LG&E has proposed new rates, shifting its fixed costs for electric service to an increased, regular monthly fee.  Because I am concerned about the effect of this proposal on low-income residents, who live in smaller homes and apartments, and on energy efficiency efforts, I am sponsoring a Metro Council resolution asking Louisville Metro to intervene in the rate case.  The resolution has already drawn several co-sponsors.   It could receive a final vote by the Metro Council on December 15. 

LG&E filed the rate proposal with the Kentucky Public Service Commission last month. It will be reviewed over the next several months.   The Metro Council resolution urges Louisville Metro’s intervention so that Louisville residents will have representation at the table as the rate proposal is considered.

A Courier-Journal story about the LG&E rate proposal is here. 

The 21st Annual Santa Sprint and Stroll is on Saturday, December 3 at 9:00 a.m. at Barret Traditional Middle School, 2561 Grinstead Drive. Online registration has closed but you can register on Saturday morning in the Barret gym. The run is on a 5k course along Frankfort Avenue in Crescent Hill and Clifton. Walkers can travel the same route or a shorter, one-mile route. The event is sponsored by the Frankfort Avenue Business Association to benefit United Crescent Hill Ministries. Photos with Santa begin at 8:30 a.m., bring your camera!

The following streets will be closed during the following times for the Santa Sprint and Stroll:

8:30 am - 10:30 am

• South Peterson Avenue from Frankfort Avenue to Grinstead Drive
• Frankfort Avenue from Stilz Avenue to the Railroad Tracks
• South Galt Avenue from Frankfort Avenue to Rowland Avenue

No Parking
7 am - 11 am

• Frankfort Avenue from Stilz Avenue to the Railroad Tracks
• South Peterson Avenue from Frankfort Avenue to Grinstead Drive
• South Galt Avenue from Frankfort Avenue to Rowland Avenue

On Friday, December 9, from 8:30 am – 3:30 pm, the 9th District office, in partnership with U of L Hospital and the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, will offer FREE mammograms at the Clifton Center, 2117 Payne Street.  To make an appointment, please contact my office at 574-3908.  Mammograms are for women age 40 and over. There is no cost to eligible women without insurance.  Women with insurance will need to bring their card so a claim may be filed. 

Village Manor Apartments is a large multi-family community on Frankfort Avenue which has many programs to reduce, reuse and recycle. Unlike many apartment complexes, it offers on-site recycling through Rumpke, which allows residents to recycle with ease (no sorting necessary!). It also collects CFL light bulbs in the office to recycle separately through Waste Management's Lamp Tracker program. The property manager, Beth Crouser, personally collects batteries and ink cartridges from residents to recycle through businesses like Best Buy and Office Depot, which offer specialty recycling services. 

While recycling is great, Beth realizes that part of the bigger picture is realizing what we can do as consumers to reduce the need for recycling. She tells prospective residents about Louisville's great “Pure Tap” water; no need to buy bottled! She always mentions the St. Matthews Farmers Market, where residents can buy local produce, with minimal packaging (it will be back May 13, 2017).  Village Manor also has a community garden where residents can grow their own produce.

The Village Manor office prints double-sided as often as it can to save paper. It's the little things, like putting  fax cover sheets upside-down in the printer tray so the confirmation page prints on the back. The complex recently installed motion-sensor lights in its apartment common hallways to save energy, and it participates in LG&E's Demand Conservation program. The complex even has clotheslines for residents to use; the summer sun is a perfect bleach alternative and reduces the need for energy-consuming clothes dryers!

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. 

For basic details for the below case/s please visit http://www.louisvilleky.gov/PlanningDesign/.  Click on “Search Case Information” link on the left navigation bar.  Then select the “home” tab and select the type of case and enter the case number.  For specific case information please call or email the listed case manager.  If you have any questions please contact Planning & Design directly at 574-6230.

