Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Yesterday, Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced his decision on criminal charges against the officers involved in executing the no-knock search warrant at Breonna Taylor’s home in March during which time she was killed by police. Moving forward, the trial will begin and a jury will bring forth a verdict.

Say her name – Breonna Taylor. I am deeply sorry for her death and I am deeply sorry for her family’s loss. No amount of money and no decision will ever bring her back. Everyone is calling for justice and many people define justice differently. Every voice matters and everyone needs to be heard.

I can assure you the Metro Council hears you, we see you, and we will stay focused on creating sustainable, structural change through legislation. This change must be considered through an equity lens as we work together in the pursuit of justice for all. Passing Breonna’s Law to ban no-knock warrants and mandating the use of body cameras during all search warrants was our first step. We have a long way to go. We need our legislators in Frankfort and in Washington DC to do what we have done here. Justice began in Louisville.

Justice is much bigger than the criminal charges. It must include significant reform in Louisville and throughout our nation. We are working diligently and completely understand the reforms must be soon. I am fighting for the following:

1. Mandatory Drug/Alcohol Testing for LMPD officers involved in critical incidents
2. Mobile Crisis Response Team who responds to calls for mental illness, homelessness, loitering etc.
3. Civilian Review Board with subpoena power to provide oversight of LMPD
4. Pressure on state legislators for changes in state law that will allow real police reform in Louisville
5. Investments in the Education, Health and Safety of Black people
6. Investments in homeownership opportunities for Black people

Please click here to read the Path Forward for Louisville prepared by Louisville Urban League.

I need YOU. Please stay engaged and keep speaking up – Your Voice Matters! differently. We should condemn violence in all forms, including the senseless shootings of LMPD officers last night. We should support people responsibly calling for change, we need more people paying attention and calling for reform.

We need peace and healing, and we need Justice for Breonna. Those calls didn't end yesterday - and they shouldn't end until we have sustainable, systemic change.

Today marks the last 99 days of 2020 and we must make the most of each and every day. Together, we can do this. United we stand, divided we fall.

Together Today – Stronger Tomorrow!

In anticipation of protests, Mayor Greg Fischer signed an Executive Order setting a countywide, 72-hour curfew from 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m..  The curfew was in effect last night  and it ends at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. The Mayor has urged people to start making their way home at 8 p.m. The curfew does not apply to people commuting to work, house of worship for services or seeking medical attention for themselves or others.

The Mayor added that all Louisville Metro Government buildings in the downtown corridor are closed today. That includes: Metro Hall and its Annex; City Hall and its Annex; Fiscal Court; the Sinking Fund; LMPD headquarters; Metro Development and Metro Safe on South Fifth Street; Youth Detention Services; and the Alexander Building on West Main. 

Election Day – November 3 - is forty days away and time is running out to register and make a plan to vote. 

REGISTER:

The deadline to register to vote is October 5 at 4:00 p.m. local time. Register, check or change your registration at GoVoteKY.com.

ABSENTEE VOTING:

Now through October 9, individuals concerned about contracting or spreading the coronavirus may request an absentee ballot via an online portal at GoVoteKY.com. The process is very simple and fast. Ballots are now being mailed to registered voters who requested them through the portal. To ensure all votes are counted, absentee ballots are required to be postmarked by Election Day, November 3, and received by November 6. For those concerned about postal delays, Individuals who don’t want to return their ballots through the mail may place them in secure drop-off boxes. The current plan is for five of them, with the closest one to District 9 at the KFC YUM! Center.

EARLY IN-PERSON VOTING:

• Beginning Oct. 13, three weeks before the election, every Monday-Saturday until Election Day, from 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM, there will be in-person early voting. Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw has proposed four sites for early voting, with the closest one to District 9 being the KFC YUM! Center downtown. The plan must be approved by state officials and there is a push underway to have more sites.
• Early voting is not absentee voting – anyone can vote early for any reason.

ELECTION DAY VOTING:

There will be polling places on Election Day, but the number and locations is still to be finalized.  Clerk Holsclaw has proposed eight polling sites in the entire county, with none in District 9 and none within the Watterson Expressway, east of I-65. The closest ones are the KFC YUM! Center and Ballard High School. State officials will determine if more must be added. 

The proposed Jefferson County plan, still not approved by the state, is here.

Pop-Up Drop-Offs are free recycling and large item disposal events for residents of Jefferson County. These events will pop up around the county once per month, from March through November, starting September 26. Use the Recycle Coach app to receive notifications about future events or view them on the app calendar. Download the app in the Apple Store or Google Play or check the Pop-Up Drop-Off website for updates.

Saturday, September 26, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Sun Valley Park, 10401 Lower River Road

Metro Council has approved revisions to the Residential Parking Permit Program that will ease current regulations regarding the establishment of Residential Parking Zones (RPZ), designated areas where parking is restricted to individuals with residential parking permits during certain hours.

The Residential Parking Permit Program, which is managed by the Parking Authority of River City (PARC), aims to provide parking relief to residents who live in areas that are highly trafficked by visitors. PARC recommended that the city amend the ordinance. The only existing RPZ is in Old Louisville.

