Councilwoman
Paula McCraney
601 W. Jefferson Street
(502) 574-1107
Email Councilwoman McCraney
Visit the District 7 Website
Phone Numbers
of Interest
l Air Pollution: 574-6000
Animal Services: 363-6609
or 361-1318
Anonymous Tipline:
574-LMPD (5673)
Brightside: 574-2613
Jefferson County Clerk's Office: 574-5700
Legal Aid: 584-1254
Metro Call: 311 or 574-5000
Metro Parks: 574-7275
Metro Police: (Non Emergency) 574-7111 or 574-2111
Metro Safe: 572-3460
or 574-7111
MSD: 587-0603
PARC: 569-6222
Poison Control: 589-8222
Public Works: 574-5810
Solid Waste Management (SWMS): 574-3571
TARC: 585-1234
Veteran's Affairs: 595-4447
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WE DID IT! The Louisville Metro Council managed to take the "Continuation Budget" presented to us in April by the Mayor and turn it into a comprehensive balanced budget that maintains police funding, undergirds a civilian review board for police accountability, supports housing rehabilitation projects and alley cleanups in disenfranchised areas of our community, invests in street paving throughout our community, and so much more.
To say that I'm proud of the work my colleagues and I did to get the budget to this stage, would be an understatement. We met with agencies, Metro department heads, organizations and many community leaders and citizens for over a period of two and a half months to gather information, listen to requests (and demands) and ask pointed questions. We talked amongst ourselves, wrote passionate emails to state our case for particulars in the budget (at least I did this!) and we respectfully compromised to get to a point where we felt the voices of the people were heard and the policies and priorities of the administration were considered. It was a long and arduous process. But, this is the kind of stuff I thrive on. I love numbers, I love negotiating, and I love fighting for what I believe is right, just and needed for our community. Being on the Budget Committee gives me the opportunity to exercise each of these passions.
With all the hard work put into balancing a budget filled with compassion for the least among us, support for libraries, training for our police officers and funding for youth programs, not everyone will be happy. In fact, there was one Councilwoman who voted against the budget because she didn't feel as though her district received the funding it needs to support the public pools for the children in her area. That's unfortunate. There's just so little to go around.
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Last year was my first budget as a Councilwoman. It was a very difficult budget, and one I will never forget. What made it difficult was the request from the Mayor to raise taxes. The more I studied the budget, the more I discovered that a tax increase was not necessary. My "No" vote on the tax increase came at a price. Some in the community were made to feel as though the sky would fall and it was because of the ones on the Council who voted down the tax increase. Those individuals were mad and mean-mugged me throughout the year. Well, as you know, the sky did not fall, and you may have heard that at the end of that budget year, in November 2019, it was reported that Louisville Metro had a $17 million dollar surplus. (I told you I loved numbers!) I felt vindicated and vowed then to always stay true to who I am --- a hard-nosed former banker with conservative money management views and a heart for social services and taking care of the least, lost, laughed at, and the left behind. I was true to myself while working on the 2021 budget.
Details about the budget are listed below under the Metro Council banner. If you have any questions, comments or complaints please give me at least two weeks before calling or emailing. I think I need a break to decompress.
Have a great week, my friends!
 By a vote of 24 to 1, the Louisville Metro Council on Thursday approved the 2020-2021 Capital and Operating Budgets for Metro Government for the coming Fiscal Year.
Here are the highlights:
Housing:
- $5 million in additional funding for the Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund (LAHTF) and its partners to address vacant and abandoned properties through the creation of direct purchase or lease-to-purchase opportunities.
- $2.5 million for programs that support home repair, address vacant and abandoned properties, and increase home ownership.
- $1 million allocated for a new Homeowner and Rental Repair Loan Fund to support improvement of residences.
- $413,400 for a Metro Public Works crew for alley cleanups in disenfranchised neighborhoods, and particularly in areas which experience a high level of illegal dumping.
- $170,000 to hire two additional Code Enforcement Officers working with Develop Louisville to revitalize disadvantaged neighborhoods.
- $21.2 million, supported by the federal CARES Act, for rent assistance needed to prevent evictions as a result of coronavirus-related financial issues.
- $21.2 million, supported by the federal CARES Act, for small business assistance needed as a result of coronavirus-related financial issues.
