Approximately 60% of those funds will be used to address arterial/corridor roads within the Metro with the other 40% going towards improvements on neighborhood streets. This year’s road allocation, I believe, is a good first step; however, it will not address all of our city's paving needs. 

Parks: With an additional investment of $800,000 (double from FY15) for maintenance in our parks we have made inroads at addressing the severe deferred maintenance in our parks, but it's not enough. Parks provide everyone a better quality of life with a myriad of activities. Louisville has a long history of pride in our parks. The Metro Parks department testified that they would need $3.2 million every year to adequately maintain the parks that so many in Louisville love using. We must do more to help these community assets thrive. 

Government Buildings: Metro Louisville owns nearly 2 million square feet of space and this budget begins to address the needed repairs and updates for these spaces. As a city we have a lot of work to do in order to ensure that these facilities are properly maintained. Many of these buildings hold the history of our city and our lives and we must find a balance in resources to ensure this history for future generations. 

Public Commitments 
There are many ways in which we work together as a community to improve our health and well being. In this budget we are finally getting serious about the need for affordable housing as a vital resource in helping stabilize some of this city's most vulnerable families. The Metro Council approved a $12 million initiative that will use a mix of city funds and a 30 year bond to create 1,500 affordable housing units over the next two years. Through the External Agency Funding process, we made strides toward addressing the mental healthcare needs of several at-risk populations including veterans, the homeless, those dealing with substance abuse and those living with certain chronic illnesses. Grants have been awarded to Seven County Services, Coalition for the Homeless, Volunteers of America and many others. While I believe there is a mountain of work ahead of us to have mental health taken as seriously as physical health, I see these grants as a positive step in that direction. We also maintained our commitment in this budget for our community ministries and the great work they do for those who are in need of emergency assistance throughout the year. 

Summary
We need to build on this year’s momentum if we want to truly make progress on improving our roads, parks and government buildings; but, as the saying goes -- all journeys begin with a single step. This year’s budget process gave way to one of the largest investments in roads this community has ever seen. The focus on getting results helped lead this body to extraordinarily high levels of bi-partisan cooperation as we focused on achieving one large community goal of improving our infrastructure. While there is always a desire to have more revenue as well as lower taxes, the Metro Council managed to live within our current budgetary restraints. I was proud to serve as an integral part of the budget process. I asked a lot of questions. You have my commitment that I will continue to seek answers, demand results, and ensure accountability for District 7 constituents and beyond.  

Where does the money come from and how is it allocated?

The charts below will show you how the Metro Budget is established. These charts show the sources of revenue and sources for the capital budget that help the Budget Committee develop a road map for establishing spending priorities. The bottom two charts lay out the operating expenses and the capital appropriations. Click here or on the image to enlarge. The approved budget document is still in the process of being finalized. Please check the District 7 website early next week for the passed version of the budget. 

Community Budget Highlights

For more information on the community highlights in the FY16 budget click here to view the presentation made at the council meeting. Click here or on the image to enlarge.  

District 7 Budget Highlights

Understanding that people expect results, the Republican members of the Metro Council work together and pool their funds to help fix roads and improve parks more quickly. Rather than having small portions of a street paved, members of the caucus work together to save funds and get long stretches of streets like -- Lime Kiln Lane, Dorsey Lane, Beckley Station and Vondre Avenue -- paved. This pooling also allows for significant investments in parks. Fiscal Year 2015-2016 will see more than $1 million in improvements made at AB Sawyer Park and continued work towards making Charlie Vettiner Park a gem for Southeastern Jefferson County and funding for improvements to Highview Park. Click here or on the image to enlarge.

Update on KY 22

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) contractor is currently working on removing the remnants of the old culvert from Goose Creek. The new culvert is being fabricated off–site and it is scheduled for delivery in mid-July. KYTC still believes the project is on schedule and that KY 22 will be reopened on August 10, just in time for the first day of school! The total cost of the project is $729,000.

4th of July Safety Tips & Events

The Louisville Metro Council offices will be closed Friday, July 3 in observance of the 4th of July holiday. If you need to speak to someone about a drainage issue, please call MSD’s 24/7 Customer Service at 587-0603.  Erin, my Legislative Assistant, will follow up on requests when she returns to the office on Monday, July 6, at 8:30am. We hope that you and your family have a happy and safe 4th of July weekend!

As we head into the long weekend to celebrate America's 239th Birthday please be mindful of these safety tips. 

The following events are happening this weekend in District 7

City of Beechwood Village - Bike Parade & Decoration Contest – July 4th at 10:30am City of Graymoor - Devondale - Parade - July 4th at 9:30am  City of Murray Hills -  Parade - July 4th at 9:00am  City of Rolling Fields - Parade - July 4th at 9:30am  City Windy Hills- Parade - July 4th at 11:00am City of Westwood - Parade - July 4th at 10:00am

New Booster Seat Law in Kentucky

Booster seats provide an extra step between child safety seats and seat belts. House Bill 315 requires that children younger than 8 and between 40 and 57 inches tall be secured in a booster seat. The bill requires law enforcement officers to issue citations with a $30 fine with no court costs. In addition, violators will have the option to purchase a booster seat instead of paying the fine. Boosters are intended to lift the child up off the vehicle seat to improve the fit of the adult lap and shoulder seatbelt. The lap portion of the belt should fit low on the hips or high on the thighs and the shoulder portion of the belt should be snug across the collarbone. An improper fit of the adult safety belt can cause the lap belt to ride up over the stomach and the shoulder belt to cut across the neck, potentially exposing the child to serious abdominal or neck injury. According to Partners for Child Passenger Safety, more than 90% of 4 to 8-year-old children who were seriously injured in a crash were not restrained in a booster seat. What are Kentucky's Child Seat Laws? Any child under 40 inches tall must be in a child and/or infant seat. Any child, who is under seven years of age and is between 40 and 50 inches tall, must be in a booster seat. All children over seven years of age or over 50 inches tall must be secured in a seat belt. Has Your Child's Car Seat Been Recalled? If you would like to check on your child's car seat, follow these steps: Locate the manufacturer's name, date and model number on your car seat Go to www.carseat.org Click on the 'Recalls' link Click 'View' to see the recalled carseat list Click here to download the Child Seat Brochure

LMPD Crime Mapping Tool

LMPD has a new way for you to map crime. Click here to view the interactive crime mapping tool. Be sure to save it in your favorites to view crime updates anytime - it's updated daily.   Do you know how to prepare yourself and your home in the event of a crime? Visit our Safety & Initiatives webpage to learn important tips for staying safe!

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