The tragic death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed by police while they were executing a “no-knock” warrant at her home, has increased calls for policy changes and for more oversight of LMPD.  I have long thought that more meaningful civilian review of LMPD is needed and support the calls to take action now.  

In May 2000, the Louisville Board of Alderman passed Ordinance 48, Series 2000, establishing a Louisville Civilian Review Authority, an eleven member body whose purpose was to review allegations of police misconduct including: use of excessive force, inappropriate language, harassment, discrimination, theft, and failure to provide adequate or timely police protection.  All Louisville ordinances expired after merger occurred and the Louisville Metro Council never acted on meaningful civilian review. 

To restore confidence in LMPD, we need systemic change and a comprehensive, sustainable and independent civilian oversight system.  I believe it should include an independent, civilian inspector general.  I will be one of four Metro Council members serving on a work group studying civilian review models from across the country and recommending changes in Louisville.  The first meeting of the work group is tomorrow. 

Civilian oversight can help hold police accountable and develop trust with local residents.  That should be the goal of everyone, including the police officers who are on our streets doing a very difficult job every day.

I am looking forward to the work group moving forward and making recommendations for new ordinances very quickly.  

Kentucky has an important election on June 23, and everyone is being encouraged to vote by absentee ballot.  For the first time, you will not need an excuse to vote absentee.   

To vote absentee, voters must request mail-in ballots at GoVoteKY.Com before June 16 (11:59 pm on June 15 is the deadline). After you complete the simple form, a ballot will be mailed to you along with a postage paid envelope to return to the County Clerk after you vote. Mail-in ballots will have to be postmarked by June 23 and be received within three days of Election Day.

There will also be in-person advance voting and one polling place in Jefferson County on Election Day, at the Kentucky Exposition Center, but the easiest way for most people to vote, by far, is by mail. Post cards are being sent to Kentucky voters explaining the changes.

While Kentucky is a closed primary state and only registered voters of the Democratic or Republican Parties are eligible to vote in their party’s primary, there is an important Special Election in Kentucky’s 26th Senatorial district, which includes much of D9, to fill an unexpired term. Areas in yellow on this map are in Senate District 26. All voters in that district may vote in the Special Election.

The Metro Council’s Budget Committee, which I chair, is deep into the process of reviewing the FY21 Budget.  Yesterday afternoon, we concluded the twentieth budget hearing since April 30. 

There continues to be much uncertainty about the budget, as we assess and consider adjustments brought on by declining tax revenues as a result of the global pandemic. Cities across Kentucky must balance their budgets every year – even when a recession causes revenues to plummet like is happening now.

Congress is considering bills which will allow state and local governments to use federal aid to replace lost tax revenue, an idea which has broad, bipartisan support, but is moving far too slowly.

To avoid massive cuts in the services delivered by the people you depend on to police streets, fight fires, look after the public health, run ambulances and pick up trash, cities and counties across Kentucky are asking Congress to pass legislation protecting the paychecks of those workers, just as it has protected paychecks of many private sector workers and businesses.  My view on this was published by the Courier-Journal last month.  You can read it here.

There is talk of another federal package but there is also resistance to that idea among some legislators.  Please contact your federal representatives by email at these links or telephone, and tell them that Louisville and other cities need help now:

Senator Mitch McConnell
(502) 582-6304

Senator Rand Paul
(202) 224-4343

Congressman John Yarmuth
502-582-5129

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, June 12, in the afternoon. All junk must be set out by Monday, June 15 at 6:00 a.m. Some items (hazardous materials, construction debris, etc.) are not collected and these guidelines are being strictly followed. 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.

Wearing a cloth face covering when you are around people is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and required to ride TARC and by some private businesses. This video by the Surgeon General of the United States shows you how to make one.

Social distancing is still very important! Before you go out anywhere, remind yourself what six feet of space looks like and commit to stay six feet away from everyone you are not currently living with. Go to the grocery store as infrequently as possible, wear your cloth face mask when you go, and don’t treat your visits there as social occasions. Stay back in any line and exercise some responsibility yourself.  If you see a crowded aisle, avoid it or wait for people to leave, for example. 

When you are out for a walk, run or bike ride, keep that six feet distance from other people and avoid areas with large crowds.  If you head for a walk on Frankfort Avenue or the Crescent Hill Reservoir, for example, and see a crowd, walk somewhere else.

Please be safe as businesses and government facilities reopen.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a wealth of information about COVID-19, including the latest guidance, like the recommendation to wear a cloth face covering in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.  The website is here. 

I’m inspired by the people and organizations helping out the growing number of people in need in our community. 

A D9 nonprofit hit the One Million mark a few weeks ago. SOS, located in Irish Hill, has been deploying all of its critically needed supplies to protect the people of our state and city. Personal protective equipment and other items have been donated to hospitals, home health agencies, emergency responders, nonprofits, Metro services, clinics in West Louisville and nursing homes throughout the community.

Donations to Louisville and Kentucky based organizations reached $1,000,000 in April and are still growing.  Learn more about SOS here.

