As Metro Council continues to work through the issues resulting from the dramatically increased pension invoices we have received and will be receiving from the Kentucky Retirement Systems in Frankfort, I've announced a series of public meetings, and opportunities to ask questions. As Chair of the Budget Committee, my goal is to have a fact-based, community-wide discussion about the increased costs (which Metro Council cannot affect under state law) and alternative ways to pay the bill, including an increase in the insurance premium tax, service level cuts or a combination of the two.

This Saturday, February 23, I will be at two public meetings, the Café LOUIE session at the Crescent Hill Library at 9:00 a.m. (outlined below) and a District 7 meeting at the St. Matthews Community Center, 310 Ten Pin Lane. That meeting starts at 10 a.m. but I'll be a little late due to the Café LOUIE meeting.

On Wednesday, February 27, I'll be joined by Louisville Metro Chief Financial Officer Daniel Frockt at our regular D9 Community Conversation. It starts at 6:30 p.m. at Whitehall, 3110 Lexington Road. As with all D9 Community Conversations (we have them every other month), discussion of any subject is welcome but we'll of course be focusing on the pension costs and our budget at this meeting.

As Budget Committee Chair, I've also announced several public meetings and an online form for members of the public to submit questions. Here's the meeting schedule:

• Special Budget Committee Meeting - Monday, February 25, 2019 at 4:30 p.m.
• Budget Committee Meeting - Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 4:30 p.m.
• Special Budget Committee Public Hearing - Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.
• Special Budget Committee Public Hearing - Monday, March 4, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.
• Budget Committee Meeting - March 14, 2019 at 4:30 p.m.
• Metro Council Meeting - March 21, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.

Information about those meetings, including links to the form to ask questions, is here: https://louisvilleky.gov/government/metro-council-district-9/proposed-insurance-premium-tax-and-proposed-reduction-city

Throughout the City, we are looking for ways to become more efficient, while delivering an acceptable level of city services. Last year, the first year of the increased pension invoice, Metro Council passed a budget which eliminated 49 positions. As many of you have noticed (and some have complained about), we've eliminated regular yard waste collection in the winter months. Those are just two examples of ongoing belt-tightening.

In my own D9 office, we've cut expenses, and every year we've returned to the treasury almost one-half of the appropriation we receive to run our office, a total of $59,512 or 49.6% of the total appropriation over the last four years.

We're also considering a variety of additional cuts throughout Metro government, and we appreciate your suggestions.  

The pension invoice is rapidly rising, however, and the amount needed to cover it is enormous. We cannot pay this pension bill solely by cutting services, without dramatically affecting service and putting our community in a downward spiral. More about the entire issue is at this Metro website: https://louisvilleky.gov/government/mayor-greg-fischer/louisville-faces-devastating-budget-shortfall.  

Meet your legislators at the Louisville Free Public Libraries in 2019. The purpose of Café LOUIE is to provide constituents and their elected representatives a chance to engage and “get-to-know” each other in an informal setting.

From 9:00 am to 10:00 am each Saturday morning through March 30, attendees will be able to meet and interact with their elected officials. Elected officials will be given a brief time for prepared remarks and to answer a few pre-selected questions submitted by attendees. The focus of these meetings is engagement through personal conversations.

I will attend the Café LOUIE on Saturday, February 23 at Crescent Hill Library, 2762 Frankfort Avenue.

For a complete listing of Café LOUIE events, please click here.

Louisville Grows is getting close to its March 2nd Tree Planting in the Shelby Park/Smoketown Neighborhoods. It is looking for volunteers to help get 150 trees in the ground to add to Louisville's tree canopy. Volunteers should plan to meet at Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, 443 E. Kentucky Street, at 8:00 a.m. The event is scheduled until 4:00 p.m. No experience necessary. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided to all volunteers. Volunteers can sign up at: www.louisvillegrows.org/get-involved/volunteer-calendar/

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.

Louisville’s Office of Housing & Community Development and the Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund (LAHTF) have completed a Housing Needs Assessment. Please plan to attend an upcoming presentation to highlight major findings and a series of recommendations.

• Tuesday, February 26 from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Memorial Auditorium, 970 S. 4^th Street
• Wednesday, February 27 from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. at Bon Air Library,
  2816 Del Rio Place

On Thursday, February 28, 2019 Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana will host its 13th Annual Desserts First. The area's finest local restaurant chefs will create original desserts, appetizers and signature drinks using the well-known Girl Scout Cookie varieties as the key ingredient. The chefs will gather and present their creations for tasting. Girl Scouts have challenged some of the area's best chefs to create desserts inspired by Girl Scout Cookies. This fun-filled fundraiser will also include dinner stations, silent auction, and a culinary competition with local chefs, creating desserts inspired by Girl Scout cookies.

Desserts First is a fundraiser where adult guests sample exclusive culinary creations and enjoy an evening with friends. The evening will also include a silent auction and wine & bourbon pull! Judges will crown the best dessert, appetizer and specialty drink of the event. Guests will vote and participate in the People's Choice Awards.

Funds raised through the event will support local Girl Scout programs that teach essential life skills in STEM, financial literacy, civic engagement/advocacy, education, health/wellness, and the arts. With over 10,000 Girl Scouts as members of the Kentuckiana Council, your generous financial support is essential in helping provide and expand these programs that cultivate girls’ inherent leadership potential, confidence, and character to shape the future.

Tickets are $80 each and may be purchased online by clicking here.

It’s time to clean house and get ready for another junk collection if you live in the 9^th District Louisville Metro Urban Services District (USD). You may begin setting out your junk on Friday, March 1, in the afternoon. All junk must be set out by Monday, March 4 at 6:00 a.m. Some items (hazardous materials, construction debris, etc.) are not collected. For collection guidelines, please click here. To sign up for junk set out reminders by email and text, click here! To see if you are in the collection area, visit www.louisvilleky.gov/district9, scroll to the bottom, click on “Find City Services by Address” and enter your address.

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!