Metro Council begins each year by electing a new President, who then appoints committee chairs and vice-chairs.

For the third straight year, President David James has appointed me to serve as Chair of the Budget Committee.

The budget will continue to be challenging, given the significant increase in pension obligations we are obliged to pay because of changes in assumptions imposed by the Board of Trustees of the Kentucky Retirement Systems in 2017 and 2019.  Prior to those changes, pension costs accounted for less than 8% of Metro’s budget.  They now account for over 16%, and will be over 20% in the next three years.  The increase means an additional $70 Million Dollars will go to pensions each year, and not be available for the Metro services on which our residents depend.  

In addition to chairing the Budget Committee, I am serving on the Public Works and Government Oversight and Audit Committees.  

As the year begins, I am co-sponsoring several pieces of legislation, including an improvement to Louisville’s Fair Housing Ordinance, new tree protections in the Land Development Code and a Renewable Energy Resolution.  I am hopeful that each of them will be approved in the coming weeks.

I am also working on a variety of D9 projects, including sidewalk repair and construction and tree planting efforts.

You’re invited to let me know your thoughts on these issues, or any other Metro or D9 concerns, beginning at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, February 25 at Whitehall House and Gardens, 3110 Lexington Road.  You can also let me know your views anytime by calling 574-1109 or emailing me here.

Several people have contacted me about the status of the Crescent Hill Golf Course.  The course is closed until March 1, pursuant to an ordinance Metro Council passed last year, allowing the closure of all but four courses (Seneca, Vettiner, Iroquois and Quail Chase) during the months of December, January and February. Shawnee and Bobby Nichols golf courses are also closed for the winter and will re-open again in March. 

Metro Parks employees are maintaining the Crescent Hill course and have asked members of the public to avoid damage to the course by staying off of it during the closure. 

Contracts with golf professionals who have managed courses in the past expired at the end of 2019 and new contracts are being negotiated by Metro Parks and approved by Metro Council.  The golf professional who had been managing Crescent Hill resigned last year and submitted no new proposal to manage the course.  To date, no contract for management of the course has been presented to Metro Council.  If no contract is in place by March 1, a Metro ordinance requires Metro Parks to manage and maintain the course, until a suitable management contract is in place. 

In the meantime, play one of the open courses, including D9’s Seneca, on nice days, and get ready for the fall season by purchasing a pass.

Louisville Parks and Recreation annual golf passes are now on sale at the Joe Creason Park administration building, 1297 Trevilian Way. A seven-day unlimited play pass is $500. A five-day pass, Monday-Friday only, is $350. Junior, team, and golf cart discount passes are also for sale through the golf desk at Creason, located in the parks administration building across from the Louisville Zoo.

Those seeking a pass are required to fill out an application and to get a photo ID taken at the Creason golf desk. You can download the application here or fill it out in person.

For more information, please call (502) 574-6454.

Bingham Park, located just south of Brownsboro Road at Coral Avenue, is getting some attention!  The budget Metro Council approved last June included $65,000 for a Bingham Park Master Plan, to be matched dollar for dollar by the Olmsted Parks Conservancy.  The park has not had a significant upgrade in decades.  The conservancy is committed to fundraise for revitalization of the park once a master plan is created. 

The first step is a community survey to collect data about the current use of Bingham Park that will contribute to the development of an updated Master Plan for the park. The information collected through this survey will be used to better understand current park use and gather information as to what park-goers, nearby residents, and other stakeholders would like to see preserved and improved at Bingham Park. All Louisville residents are invited to complete the survey. The Olmsted Parks Conservancy and Louisville Parks and Recreation are overseeing the Master Plan project. Gresham Smith is the design firm working on the Master Plan project, and the University of Louisville Graduate Urban Planning and Sustainability students are collaborative partners on this project. If you have any questions or additional thoughts please contact: The Olmsted Parks Conservancy at https://www.olmstedparks.org/.

Click here to take the online survey. There are 12 survey questions, which will take about 10 minutes to complete.

The St. Matthews Friends of the Louisville Free Public Library will have a mini-book sale in the small community room at the St. Matthews Library, 3940 Grandview Avenue, this weekend, beginning on Friday, February 7 through Sunday, February 9. Hours for the sale are Friday (1-5 p.m.), Saturday (10 a.m. – 5 p.m.) and Sunday (1-4 p.m.)

The sale will include a large collection of science fiction, fantasy books and some large coffee table books. This is a cash and carry sale with exact change appreciated.

Metro Parks has scheduled several volunteer opportunities to clean the Beargrass Creek Greenway and the Clifton Heights Greenway.

For the Beargrass Creek Greenway cleanup, volunteers should meet at the Girl Scouts Office parking lot at 2515 Lexington Road at 9:00 a.m. Volunteers will be cleaning up litter and debris along the path.

Beargrass Creek Greenway Cleanup Dates:

• Thursday, February 6
• Wednesday, February 12
• Thursday, February 13
• Wednesday, February 19
• Thursday, February 20

For the Clifton Heights Greenway cleanup, volunteers will be helping with a variety of tasks, including helping to build a headwall on a stream crossing and doing finishing work on the trail with hand tools.  Volunteers should wear sturdy shoes that they will not mind getting dirty. Volunteers should meet at the corner of Lindsay Avenue and Pryor Avenue at 9:00 a.m.

Clifton Heights Greenway Cleanup Dates:

• Saturday, February 8
• Friday, February 21
• Friday, February 28

If you are able to volunteer, please email bryan.lewis@louisvilleky.gov  to let Metro Parks know when you are available, so they can plan for the day and provide project updates.

