For the last two months, Metro Council has reviewed the operating and capital budgets proposed by Mayor Fischer on April 22. Tonight, we will vote on the budget, which goes into effect on July 1.

The Mayor’s proposal increased investments in public safety, including violence prevention; increased funding for housing initiatives; and continued the effort to improve our roads and sidewalks. Those priorities are by and large funded in the amended budgets unanimously approved by the Budget Committee this week, which the full Council will consider tonight. 

Utilizing Louisville’s improved revenue forecast and American Rescue Plan funds appropriated by Congress in a process led by Congressman John Yarmuth, the Budget Committee’s amended budget also expands funding for public safety, libraries, parks, infrastructure, and deferred maintenance. It also advances our renewable energy commitment and reduces proposed borrowing by just over $10 Million, compared to the original proposed budget.

Here are a few highlights:

Public Safety

The budget appropriates additional dollars to improve compensation at LMPD, Corrections, Emergency Management Services and Louisville Fire.  It also expands funding for violence intervention, through the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods and Group Violence Intervention.

The amended budget includes the proposed $2.9 Million for a pilot 911 Prioritization and Deflection Project but moves the funding from LMPD to Emergency Services, which operates the 911 system. That project is designed to send social service providers in response to some 911 calls involving non-violent behavior, saving police resources and providing a more appropriate response.

Human Services and Housing

Using $1 million in funding reserved for “Council-designated priorities” in the Mayor’s proposed budget, the amended budget makes additional investments in human services throughout the community.

Human service funding includes:

• $279,400 for Goodwill Industries of Kentucky’s “Another Way” program, expanding a pilot program to a county-wide effort. The program offers a new way for unhoused individuals to earn money and connect with Goodwill’s life-changing resources. It targets high-traffic areas and offers unhoused individuals an opportunity to get off the streets and to different work opportunities, where they’ll receive a lunch and a stipend for a day’s work. In addition, the program aims to connect unhoused individuals with Goodwill’s resources, designed to end poverty and guide individuals to self-sufficiency.
• $100,000 for the Volunteers of America Unity House, which provides food, housing and safety for families who become homeless due to a wide range of factors, including eviction, domestic violence, mental illness, substance abuse, unemployment or underemployment, lack of affordable housing, and lack of money management and/or life skills.
• Increased funding for Family and Children’s Place ($33,100) and the Center for Women and Families ($16,500).

“Council-designated” funds will also be used to: fund a “Parks for All” Equitable Investment Plan, to be matched by the Louisville Parks Foundation, to help develop a plan for equitable investments in parks throughout Louisville Metro ($200,000); expand the effort to remove graffiti in the community ($150,700); and hire two additional Code Enforcement Officers and one Zoning Enforcement Officer, to improve neighborhoods throughout Louisville.

Other human service and housing changes in the amended budget include:

• Replacement funding for $350,000 in the Corrections budget, to allow for the elimination of revenue from inmate telephone calls. The amended budget calls for the elimination of fees for inmate telephone calls which generate review for Louisville Metro no later than December 31, 2021.  We previously received $700,000 from inmate telephone calls and we’ve seen stories of families incurring bills of hundreds of dollars per month just to speak to their incarcerated relatives.  That’s wrong.  I am very pleased to see a recognition that we should not be funding our jail on the backs of families who have loved ones in the facility.
• The Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund’s allocation carries the new requirement that 25% of the $10 million investment be dedicated to serving very low-income households, at or below 30% Area Median Income. There is also money in the budget for down payment assistance, affordable housing homeowner unit preservation, and home repair, totaling almost $11 Million.  Continuing to address our housing issues is critical to the future of the community, and I hope to see a great deal more money appropriated to the effort in American Rescue Plan funding. (The July 8 newsletter will have more on American Rescue Plan process and funding.)

Libraries

The capital budget heavily invests in library services. It includes $2 million for renovation of the Portland Library at 3305 Northwestern Parkway, the Louisville Free Public Library branch most in need of renovation, including an elevator to make the second floor accessible to all library users.  The library is a historic Carnegie library, one of four still operating in Louisville. (Crescent Hill is one of the four.)

It also includes $500,000 to reopen for library services the historic Carnegie library building in Parkland, at 2743 Virginia Avenue.  

The amended budget also includes $1,040,000 in funds for Phase I of a library complex on Metro-owned property in the Fern Creek area, to replace a library closed as part of budget cuts two years ago.

Road and Sidewalk Projects

The amended budget adds to the $22 million appropriation for road and sidewalk repairs in the proposed budget, with locally funded projects and investments of $4,567,500 to leverage an additional $18.2 million in federal funds. Among the projects are the reconstruction of River Road from Zorn Avenue to Beargrass Creek, a long delayed project in District 9, for which we are appropriating $2.25 Million of a more than $10 Million total cost. The project elevates the road to address flooding issues and includes bike lanes and a shared use path.   