- $3.5 million to help build and support a community grocery.
- $1 million appropriated for youth and young adult programs, to be approved by Metro Council.
Law Enforcement Reform:
- $763,500 in funding for a civilian oversight system.
- $1.2 million in state LMPD funds for exploration and implementation in deflection along with co-responder approaches which place behavioral health specialists with police to offer case management connections to treatment, housing, and services.
- $1.6 million in federal funds redirected to recruitment efforts for a more diverse police force, and training in use of force, de-escalation, and implicit bias.
Other Budget Changes:
- $14.3 million for infrastructure improvements such as paving and $700,000 for a study of all Louisville Metro road conditions. The sidewalk repair budget is increased by $500,000 and additional funds are appropriated for facilities, parks and library maintenance and repairs, and $700,000 for a required dry-dock inspection and repair and $500,000 in operating funds for the Belle of Louisville.
- $500,000 to outfit the Middletown Library, at a location provided at no cost to Louisville Metro by the City of Middletown.
 Saving Jobs • Providing Relief • Restoring Businesses
The application will open for Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grants on Wednesday, July 1, 2020, and more details will be provided on that date. Applicants must have a business located within Louisville/Jefferson County. At least 50 percent of the funds will be spent in low-to-moderate income census tracts.
Purpose of the Fund
The Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grants program is designed to help prevent business closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to preserve the hundreds of fun and funky businesses that make Louisville unique.
Grant Program Funding
Louisville Metro Government’s FY21 operating budget includes up to $21 million in federal CARES funding for Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grants.
Amount of Grants
The program will provide eligible businesses with grants up to $50,000 based on demonstrated impact from COVID-19.
Eligible Business Criteria
Businesses meeting the following criteria will be eligible for a grant:
- Businesses with 20 full-time employees or fewer as of March 16, 2020
- Non-retail businesses with 50 full-time employees or fewer that have remained closed or whose business activity have been severely restricted under state executive order dated March 25, 2020
- Businesses that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
- Businesses must be located in Louisville/Jefferson County
- Businesses must be in good standing with Louisville Metro Revenue Commission
- Industries of focus include retail (including direct services), food service, arts & entertainment, recreation, and childcare.
Grant Use
The funds may only be used for the following business expenses:
- Payroll
- Utilities
- Lease/mortgage assistance
- Fixed cost support – to include debt service (interest only), business insurance, other fixed costs
- Technology for online platform to allow online sales
Application Process
Additional details about the application will be available soon. The application will require:
- Louisville Metro Revenue Commission business number
- Statement of negative impact of COVID-19 to your business, including documentation of lost revenue due to required closures, etc.
- 2019 tax return, personal and business
- Current record of financial condition of the business (P&L and Balance Sheet, and a personal financial statement)
- 6-month budget for use of funds if received
- Details of proposed uses and costs of expenditures (payroll, utility and lease/mortgage assistance, fixed cost support, online sales platform integration, etc.)
- Proof of ownership of business, including any disadvantaged status (certification not required)
Reporting/Accountability Requirements
Funds must be spent and accounted for by December 30, 2020. Funds will be released in up to three batches (every two months), with recipients required to submit reports with backup documentation showing all payments made for payroll, utilities, lease or mortgage, and fixed costs prior to release of second and third payouts.
Starting Thursday, residents can call (502) 528-3543 to complete survey
Mayor Greg Fischer launched a telephone option to help residents fill out a survey about their priorities for Louisville’s next permanent chief of police.
Residents can call (502) 528-3543 from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon-6 p.m. on Sunday, and they will be assisted by call-takers who will input their answers to questions on a community survey, which has been available online since early this month.
The survey asks:
- What are the three most important qualities or skills you would like to see in the next police chief;
- What are suggestions for improving police services; and
- What must the new chief accomplish immediately, and over the next 2-3 years.
Both the phone line and the online survey will be operational through Friday, July 3. Already, more than 8,000 people have completed the online version of the survey, which can be accessed at https://arcg.is/18fTnS.
“I’m encouraging everyone in our community, especially those who are speaking out about police policies, to participate in the process to hire a new permanent chief by calling or completing the online survey,” Mayor Fischer said, adding that Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officers are also being surveyed. “The new Chief must be able to communicate and have trust with both our police officers and the larger community they serve, and that starts with hearing what residents want and expect from our police department.”