Help make Louisville an even greener place. Join Metro Parks for two tree planting events in Metro Parks on Friday, February 14 and Friday, February 28. The events run from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and the plantings will occur in Buechel Park and Lannan Park. No experience necessary and families are welcome to participate!

Metro Parks pre-digs holes to make it easier for the volunteers. For more information, please contact Sarah Flarsheim at sarah.flarsheim@louisvilleky.gov or call 502-901-8191.

Click here for more information and to sign up!

Whitehall will host its tenth annual Valentine’s Dinner on Friday, February 14, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. inside its historic mansion at 3110 Lexington Road.  Whether you are in search of a romantic dinner for two or simply a fun way to celebrate the holiday with a group of good friends, this event presents a perfect evening of dining and elegance.  Served by candlelight inside the beautifully appointed Whitehall mansion, the Valentine’s dinner features a delicious 4-course feast prepared by Chef Gregoire Guiot of Mirabelle Gourmet Catering. 

Ticket cost is $80/person for 4-course dinner or $100/person for 4-course dinner with wine.  Reservations are required and are available for parties of two or for groups of up to ten guests.  Parties of two will be seated at private 2-top tables.  Entrée selection must be made at the time of ticket purchase.  $45/ticket is tax deductible; includes valet parking. 

For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact Whitehall at (502) 897-2944 or whitehall@historichomes.org.  Tickets may also be purchased via Whitehall’s website at http://www.historicwhitehall.org/valentines-dinner.

TreesLouisville has partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to provide free trees to Louisville residents!

Participants can choose from a 1-gallon container tree shipped to their home or a 3-gallon container tree to be picked up at the following event.

TreesLouisville Tree Pickup on Saturday, April 4, from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Portland Avenue Presbyterian, 3201 Portland Avenue, 40212.

Species available: blackgum, swamp white oak, tulip poplar, bald cypress and sycamore.

Please visit, www.arborday.org/treeslouisville to reserve your tree today!

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. 

Compostable products like takeout containers, cups, plates, and forks may look and feel like plastic, but are made from plants such as corn or sugarcane. From a disposal point of view, these items are not as "eco-friendly" as they sound if you don't have a way to compost them in an industrial composting system. They won't break down easily (if at all) in a backyard compost pile, but if you try it, consider helping the process along by cutting the item into small pieces first. These products should NOT be placed in the recycling bin. If you don’t have a way to compost, into the garbage they must go. But, like their plastic counterparts, even compostable containers don't break down in any reasonable amount of time in a landfill. Remember, it’s best to REDUCE! Try to avoid single-use items, no matter what they're made from! 

My office is partnering with the Louisville Asset Building Coalition (LABC) to provide FREE tax preparation services again in 2020. The service is FREE if you earned $66,000 Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) or less in 2019 or if you qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Call the appointment line to see if you qualify and make your appointment! Appointments at United Crescent Hill Ministries, 150 S. State Street, will be available on Fridays through April 10 between 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Please call the appointment line at 502-305-0005 to make an appointment and please share this with anyone you think may be eligible. Click here to view brochure. If you have any issues making appointments, please contact my assistant at 574-3908. Click here to view the flyer.

AARP Tax-Aide has a mission to serve any person who comes through the door, with special attention to those 60 years of age or older. Assistance will be available at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2822 Frankfort Avenue, from 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. every Wednesday through April 15. For more information and a full AARP schedule, please visit www.aarp-tax-aide-lou.org or call 502-394-3443.                                                           

Do you instead file your own taxes? Through the LABC website, there are two options to self-file online. The “Intuit 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 “H&R Block My Free Taxes”, which is available if you make $66,000 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/do-you-qualify, for more information.

From now through March 27, yard waste will be collected in the Urban Service District on your normal day BY REQUEST ONLY. Call 311 or 574-5000 to request yard waste collection. Regular yard waste collection will resume the week of March 30. (Residents with private waste haulers should contact their company about yard waste collection.)

The Louisville PVA offers a homestead exemption for property owners 65 years of age or older and persons with disabilities who own and occupy the property as their primary residence on January 1 of the year in which they apply for the exemption. The homestead exemption for 2019-2020 is $39,300. If you are eligible to receive the exemption, the year’s exemption amount is subtracted from your property’s assessed value, reducing your property tax liability.

Only one exemption (Homestead or Disability) is allowed per household. Once approved for the Homestead Exemption, you are not required to reapply annually.  You are eligible for the Homestead Exemption on residential or commercial property if you own and occupy the property as your primary residence and meet all other qualifying criteria. If you move, it is your responsibility to notify the PVA Office and reapply for the exemption on your new residence.

For more information and to apply online, please click here.

The U.S. Census will help determine Louisville's future for the next 10 years — representation in government, the allocation of federal resources affecting communities and families, education funding, and much more. The City and the Louisville Municipal Complete Count Committee are working to help ensure a complete and proper count of all Louisville residents, and are seeking the community's help in getting out the word. The official Census 2020 date is April 1^st and households will begin receiving Census information in March. To view a sample questionnaire and to learn more visit: https://louisvilleky.gov/census. Click here to view the Census 101 flyer.

The Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness is offering free radon test kits while supplies lasts. You can request a kit by calling 502-574-6650.

Radon is a gas that you cannot smell, taste or see. It forms naturally when uranium, radium and thorium break down in rocks, soil and groundwater. People can be exposed to radon primarily from breathing radon in air that comes in through cracks and gaps in homes and other buildings. Radon can cause lung cancer through prolonged exposure. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, behind smoking, and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, causing between 15,000 and 22,000 lung cancer deaths each year.

The entire state of Kentucky is at high risk for radon exposure with about 40 percent of homes estimated to have unsafe levels. The only way to know if radon exists at dangerous levels in your home is to test for it.