuts and new revenue which a majority of the Council will accept.  

While discussions are continuing, the proposal I expect to vote on this afternoon would gradually increase the tax on property, casualty and other insurance premiums, and hold them at 10%, far lower than the original proposal. Any increase in the tax on vehicle insurance premiums would be from 5% to 6.5%, at most, and there would be no increased tax on health insurance premiums. At the maximum levels, the Louisville Metro rates would be far below what is already charged in many large Kentucky counties and cities, including Oldham County, where all lines of insurance, except health, are taxed at 10%. 

The revised ordinance also provides that ALL of the increased taxes would be put into a special fund and dedicated SOLELY to paying our dramatically increased pension bill from Frankfort.  That rising bill, which we cannot affect and have to pay, is the source of most of the problem we are facing. The pension invoice rises from $76 Million in FY 18 to $136 Million in FY 23 and each year after that.  In the event we are able to find new revenue options in the future, the ordinance says the increase in insurance premium taxes SHALL be reconsidered.  

This plan does NOT raise enough revenue to avoid cuts in services, not even close.  While there is no consensus on cuts (we will have two months to finalize the budget starting on April 25), sponsors of the new proposal have laid out a few of the many things we will likely be required to cut:  

• Budget cuts, with hiring freezes, for all nonrevenue producing positions and nonessential spending.
• A 5 percent salary cut or furloughs for all employees earning more than $90,000 annually.
• A $20,000 cut to every Metro Council member's spending.
• An increase in Metro employee health insurance premiums.
• Elimination of cost-of-living adjustments for the upcoming fiscal year.
• Elimination of all take-home vehicles, with minimal public safety exemptions.
• Shifting the urban service district to alternating weekly yard waste and recycling; permanently eliminating yard waste collection in winter months.
• Discontinuing operations for the Belle of Louisville. 
• Returning Youth Detention Services responsibility to the state.
• Elimination of funding for the Living Room, a program designed to divert people with substance abuse and addiction issues, or mental illness, from jail.
• Elimination of capital budget spending on bike lanes for at least two years.
• Reducing budgets in every department, focusing on management and communications positions.
• Eliminating suburban street sweeping.
• Reducing EMS service by one ambulance in areas where suburban districts provide services, including D9.
• Eliminating support for suburban fire districts. 

I have already heard from many of you that these cuts, which are only part of what we will need to do, are unacceptable.  On the other hand, I have spent a lot of time with Council members who are unwilling to raise taxes enough to avoid these cuts - and many more that we will have to make.

Thank you to everyone who has contacted me and participated in this discussion.  

Links to videos of the Budget Committee’s meetings, and questions and answers submitted to the committee, are here.

More about the entire issue is at this Metro website.  

Below please find links to a Change in Ownership memo and Courier Journal Legal announcement for an NQ2 Restaurant Retail Drink and Sunday Liquor Drink license(s) being applied for El Tarasco, located at 110 Fairfax Avenue, Louisville, KY. 40207. The ad ran in The Courier Journal Wednesday, March 6, 2019.

• Courier Journal Ad
• New Location or Ownership Change

My office is partnering with the Louisville Asset Building Coalition (LABC) to provide FREE tax preparation services again in 2019. The service is FREE if you earned $64,000 Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) or less in 2018 or if you qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Call the appointment line today to see if you qualify and make your appointment! Appointments are available every Friday through the end of tax season between 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at United Crescent Hill Ministries, 150 S. State Street, in Clifton. Please call the appointment line at 502-305-0005 to make an appointment or visit https://louisvillekyvita.cascheduler.com and please share this with anyone you think may be eligible. You may also call the D9 office at 574-3908. Click here to view brochure.

Tax assistance is also available through AARP at Clifton Christian Church, 131 Vernon Avenue, on Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. This site will run through April 10. This location helps low and moderate income taxpayers with an Adjusted Gross Income of $60,000 or less, with special attention to those 60 years of age or older. Please note that sites will shut off their sign-in list when the expected maximum number of clients have been registered for that day. Early arrival is suggested. Also note that new returns cannot be started during the last hour scheduled for the site. Call 502-394-3443 to confirm site hours and find out if the registration list is filled for the day in question.