The Mayor relieved former LMPD Chief Steve Conrad of his duties on June 1, and named Robert Schroeder as LMPD’s acting chief, pending the hiring of a permanent chief.
Mayor Fischer announced on June 3 that the city had hired the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), a non-profit Washington, D.C.-based police research organization to lead the search, noting that PERF has identified best practices for cities across the country on fundamental issues such as reducing police use of force; developing community policing and problem-oriented policing; using technology to deliver police services to the community; and evaluating crime reduction strategies.
In addition to the survey, PERF will hold listening sessions over the next month, with various focus groups being held across the community. After that, PERF will review and analyze all the information residents provide to help pinpoint the qualities and characteristics needed for the city’s next police chief. They will use that information to conduct a national search and create a list of qualified candidates.
Next steps include convening a small group of community and Louisville Metro representatives to review the list, narrow it, conduct interviews, and send the Mayor their final recommendations. The entire process is expected to take four to six months.
In announcing the survey earlier this month, the Mayor stressed that Metro Council will be involved in the process, encouraging people to take the survey, participating in listening sessions, and helping identify other participants in the process.
When contact tracers call individuals, “LOU-HEALTH” will display on the caller’s ID.
Lacuna Health, the Louisville-based company hired to conduct COVID-19 contract tracing services with the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness (LMPHW), began its work June 11. Dr. Moyer outlined the contact tracing process saying, “We will call those who have tested positive for COVID-19 to ask how they are feeling, give instructions on how to stay safe at home, and get them help if they need it.
“We will also ask about people they were in close contact with. Contact tracers will reach out to these people to let them know they may have been exposed so they, too, can quarantine and protect themselves, their family and others from potentially getting the virus.”
Gov. Beshear took several actions to build America’s AgriTech capital in Kentucky’s Appalachian region.
Among the moves taken Wednesday, Gov. Beshear signed an international agreement with 16 partner organizations, including the Dutch government, that are committed to the same goal. The international agreement group was brought together by AppHarvest, an innovative, certified B corporation which is creating one of the largest controlled environment agriculture facilities in the world.
Among the moves taken Wednesday, Gov. Beshear signed an international agreement with 16 partner organizations, including the Dutch government, that are committed to the same goal. The international agreement group was brought together by AppHarvest, an innovative, certified B corporation which is creating one of the largest controlled environment agriculture facilities in the world.
“Why has everybody gravitated to this effort? Because of our state. That willingness to work, from an area of the country that has been known for powering the United States: Eastern Kentucky,” said AppHarvest founder and CEO Jonathan Webb. “We don’t believe that the future of farming in America is going to be in Boston, New York City or San Francisco. We believe the future of farming is going to be somewhere in the middle of the United States, and now it just takes leadership to determine who wants to grab it and go.”
The Governor also established an AgriTech Advisory Council to guide the commonwealth’s increased focus on this industry that will expand the state’s economy and create jobs for Kentuckians. He announced the state has launched a new website highlighting AgriTech in Kentucky, agritech.ky.gov.
“This is a great day for Kentucky, but this is an especially unbelievable day for Eastern Kentucky: to see the diversification, rebuilding of an economy and a new economy we have never seen before,” said Rocky Adkins, Senior Advisor to the Governor. “This is especially rewarding for all of us who have worked so long and so hard to build up a region of Kentucky that needs to be competitive in every shape and form and fashion.”
To read news release from this morning, click here.
As of 4 p.m. June 25, Gov. Beshear said there were at least 14,617 coronavirus cases in Kentucky, 280 of which were newly reported Thursday.
Unfortunately, Gov. Beshear reported eight new deaths Thursday, raising the total to 546 Kentuckians lost to the virus.
“Each of these deaths is more than an age, a gender and a county,” said Gov. Beshear. “Each of these souls was a mother or father, or a sister or brother, or a friend, a daughter, a husband, the list goes on. They were each special to so many other people, whose names we may never know, but whose pain right now is extraordinary.”
