Last week, Metro Council voted against a compromise proposal for an increase in the insurance premium tax AND reduced Metro services, to deal with the large and growing pension bill we receive from Frankfort.  The Council voted against any increase in taxes.  I was a sponsor of the original tax increase ordinance, and a sponsor of the compromise, and of course I voted for it.  Because that position did not prevail, we will be making $35 Million in cuts to Metro services in the budget starting July 1 and are on a path to make an additional $30 Million in cuts over the next four years.

Mayor Fischer will present his proposed budget on April 25.  The Budget Committee, which I chair, will hold dozens of hearings on it before the Council votes on the budget on June 25.  My goal over the next few months will be to find as much consensus as possible, and to end up with a budget which most of the Council will support and Mayor Fischer will sign. 

The cuts to Metro services to our residents will be deep and difficult, and there can be no sacred cows that are not considered for reductions.  Many of you have already told me that some of the proposals are unacceptable for the community, but the reality is that painful cuts will be required.   

I cannot support continued funding of Metro Council at current levels while everything else in the budget is being cut.  Since taking office in January 2015, we have run a lean operation, returning almost $60,000 (49.6%) of the cost center funds appropriated for our office to the treasury.  The new reality will cause us to make more cuts, including funding for the Frankfort Avenue Trolley Hop starting in July.  We are also canceling the Back to School Swim Party we have always sponsored at the Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center in September.  Our Responsible Recycling event will go on this May but, for the first time in four years, we won’t be collecting any hazardous waste materials, because of the cost involved in doing so.   All Neighborhood Development Fund applications not previously committed to are on hold by my office.

Thank you to everyone who has contacted me and participated in this discussion.  I look forward to continuing those conversations over the next few months.  On May 21, we’ll have a D9 Community Conversation on the budget at the Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana, 2115 Lexington Road, in the Troop House.

Help raise funds for the 27^th Annual Frankfort Avenue Easter Parade at the Fourth Annual Karaoke “Money for the Bunny” fundraiser tonight, Thursday, March 28 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at The Hub, 2235 Frankfort Avenue. The cost is $25 to sing or to nominate someone to sing. Entrance to The Hub is free. Vote for your favorites for $5.00 per vote.

Save the date for the 27^th Annual Frankfort Avenue Easter Parade on Saturday, April 20. Enjoy the Shriners, antique cars, homemade family floats, Hwang’s Martial Arts, talking police car, mounted sheriff’s posse, candy and much more!

Yard waste collection season in the Urban Services District of Louisville has been suspended since mid-January. Regular yard waste collection, in the Urban Services District, will resume the week of April 1, 2019.

The seasonal shutdown is possible because yard waste collection volumes are very low in the winter months. Thanks for your patience during this seasonal suspension.

As yard waste collection resumes, below is a list of collection guidelines.

There is no limit on the number of bags or cans of yard waste that may be set out for collection. When a holiday occurs, yard waste collection is delayed, like garbage or recycling pickup. Guidelines for collection of yard waste:  

• Yard waste may be set out in garbage cans, paper bags, or compostable bags as long as each can or bag weighs no more than 60 pounds and can be easily lifted by the average person.
• All yard waste must be set out by 6 AM on collection day - no earlier than 4 PM on the day before collection day.
• All containers must be removed from the street or alley no later than 4 PM the day after collection and stored on the property.
• Yard waste such as grass, leaves, or other yard waste must be free of other garbage or plastic flower pots, etc.
• Woody waste (such as tree limbs and shrub trimmings) should be less than 2 inches in diameter and should be cut into 4-foot lengths and securely tied into bundles light enough to be easily handled by one individual.

Here’s another opportunity to plant trees in west Louisville.  Louisville Grows will be planting in the Chickasaw neighborhood on Saturday, April 6 from 8 am – 4 pm, gathering at the Trinity Family Life Center at 3811 Hale Avenue.  It’s part of the organization’s effort to plant 1,000 trees in 2019.

No experience is necessary and a light breakfast and lunch will be provided to all volunteers.

Register at https://tinyurl.com/April2019TP.

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. 

Jefferson County Public Schools and Catholic Schools will be on Spring Break next week, April 1-5. Metro Parks is offering a sports camp, art camp, community center camps and athletics camps next week. Visit their website for more information https://louisvilleky.gov/government/parks. Also, the Louisville Zoo and Science Center have family friendly activities and camp opportunities.

No matter how you spend it, please be safe and have fun! 

The Clifton Heights Community Council (C.H.C.C.) was awarded the 2018 Neighborhood Watch Outstanding Achievement Award at Metro Police’s annual event honoring its many Police Service Volunteers. Wilma Smith, C.H.C.C. Board member and Police Service Volunteer representative, accepted this Neighborhood Watch Award on behalf of Clifton Heights.

Although Clifton Heights has no community-wide program, its many sub-communities have done much to create neighbors-helping-neighbors watches. A few examples: Indianola’s 50+ homes link via e-mail; Next Door, names/addresses roster, and neighbors meeting each other on porches, walks, dog-walking, etc. Heather Hills has monthly board and an annual meeting, parking and cleanliness policies, and “walk arounds” in mild weather, so neighbors know each other. These activities help police identify and target problems before they are out of control. Other folks attend “Coffee with a Cop” events, describing concerns in their neighborhoods. This communication helps police to solve these problems.

Congratulations to Clifton Heights on this award!

As part of the national “March for Meals” movement, I had the pleasure of delivering meals from United Crescent Hill Ministries (UCHM) last week. I traveled with Jane Arnold (directly to my right in the photo), who has been delivering meals since 1974.

Louisville Metro’s Senior Nutrition Program provides nutritional lunchtime meals to active senior citizens at Congregate Meal Sites and delivers to homebound seniors through the Meals on Wheels Program, throughout the Louisville Metro area. These programs help to improve the lives of older adults by supporting good nutritional health and promoting their independence and well-being.

Home delivered meals (Meals on Wheels) are delivered to the eligible homebound elderly from the various nutrition sites. A social worker from Louisville’s Department of Resiliency and Community Services conducts an in-home visit to make this assessment. A waiting list is maintained to accommodate the ever growing need in this community. Those in the greatest physical, social and economic need are given priority as a vacancy becomes available.  Click here to refer a senior.

The Senior Nutrition Program seeks volunteers all year long to help in a variety of capacities, including packaging and serving meals at one of the congregate sites, and delivering meals to homebound clients.  For more information about volunteering at UCHM, call Joy at (502) 893-0346. To make a financial donation to Meals on Wheels, click here for Louisville Metro’s secure on-line donation form.

Meals on Wheels is available to qualified seniors in Jefferson County, 60 years or older, who are homebound with no one available to help prepare meals.  Seniors who would like to receive Meals on Wheels can call (502) 574-6325 to begin the qualification process.  The senior congregate sites for more active seniors, 60 and older, can be found by calling the same number above or by clicking here. Sites require a one-day advanced reservation.

Below please find 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, located at 204 South Spring Street (Palatuccis), Louisville, KY. 40206.  The ad ran in The Courier Journal Wednesday, March 20, 2019.

• GovDelivery Courier Journal Ad.pdf
• new location or ownership change.pdf

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!

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.