Case No. 16VARIANCE1091
You are invited to attend a board of zoning adjustment review for a variance from the Land Development Code section 5.4.1.D.2 to reduce the private yard area to less than the required 30% of the total lot area.
Subject Property: 156 Pennsylvania Avenue
Case Manager: Ross Allen (ross.allen@louisvilleky.gov)
Meeting Type: Board of Zoning Adjustment
Date: Monday, December 5, 2016
Time: Meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. and continue until all cases are heard
Location: 514 W. Liberty Street 

Case No. 16VARIANCE1090
You are invited to attend a board of zoning adjustment review for a variance from the Land Development Code section 5.4.1.D.3 to reduce the private yard area to less than the required 20% of the total lot area.
Subject Property: 351 Hillcrest
Case Manager: Ross Allen (ross.allen@louisvilleky.gov)
Meeting Type: Board of Zoning Adjustment
Date: Monday, December 5, 2016
Time: Meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. and continue until all cases are heard
Location: 514 W. Liberty Street 

Case No. 16VARIANCE1086
You are invited to attend a board of zoning adjustment review for a variance from the Land Development Code section 5.4.1.C to allow a proposed pool (accessory use) to encroach into the minimum front yard setback AND a waiver from LDC section 4.4.10.A to allow a swimming pool to be constructed in a required front yard on a double frontage lot.
Subject Property: 2434 Cross Hill Road
Case Manager: Ross Allen (ross.allen@louisvilleky.gov)
Meeting Type: Board of Zoning Adjustment
Date: Monday, December 5, 2016
Time: Meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. and continue until all cases are heard
Location: 514 W. Liberty Street 

Case No. 16ZONE1055
You are invited to attend a review of a proposal from a change in zoning from C-1 (Commercial) to C-2 (Commercial) with a general district development plan and waiver.
Subject Property: 124 Saint Matthews Avenue
Case Manager: Brian Mabry (brian.mabry@louisvilleky.gov)
Meeting Type: Land Development and Transportation Committee
Date: Thursday, December 8, 2016
Time: Meeting will begin at 1:00 p.m. and continue until all cases are heard
Location: 514 W. Liberty Street

Given the recent change in weather, LMPD has seen an increase in vehicles left running unattended.  This greatly increases the chance that your vehicle will be stolen. It is also against the law.  LMPD has begun patrolling and issuing citations for vehicles left running unattended. To reduce thefts in D9, always lock your vehicle, never leave it running unattended and make sure no items are visible from the outside, even when it is locked.

As the Louisville bicycle network grows, so grows the need to keep it clear of debris for a safe, smooth ride. That goes beyond the three-times-a-year sweeping that most areas of the city get. So Bike Louisville has arranged a contractor to provide additional sweeping of bike lanes in response to requests through MetroCall. Riders are asked to report trouble spots to MetroCall at 311 or 574-5000. MetroCall also has a downloadable app at https://louisvilleky.gov/government/metrocall-311/services/download-311-app.

A new automated telephone and online appointment system that will help clients schedule appointments to apply for home energy assistance was recently launched. LIHEAP, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, is a federally funded, income-based program that provides financial help to low-income households in meeting the costs of heating their home. LIHEAP assistance is a one-time benefit, paid to the heating vendor. The LIHEAP Subsidy Component operates through Dec. 9, 2016, or until funding is depleted, whichever comes first. 

Residents are required to get an appointment to apply, and in the past, they had to stand in line for that part of the process and then return for the appointment itself. But this year, Community Services is launching a new automated service for LIHEAP appointment scheduling. Citizens will be able to make appointments by calling (502) 991-8391 or by going to http://www.louisvilleky.cascheduler.com.

Citizens seeking an appointment will be able to get needed information and to schedule an appointment. The system, which will operate 24-hours per day, seven days a week, provides a confirmation number indicating that an appointment was successfully scheduled.

Also new this year: Four Neighborhood Place sites will be open for LIHEAP application appointments, in addition to the Newburg Community Center/East (4810 Exeter Ave.) and the Southwest Government Center (7219 Dixie Highway).

• Northwest Neighborhood Place/Academy at Shawnee, 4018 W Market St.
• South Central Neighborhood Place, 4255 Hazelwood Ave.
• Neighborhood Place Ujima/Duvalle Education Center, 3610 Bohne Ave.
• Neighborhood Place/Bridges of Hope, 1411 Algonquin Pkwy.