The deaths reported Thursday were a 69-year-old man from Christian County; a 63-year-old man from Fayette County; an 89-year-old woman and an 86-year-old man from Jefferson County; 84-, 90- and 93-year-old women from Shelby County; and an 81-year-old woman from Warren.
As of Thursday, there have been at least 375,636 coronavirus tests performed in Kentucky. At least 3,719 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.
For additional information, including up-to-date lists of positive cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of coronavirus infections by county, race and ethnicity, click here.
School Opening Guidance
Gov. Beshear, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and Kevin Brown, interim commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Education, on Wednesday released long-awaited initial guidance for Kentucky schools looking ahead to opening this coming autumn. For more information, click here.
Testing Expansion
Gov. Beshear reminded Kentuckians to take advantage of the state’s partnership with Kroger, which has brought free drive-through testing across the commonwealth. Information on how to register at more than 200 sites throughout the commonwealth can be found here.
More Information
Read about other key updates, actions and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration at governor.ky.gov, kycovid19.ky.gov and the Governor’s official social media accounts Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Kentuckians can also access translated COVID-19 information and daily summaries of the Governor’s news conference at tinyurl.com/kygovespanol or tinyurl.com/kygovtranslations (more than 20 additional languages).
Pride Month is celebrated every June in tribute to those involved in the Stonewall Riots, and generally includes parades, festivals and concerts across the globe.
History of Pride Month
On a hot summer’s night in New York on June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich Village, which resulted in bar patrons, staff, and neighborhood residents rioting onto Christopher Street outside. Among the many leaders of the riots was black, trans, bisexual woman, Marsha P. Johnson — leading the movement to continue over six days with protests and clashes. The message was clear; protestors demanded the establishment of places where LGBT+ people could go and be open about their sexual orientation without fear of arrest.
Pride Month is largely credited as being started by bisexual activist, Brenda Howard. Known as, “The Mother of Pride,” a year after the Stonewall Riots, Brenda organized Gay Pride Week and the Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade. This eventually morphed into what we now know as the New York City Pride March, and from where parades and marches across the world evolved.
Speaking of the rainbow flag, it was actually gay politician, Harvey Milk, who asked a talented designer friend, Gilbert Baker, to design an all-encompassing symbol to take on San Francisco’s Pride March in 1978. Sadly, Harvey Milk was assassinated along with Mayor, George Moscone, on November 23, 1978 in San Francisco City Hall by Dan White, a disgruntled former Supervisor, who was angry at Milk who had lobbied hard against having him reappointed on the Board of Supervisors.
Pride Month FAQs
Where did the idea for the rainbow flag come from?
Designer, Gilbert Baker, got the idea for the rainbow symbol when he was dancing in a gay bar and high on LSD with his friend. It was after that he asked his friends to help him hand-dye and stitch together the eight colors for the pride flag.
Does everywhere celebrate Pride Month in June?
No. Although many countries have designated June the month to celebrate sexual diversity and LGBTQ+ rights, there are many others who celebrate with parades and festivals at different times of the year. The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Australia for example is usually starts in February every year.
Has the rainbow flag always been used to highlight gay rights?
Actually, amongst others, the pink triangle has also been a symbol for various LGBTQ+ communities throughout the world. Initially intended as a badge of shame and used in Nazi concentration camps to identify homosexual men, the pink triangle was reclaimed as a positive symbol of self-identity and gay rights in the 1970’s.
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Grant-Funded Riverport Circulator Route to be Discontinued on August 9th LOUISVILLE, KY. (JUNE 22, 2020) —TARC is notifying the public and seeking comment on the discontinuation of the Riverport Circulator (Route 20)—operated with limited funds awarded by a CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality) grant.
The Riverport Circulator serving the Riverport area, JCTC Southwest, Park Place Mall and the Greenbelt Market Center was funded through a CMAQ grant, awarded to TARC in 2017 for a limited three years of service. Due to grant funding expiration and its consistently low ridership, the circulator will discontinue service on August 9th, 2020.
“This circulator route was designed to increase access to public transit in the Riverport area,” said Aida Copic, TARC Director of Planning. “While the funds to operate this route have run out, TARC will continue to serve this area with several alternate routes in the southwestern part of the community, including the recently implemented Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along Dixie Highway.”