A special website has been developed about community and agency actions taken to assist our most vulnerable residents.  Among other things, it includes information about emergency feeding sites for children 18 years old or younger established by JCPS, including sites at Breckinridge-Franklin Elementary and St. Matthews Elementary.  JCPS has distributed over One Million Meals since the pandemic began.

You can help by volunteering and contributing to the community ministries in our city.  They provide food and emergency assistance to people needing help and are doing it in new ways to maintain social distancing.  United Crescent Hill Ministries can be reached at (502) 893-0346 or https://www.uchmlouky.org/.  St. Matthews Area Ministries is at  (502)-893-0205 or http://stmam.com/.  Both sites have information about ways to volunteer, donate or seek help.

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. The tax filing deadline has been extended to July 15, 2020.

PLEASE go online and complete the census. It’s a very simple procedure.  You can also call 1-844-330-2020 to complete the survey over the phone as soon as you receive the invitation. The best way to avoid a visit from a census taker is to fill out the 2020 Census questionnaire online, by phone, or by mail as soon as you receive your invitation to participate.  We urge you to do so now, to limit person-to-person contact as the coronavirus continues to spread. The census website is here.

I've received complaints recently about adults riding bicycles on the sidewalk, especially along Frankfort Avenue, and noticed a few myself in the last few days.  That's a dangerous habit - and it's against the law in Louisville. 

Riding on the sidewalk is a hazard to pedestrians and bicyclists.  The League of American Bicyclists notes that when you are riding on the sidewalk, you have to deal with many hazards: pedestrians, street furniture, signs, newspaper boxes, etc. These items don’t just make riding inconvenient; they also can make bicyclists invisible to drivers.

Louisville ordinance provides that no person 11 years of age or older shall operate a bicycle on any sidewalk within the geographical boundary limits of Louisville Metro, and nobody of any age shall ride on the sidewalk downtown. Violations of the ordinance are punishable by fines of up to $50.

Louisville City FC will soon begin construction work after leasing a portion of Champions Park for soccer facilities for the new National Women’s Soccer League team and fields for use by various youth leagues.  All of the costs will be borne by the team and the result will be much better fields for youth league use but with some areas reserved exclusively for the women’s and men’s professional teams.

The lease includes the elevated field on the old landfill on the east side of Edith Road, the area where no one has played since 2018 after damage from camping at the last of the music festivals at Champions Park. A small amount of land adjacent to that field will also be excavated as part of the project, resulting in improved drainage and, we hope, additional flat land for public soccer.

The soccer field on the west side of Edith will remain and continue to be used as it is currently, as will the remainder of Champions Park.

The Virtual Hike, Bike and Paddle started Memorial Day weekend and runs through June 20, 2020. Over those four weeks, participants are asked to complete a healthy lifestyle activity and upload pictures of themselves running, jogging, hiking, biking, paddling, or any exercise while still practicing good social distancing. That includes other activities that have traditionally been part of Hike, Bike and Paddle, like Tai Chi, Yoga and Zumba.

Participants can share pictures of themselves exercising from home, in different neighborhoods or from one of the city’s great parks, and some of those will be shared on social media. All participants will be eligible to win a special edition Virtual Hike, Bike and Paddle T-shirt that includes a safety stripe for better visibility. My bike ride on Memorial Day weekend took me throughout D9, including on the newly repaved and restriped section of Lexington Road, between Grinstead Drive and Stilz Avenue.

Additionally, there will be a coupon giveaway for two bottles of PowerAde Ultra from Coca-Cola and redeemable at Valu Market. Quantities are limited for both T-shirts and coupons and will be given away via random drawings. All winners will be notified by email and shirts will be available for pick up at a designated location following the June 20 completion of the virtual event.

Participants can register at virtualhbp2020.org. Registration is quick and easy; be sure to include your T-shirt size.

The Metro Solid Waste office is pleased to announce a one-day only compost bin and rain barrel truckload sale on Saturday, June 13. The online store offers several types of compost bins, kits, accessories, and rain barrels. Shop online and pick up your items at 1030 Phillips Lane, across from the Kentucky Exposition Center on Saturday, June 13 between 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Staff will wear personal protective equipment and will stay at least 6 feet away from citizens. Staff may be able to safely place your order inside your vehicle or, if not, they can leave it for you to put in.)

Watch a 10-minute presentation by Public Education Supervisor, Karen Maynard, about backyard composting given during the Louisville Sustainability Council's Green Convene. 

Please take a moment to fill out a survey the Crescent Hill Community Council has created. It’s open and available to anyone to fill out, whether you live, work or just visit the neighborhood. It’s seven questions and should only take a few minutes. Responses are anonymous. Visit the Crescent Hill Community Council Facebook page, or click here for a direct link.

Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) is asking parents, students and teachers to weigh in on how the district’s first Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI) program went for them. The survey is available until Friday, June 12. Paper copies can be picked up beginning Monday at food sites. To complete an online survey, click on the appropriate link:

• Certified Staff: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JCPSNTI_Staff
• Parents: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JCPSNTI_Parents
• Students: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JCPSNTI_Students