Do you instead file your own taxes? Through the LABC website there are two options to self-file online. The “Turbo Tax Freedom Edition” is available if you have $33,000 or less in income. The software has a well-designed interview process that guides you through the process of making decisions about your filing status, inputting your income and making decisions about deductions and tax credits for which you may qualify. The other option is “My Free Taxes”, which is available if you make $64,000 or less. This program is developed by H&R Block and uses an interview process. Please visit, https://labcservices.org/index.php/free-tax-help/free-online-tax-filing, for more information.

If you’ve been complaining about litter, here’s a chance to do something about it.

Please plan to join me on Saturday, April 13, for the D9 Spring Community Cleanup. In partnership with Brightside, we will be cleaning along Frankfort Avenue just one week before the Easter Parade. Volunteers should plan to meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Frankfort and Keats public parking lot for breakfast sandwiches, provided by the Clifton McDonald’s, and hot coffee, provided by Heine Brothers’ Coffee. The cleanup will officially start at 9:00 a.m. and fan out in the neighborhood. The District 9 office will provide bags, gloves, tools and t-shirts on a first-come, first-served basis. Questions, please contact the office at 574-1109.

Please save the date and join us!

Street sweeping season resumes March 18 in Louisville. Click here to receive alerts when street sweeping is headed to your area. Just enter your address in the MyLouisville box.

Street sweeping rules:

Street cleaning signs are posted prior to 5:00 p.m. on the business day before sweeping occurs. The signs alert residents that there is No Parking between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on sweeping day. Vehicles parked in No Parking areas are subject to citation and/or towing.

Residents should not park in affected areas until after 5:00 p.m. even if it appears an area has been swept, as sweepers may return before that time. The No Parking zone covers both sides of the street, though signs may only be posted on one side.

The League of Women Voters is hosting Dinner & Democracy, a monthly community forum, on Monday, March 18, and on Tuesday, March 19 (hosted recording of Monday’s session). The topic for discussion is Restorative Justice. Restorative Justice is a theory of justice that emphasizes repairing the harm caused by criminal behavior. It is best accomplished through cooperative processes, which allows all willing stakeholders (those impacted by the crime) to meet to negotiate their own resolution rather than the court system doing it for them. Meetings will be at the Lang House, 115 S. Ewing Avenue.

• Monday, March 18 - dinner at 5:30 and program at 6:00 p.m. (reservations are not required and donations are accepted)
• Tuesday, March 19 – program is at 10:00 a.m. (hosted recording of Monday’s session & discussion)

Questions, please call 895-5218 or email lwvlouisville@gmail.com.

Louisville Metro Government will be hosting a public open house from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20, at Lincoln Elementary, 930 E. Main Street. The meeting will be an opportunity to comment on the preliminary planning and design for the reconfiguration of the Main St. and Story Ave. intersection.

In accordance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), if anyone has a disability and will require assistance in participant in the meeting, please notify Michael King of the necessary requirements no later than March 18, 2019. This request does not have to be in writing.

Please address any questions regarding this meeting or project to: Michael King, Louisville Metro Advanced Planning, 444 S. 5th Street, Louisville, KY 40202, 502-574-4140 or michael.king3@louisvilleky.gov.

The Division of Community Forestry (DCF) will be hosting two free tree giveaways. DCF is seeking volunteers to help distribute trees at the giveaways. Click here to sign up today!

All trees are Kentucky native trees, and trees will be awarded on a first-come, first served basis. Limit 5 trees per Louisville resident. Must provide proof of residency. Trees cannot be placed in the street right-of-way, parks or containers. Trees must be planted in Jefferson County.

• Saturday, March 16 from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. at the Louisville Zoo, 1100 Trevilian Way (bus parking lot)
• Saturday, March 23 from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at Jefferson Community & Technical College, 125 W. Broadway

Questions, please contact DCF at 574-3927 or email CommunityForestry@louisvilleky.gov.

We’d like to feature your sustainability story - a resident or business doing good things for the environment.  Riding the bus, bicycling, walking, gardening and more - our eNews will feature practices which can benefit all of us.  Send your story to Bill Hollander or Kyle Ethridge. 

Small businesses drive the local economy, providing jobs and stability for families and accounting for approximately two-thirds of the jobs in the workforce. Small businesses also provide most of the necessary services in neighborhoods, improving the quality of life for those residents.

Starting a new business? Check out the comprehensive online guide that provides a wealth of information. More information on all stages of business, doing business with the City and more is available on the newly updated website, click here to check it out.

There is also a shared calendar for all business education programs hosted by SCORE. Check it out here: https://louisville.score.org/content/take-workshop-277.