Appointments will no longer be made at the Urban Government Center at 810 Barret Avenue, which is closing.

For the Subsidy Phase of LIHEAP, residents can apply regardless of the status of their utility bills. Applicants must be Louisville Metro/Jefferson County residents with a household income at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. They must also provide the following documentation at the time of their appointment.

• Proof of all household income for the preceding month (Food Stamp award letter, Social Security Award letter, pay stubs, etc. or proof of $0 income. Note: Zero Income forms are available at the Community Services office at 701 W. Ormsby Ave., Suite 201 or by clicking here.)
• Proof of Social Security number or Permanent Residence card (Green Card) for each member of the household.
• Most current heating bill; or statement from your landlord if heating expenses are included in your rent; or statement from your utility company if you participate in a pre-pay electric program. Please bring the account number and name on the account for main heating fuel sources and electric.

Individuals who are unable to apply for this program in person may send a representative on their behalf with a note including the applicant’s signature and phone number. Call 574-1157 for more details on how this process works. Residents who are homebound and who are unable to send a representative may call 502-485-7230 ext. 2239.

Callers who require more information can contact MetroCall 311 by simply dialing 311 or 574-5000, email metro.call@louisvilleky.gov, visit the website’s On Line Customer Service or Live Chat at http://www.louisvilleky.gov/metrocall, tweet @LouMetro311, or download the free Mobile 311 app from the website.  Residents can also call Metro United Way’s 2-1-1 help referral service.

The Spring 2017 Neighborhood Institute is open to all neighborhoods, Metro Council Districts and the whole community. There is no charge to attend.

The Neighborhood Institute is a neighborhood leadership-education program established in 1987 by the Center For Neighborhoods, a non-profit civic organization. The Neighborhood Institute equips neighborhood leaders with the resources necessary to effect positive change by acting through and with their neighborhood groups.

Part of the Neighborhood Institute curriculum includes a self-directed project in the community. Through the class projects, people become engaged in the community as they branch out and apply the information and knowledge from the class to real life situations.

Spring classes will meet at Center For Neighborhoods Headquarters, 507 S. Third Street, beginning January 26-April 19, 2017. The meetings are every Thursday from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. and dinner will be provided.

Please click HERE to for more information, or to apply for the 2017 class. For more information, contact John Hawkins, 502-589-0343 or johnh@centerforneighborhoods.org.

The Clifton Center, a gathering place for art, culture and ideas has space available for lease. It’s a third floor suite, 2117 Payne Street.

• Approximately 900 square feet
• annual lease
• includes elevator and utilities
• welcoming "cultural" atmosphere

For further information please contact Ann Drury (502) 896-8480 or email adrury@cliftoncenter.org

For the past several years, the District 9 office has hosted a mobile tax preparation site at United Crescent Hill Ministries, offering free tax preparation to individuals and families under a certain income bracket. Each year we depend on volunteers to help prepare taxes and greet clients at our mobile site. We have a few dedicated volunteers that help us out every year, but we need more! This year we’d like to offer additional tax preparation dates and hope you’ll consider joining our team! If you are interested in volunteering for the 2016 tax season (February-April 2017) please contact Kyle Ethridge or call 574-1109. The first volunteer training will be offered later this month. Volunteers are needed to help prepare taxes AND greet clients.

Louisville Metro residents not mulching autumn leaves into their lawns or using curbside collection will have the option to dispose of them at one of three drop-off sites now through this Saturday, December 3. Only loose leaves will be accepted. Containers used to bring leaves to the drop-off sites must be disposed of off-site by residents.

Leaf drop off sites:

• Public Works Yard, 10500 Lower River Road (enter from Bethany Lane), Tuesday – Saturday from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Public Works East District Operations Center, 595 Hubbards Lane, Tuesday – Saturday from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Public Works Waste Reduction Center, 636 Meriwether Avenue, Tuesday – Friday:  9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Saturday:  9 a.m. – 3 p.m.