Dear Friends,

A lot is going on and I can assure you we are working diligently at the Metro Council level to keep our city on track and moving forward together. The global pandemic hit just as we entered our annual budget process and then all of a sudden the unthinkable happened on March 13th – the horrific killing of Breonna Taylor whilst sleeping in her bed in her home.

As a mother, my heart bleeds for her beautiful family as they wait for justice and for the truth. As your elected official, I will not wait to take a stand. All questions must be answered and responsibility must be taken. Justice must be served because EVERY LIFE MATTERS. I want the following:

• Full independent investigation and the results shared with the public.
• An Inspector General position created for Louisville Metro (I requested this before).
• Body cameras be required to be worn by all police officers.
• Responsibility taken at the highest levels.

As we work through this together we have a chance to get it right this time. Shame on us if we don’t.

In the meantime, I also serve on the Metro Council’s Budget Committee and we are deep into the process of reviewing the Louisville Metro Budget for FY2021. We have conducted twelve meetings so far including two public hearings all of which were hosted using virtual technology.

All Metro Council meetings including the Budget Committee hearings are carried live on Metro TV, Spectrum Cable Channel 184 and UVERSE Channel 99. The meetings are also available online on the Metro TV website by clicking on the “Gavel to Gavel” button. A schedule of budget hearings and a way to comment on the budget are HERE.

Hard decisions about what services we can continue to provide, given declining tax revenues, will need to be made in the next few weeks.

A lot of those answers will come from Washington, D.C. So far, Federal funds appropriated to Louisville can be used only for coronavirus-related expenses, not to replace lost revenue. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the HEROES Bill today which will give more relief to state and local governments if it passes.

It is good common sense for Congress to pass legislation protecting the paychecks of the local government workers and first responders who police our streets, fight fires, look after the public health, and those who pick up trash, fill potholes and everything else you expect your local government to do. They already passed paycheck protections for many private sector workers and businesses, now is the time to do the same for the workers you depend on.

As Congress continues to talk, please contact your federal representatives by email at these links or telephone, and tell them that Louisville and other cities need their help now:

Senator Mitch McConnell // (502) 582-6304

Click HERE to Email Sen. McConnell

Senator Rand Paul // (202) 224-4343

Click HERE to Email Sen. Paul

Congressman John Yarmuth // (502)-582-5129

Click HERE to Email Rep. Yarmuth

Let’s take this one day at a time, stay focused, and fight the good fight. Get up every day and hold yourself accountable for taking positive action whenever you can whilst together, we hold our leaders accountable for serving justice – EVERYONE MATTERS.

Together today – Stronger tomorrow!

The first step in voting is getting registered and time is running out for registering to vote in the June 23 Kentucky Primary.  Register, change your registration or just check to make sure you are still correctly registered at this site. 

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, everyone is being encouraged to vote by mail-in absentee ballot.  For the first time, you will not need an excuse to vote absentee.   

In the near future, voters may request mail-in ballots in a portal on the State Board of Elections website. In the meantime, you can request a ballot through the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office. 

• If you are a registered voter in Jefferson County, go to  jeffersoncountyclerk.org/AbsAppReques to apply for a mail-in absentee ballot application or call 502.574.6100. If you choose that route, you will receive an absentee application in the mail, which you will need to return to the Clerk’s Office to receive a ballot.

After voting, ballots will be sent to the County Clerk. Mail-in ballots will have to be requested by June 16, postmarked by June 23 and be received within three days of Election Day. In-person voting, with the possibility of drive-through voting, will be allowed, in new ways, for those who need to vote in person.

Post cards will be sent out to Kentucky voters explaining the whole process.

We continue to be amazed at the tremendous effort you and our teachers are making to ensure your student is continuing their education under extraordinary circumstances. Each week, more than 90 percent of JCPS students have been in communication with their teachers and participating in Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI). While we know school-at-home can’t match the instruction your student gets in a traditional classroom, we are thrilled with the effort. Here are some updates:

Graduating Seniors: A web page has been created just for you. It has the schedule for every school’s virtual graduation ceremony which will be livestreamed on JCPS’ YouTube Channel, information and scheduling for cap and gown pickup as well as a list of the community-sponsored celebrations for the Class of 2020. We hope you will participate in your school’s virtual graduation ceremony. It will feature speeches by your principal and a classmate, the reading and posting of seniors’ names plus your school’s Class of 2020 video. Videos for all 28 graduating classes can be found here.

Picking up items from school: Schools will be communicating with you about opportunities to pick up any items left at school when our buildings closed in March. Your school will be notifying you of the date and time where a drive-thru and walk-up will be set up to distribute your belongings that were left in your student’s locker or classroom. 

NTI Survey: Parents and students, JCPS wants to hear your views on your NTI experience. Parents are encouraged to provide feedback by taking this survey.  We’ve designed another survey just for students.  Students can take this survey.  

Feel Good Videos: JCPS’ students, parents, teachers and staff have done incredible work since schools closed on March 13th. Several inspiring stories can be found on our YouTube Channel.

We hope these communications are helpful as we attempt to keep you up-to-date on what’s going on at JCPS during these unusual times. And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@JCPSKY)!

The Louisville Asset Building Coalition (LABC) that normally prepares taxes in-person has switched to a virtual tax preparation model. The service is free if you earned $66,000 Adjusted Gross Income or less in 2019, or if you qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit. Clients can make appointments by visiting https://labcservices.org/. You may also click here to view a flyer that fully describes the process. LABC understands that not everyone will be comfortable with this new method, LABC plans to operate in-person tax sites once it’s safe to do so. The tax filing deadline has been extended to July 15, 2020.

If you see a streetlight out in your neighborhood (or anywhere in Louisville), please note the address and report it to LG&E for repair. Click here to fill out the online form to report broken or malfunctioning streetlights. We always recommend adding your contact information to the request, so a technician who has questions can contact you. LG&E makes repairs during the day. Make sure you follow up if the streetlight hasn’t been repaired within seven (7) days.