Alternate routes available in this area include Route 10 (Dixie BRT), 18 (the Dixie Highway corridor), 19 (Muhammad Ali Blvd), and 63 (Crums Ln). Additionally, the Riverport Employment Center will continue to be served on weekdays by Route 19 for both morning and evening trips.
Public Comments Accepted: July 6th to July 14th
To allow for public review prior to the public comment period, detailed information concerning this change will be posted to the TARC website and displayed in the Union Station (1000 West Broadway) lobby by June 30, 2020. Comments regarding this change may be submitted in person at Union Station, by phone at 502-585-1234 (TARC Customer Service) or by email to PublicComment@ridetarc.org.
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and Subscribe to Crime Alerts
 Want to know about crime in your area? Just click here and view the interactive crime mapping tool for each beat in Divisions 5 and 8. The map is updated daily, so be sure to save to your favorites to view at anytime. On the page is a Quickfind tool that allows you to put your address in and subscribe to crime trends, alerts and block watch reports for your police beat. Share this information with your neighbors and friends!
Mayor Greg Fischer kicked off Build Back Better, Together, an initiative aimed at dismantling systemic racism and creating dynamic economic growth from the COVID-19 pandemic impact.
In opening the inaugural meeting of the Build Back Better, Together (BBBT) steering committee and focus area leaders, Mayor Fischer emphasized the importance of all Louisvillians joining the effort.
The work of BBBT is broken into seven focus areas: Arts and Culture; Built and Natural Environment; Economy; Education and Talent Development; Health and Safety; Hospitality, Sports and Bourbonism; and Social Infrastructure and Impact. Louisville residents are invited to join one or more of the focus area teams by signing up at www.louisvilleky.gov/buildbackbetter.
To date, 350 Louisville leaders have been invited to join one of the focus area teams, and 270 people have signed up online to join in. The goal is to have all or most of the focus area teams meet for the first time virtually by the end of this month.
Together, with the steering committee of civic, community, business and non-profit leaders, the focus area teams will recommend actions that can be taken over the next few months, as well as long-term actions focused on last half of 2020 and beyond. These will combine new, innovative ideas and existing government- and community-led projects.
All participants will be trained on Louisville Metro Government’s Racial Equity Toolkit to identify visionary solutions that avoid repeating policies and systems that in the past have produced discriminatory results and inequitable impact.
Learn more at www.louisvilleky.gov/government/build-back-better-together/beyond.
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At Waterfront Botanical Gardens, our mission is to plant seeds and grow minds for more sustainable cities.
In light of the events taking place in our community, we find that true sustainability runs far deeper than the plants in our garden.
We stand with those calling for justice and change, and acknowledge the pain and anguish so many in our community rightly feel. As we re-open the Gardens to our community, we must sow the seeds of equality. Our community is like our garden: the more diversity it includes, the more beautiful it becomes. In the right balance, that symbiosis makes the entire garden, and community, healthier
and stronger.
Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28 are Air Quality Alert Days for particulates in Louisville/Southern Indiana.
The alert level is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups/orange level. A dust cloud blowing across the Atlantic Ocean from the Sahara Desert in Africa has been impacting air quality in the southeastern U.S., and it is expected to reach Kentuckiana by this weekend. Although this is not a hazardous situation, sensitive populations such as senior citizens, children, and people with breathing ailments such as asthma and COPD should check the air pollution conditions before going outside Saturday and Sunday.
Ozone is expected to be in the Good range.
About the Saharan dust cloud:
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-forecasts/huge-saharan-dust-cloud-knocking-on-americas-door/765367
Check the air quality:
https://airqualitymap.louisvilleky.gov/
https://www.airnow.gov
Find tips on reducing air pollution at helptheair.org
NOTICE: All Metro Council meetings are carried live on Metro TV, Spectrum Cable Channel 184 and U-verse Channel 99.
The meetings are also available online at the Metro Council home page at http://louisvilleky.gov/government/metro-council/metro-council-clerk. Click on the“Watch Meetings Online” button.
OR access prior or current meetings here:
https://louisville.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2
Agendas for these meetings can be viewed using the following link:
http://louisville.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2
Click Here to: View All Agencies
Click Here to Visit Website for Laws, State Legislators, Watch Bills, etc
Click here for more info.
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