The changes will:

• Restrict RPZs to the Urban Services District.
• Allow RPZs to be two or more contiguous blocks on local streets. Previous regulations required 10 or more contiguous blocks.
• Require a study demonstrating that at least 75% of the curb spaces in the proposed RPZ are full during peak periods under normal conditions. The prior ordinance required 90% of spaces be filled.

These changes are consistent with the Plan 2040 Comprehensive Plan and complement amendments to the Land Development Code’s parking regulations – reducing minimum parking requirements - that were recommended for approval by the Louisville Metro Planning Commission and approved by Metro Council on Sept. 17.

Many of you are probably wondering why the Beargrass Creek Greenway, a multi-use path that runs along Beargrass Creek from Grinstead Drive to near Spring Street in Irish Hill, isn’t fully open.  Or maybe you want to know what’s going on at the old Jim Porter’s site. 

It’s all part of MSD’s Waterway Protection Tunnel project.  The tunnel is four miles long and eighteen stories underground.  A machine digging the tunnel – MSD calls it “Bumblebee” - has been grinding its way from 12^th and Rowan to behind the old Jim Porter’s site.  This week it completed its journey, breaking through to the shaft behind that site, from which it will be removed.

The tunnel will collect combined sewer overflow during rain events and hold it until it can be treated for discharge into the Ohio River. The result will be a cleaner Beargrass Creek and Ohio River, because now that combined sewer overflow goes directly into the creek. 

MSD has more work to do at the site and the Greenway can’t open fully yet.  But we hope that it will reopen by the end of the year (before it closes again for final work).  When it’s all done, we’ll have a nice, new ADA compliant trail and trailhead behind the old Jim Porter’s site.  And we’ll have a cleaner creek and river.  Stay tuned for more details!

Our manufacturing training will help prepare you for a better career with good pay. The Manufacturing Training and Employment Connection (M-TEC) is a free, in-depth 3-week program where you can earn multiple certifications valued by manufacturing employers. Get credentials in high demand:

• Safety Training Certificate
• OSHA 10 Card
• Forklift Certificate
• Lean Manufacturing Certificate

Graduates will get to attend their own private virtual hiring event with  top local employers. Although this training is free, there are a limited number of available spots in our next class, which runs from October 12-30. 

Participants must be available for online group instruction Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. - Noon in addition to soft skills training. There will also be an in-person forklift training during the third week of the course.

Low-income households may qualify for a 10-percent sewer bill discount under a new Emergency Wastewater Rate Assistance Program (EWRAP) offered by MSD. Aimed at providing relief for households struggling financially during the coronavirus pandemic, the EWRAP discount is effective August 1, 2020. It will run through July 31, 2021.

For eligibility information or to apply online, visit https://louisvillemsd.org/ewrap. Residents may also call 502.540.6000 or email CustomerRelations@LouisvilleMSD.org to request a paper application in the mail.

Louisville Water Company has a new program – “Drops of Kindness" - to help people dealing with financial difficulties in the global pandemic. 

Whether you’re a resident or business owner, Drops of Kindness offers a customized approach to help customers resolve unpaid bills and reduce future financial obligations. Drops of Kindness starts with a confidential call with a customer service associate who works to find a bill payment option suitable for a customer’s individual and unique situation. 

Customers are matched with payment options that help them catch up on unpaid bills. This could include:

• A payment plan on the outstanding balance or other payment options
• Connecting customers with partners who have funding for help with an unpaid bill. 

Contact Louisville Water by email or call  (502) 583-6610.

Residents and businesses continue to suffer from the economic shutdowns required by the pandemic. Two programs are helping tenants and businesses in Louisville.

The budget Metro Council passed in June designated up to $21.2 million in federal CARES funding for the Eviction Prevention COVID-19 Relief Fund. The fund is designed to prevent the anticipated wave of new eviction cases and aid low-to-moderate income households that are delinquent on rent payments as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fund will pay for up to three months of rent for households facing COVID-related delinquencies. Individual households earning at or below 60 percent of the area median income ($45,840 annually for a family of four) are eligible to receive rental assistance. Individual households should CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO APPLY.

Our FY21 operating budget also includes up to $21.2 million in federal CARES funding for Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grants. The program will provide eligible businesses with grants up to $50,000 based on demonstrated impact from COVID-19. The Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grants program is designed to help prevent business closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and to preserve the hundreds of fun and funky businesses that make Louisville unique. Download a flier with information about the grant program

COVID-19 in Jefferson County KY

COVID-19 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 (Spanish) and tinyurl.com/kygovtranslations (more than 20 additional languages).

Safety Reporting Hotline

Gov. Beshear reminded Kentuckians that the COVID-19 reporting hotline is available to help keep everyone safe.

People who witness dangerous non-compliance with coronavirus mandates, including requirements for mask wearing, social distancing and sanitation, at Kentucky businesses are encouraged to call the COVID-19 reporting hotline at 833-KY SAFER (833-597-2337). 

Labor Cabinet personnel will monitor the hotline from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. EDT. To file a complaint online, click here