Deferred Maintenance and Renewable Energy

The amended budget includes funds for deferred maintenance and other improvements to Louisville Metro facilities, including funds to demolish the obsolete LMPD Headquarters and Fiscal Court Building. It adds to funds to deal with maintenance issues in parks and other Metro facilities.

Finally, to advance Louisville Metro’s renewable energy goals, the amended budget calls for reinvesting savings from energy conservation identified by Metro’s new Energy Manager into improving energy infrastructure in Metro facilities as well as securing a renewable energy supply. Meeting our renewable energy goals will require an investment and this provision will help us make it.  

The Louisville Zoo is inviting guests to travel back 65 to 200 million years in time to visit their newest prehistoric animal ambassadors – 19 life-sized robotic dinosaurs in “Dino Quest” presented by Great Clips. From Saturday, June 26, until Sunday, Sept. 19, Zoo guests can experience the world’s largest, most lifelike robotic dinosaur exhibit, free with admission to the Zoo.

“We are thrilled to be offering the world’s largest robotic dinosaur experience to our Zoo fans,” said John Walczak, Director of the Louisville Zoo. “Not only will this be a fun and unique opportunity for our guests, but it will also be an educational one that the whole family will enjoy. Dinosaurs are an extremely important part of animal history, and the ancestors of our reptile animal ambassadors at the Zoo today. We invite the community to come visit the newest members of the Zoo and are looking forward to seeing dinosaur fans of all ages experience “Dino Quest” this summer.’”

Guests will encounter 19 roaring, breathing giants from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods of history. They will have the opportunity to view the world’s tallest life-sized, robotic dinosaurs, ranging from 5-foot-long baby triceratops to a 40-foot-long Tyrannosaurus rex.

Curated by Dino Don, Inc. — the world’s leading supplier of robotic dinosaurs to zoos and museums worldwide, and the only maker of full-sized dinosaurs — the handmade animatronics are uniquely created under direct scientific supervision. The company’s founder, “Dino” Don Lessem, is a world-renowned expert and author of 40 books on dinosaurs with experience as the dinosaur advisor to Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” films.

“Great Clips has been a proud partner of the Louisville Zoo since 2015,” said Laura Dugan, former Zoo docent educator and franchisee with Great Clips. “We are very excited to continue our support of the Zoo in summer 2021 by presenting Dino Quest. This thrilling attraction will be a valuable asset for our community in search of fun, outdoor activities with families and friends.”

A Louisville Zoo membership or general admission ticket will allow guests to encounter the prehistoric period prior to extinction in “Dino Quest,” presented by Great Clips. Purchase tickets today at louisvillezoo.org/tickets. For information about “Dino Quest” visit LouisvilleZoo.org/dino.

The 2021 Louisville Zoo season is sponsored by Ford Motor Company.

Cats of the Week:

Kitten adoptions are now BOGO! It doesn’t cost much more to care for two kittens and adopting a pair comes with plenty of benefits. Your new fur babies will learn faster and always have a play mate – plus, your older cat will thank you for not having to deal with kitten antics. Did you know that kittens love to play at night? Adopt a pair, and you can pass on those play sessions! Choose any two kittens to adopt by making a $100 donation to the Pay It Forward Program. Spay/neuter, microchips and vaccinations are included. Meet adoptable kittens at Animal House, located at 3516 Newburg Road, from 12-6pm daily. You don’t need an appointment. For more info, call 502-473-PETS.

Dog of the Week:

What has three legs, a great personality, and aspirations of becoming famous? It's Rap Kitten! He's obviously not a kitten but the name gets him attention. A shelter dog today, a rock star tomorrow - anything can happen! Get on Team tripod and adopt Rap Kitten. Shy, rhyming dogs may not be in demand. That’s ok, though, because Rap Kitten is loyal, gentle, and loving. Those are great qualities for a best friend! Rap Kitten's adoption fee is waived for an approved adopter, thanks to the Pay It Forward Program. The 4-year-old Labrador Retriever/Pit Bull mix weighs about 70lbs. Rap Kitten is already neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated. Meet Rap Kitten at Animal House Adoption Center (3528 Newburg Road), open from 12-6pm daily. For more info about Rap Kitten, contact LMAS adoptions at animalservicesadoption@louisvillekygov.

Visit http://mapit.louisvilleky.gov/  and type in your address to find out when your junk pick-up date is as well as street cleanings and additional information.

Visit at https://lge-ku.com/outages/report/streetlight to report a street light outage in your neighborhood. When reporting a street light outage, be sure to have the pole number, which can be found on a metal plate on the pole.