ARP Funding: What's Happening?

Last week, Budget Chair Bill Hollander filed an ordinance to appropriate the next round of American Rescue Plan funding. This ordinance proposes to make significant investments in affordable housing ($89 million), public safety ($78 million) , public health ($27 million), and premium pay ($28 million). You can read more about these proposals here. You can also watch a hearing of last night's Budget Committee--where we heard from officials about these proposals--here. 

I also think that it's important to note that this isn't the end of the ARP process. In addition to debating and voting on these proposals, there are still two priority areas we have not appropriated any money toward: healthy neighborhoods and workforce development. These areas were identified as priorities by the public, codified in a Council resolution, and have had dedicated work groups to develop projects related to them. I am on the healthy neighborhoods work group, and I know firsthand how important some of the areas under consideration are. Stay tuned for more proposals around these priority areas!

A graphic from last night's budget presentation showing ARP allocation

Redistricting: An Update

Thank you to everyone who has participated in the redistricting process so far. Every ten years, we redraw the lines of the Metro Council districts to ensure equitable representation across our city. The process has been extensive: Council has had multiple public meetings and received hundreds of public comments. Additionally, I've heard directly from dozens of District 8 residents. 

There are a lot of things that go into these decisions about redistricting, and the most important is paying special mind to the tenets of the Voting Rights Act. This means we must ensure we are allocating equitable political power to neighborhoods that are a majority-Black or other historically disenfranchised communities. The boundaries of every district shifted east and south in part to ensure equitable representation throughout our community.

Below is the current proposed map for the new District 8. This version differs from earlier versions in that it has been amended to retain more of the Tyler Park neighborhood in District 8. If you have thoughts about the proposed changes to District 8--or any of the other districts--please send me an email at cassie.armstrong@louisvilleky.gov. We have to approve these maps by the end of the calendar year.

You can learn more about the redistricting process at this link.

District 8 Streets: Parking-Protected Bike Lanes

Reminder: Fall Leaves

Public Works has asked us to remind folks about the following related to fall leaves: 

Fall Leaves

Mowing over leaves to mulch them back into your lawn is a great option for reducing waste. Mulching not only returns vital nutrients to the soil, but experts say that it can help your grass grow even better the following year! Never blow leaves into the street! 

Leaf Drop-Off Sites

The Metro Public Works free leaf drop-off sites will be open Tuesday-Saturdays, November 9 through December 11. Drop-off will not be available on November 25 and 26 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Only loose leaves will be accepted. Containers used to bring leaves to the drop-off sites must be taken back by residents.

Locations and hours starting Tuesday, November 9:

Public Works Yard

10500 Lower River Road (enter from Bethany Lane)

Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Public Works East District Operations Center

595 North Hubbards Lane

Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Shawnee Park

230 Southwestern Parkway (Athletic Complex)

Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Fall Clean Up: Saturday, November 6

We hope to see you at our fall community clean up tomorrow! Please see the flyer below for more information.

District 8 Public Safety: An Update!

This is where we give Fifth Division crime reports and share other information related to public safety.

Reminder that we are no longer receiving crime reports from the 5th Division. So instead, we are asking folks to visit this link to use the city's crime mapping system to see data on the areas that they are interested in. The screenshot below is the crime for the past week that we saw when we visited the previously referenced link.

Community Meeting: Bardstown Road Overlay District

Coffee with Cassie: A New Day!

It's been wonderful to virtually connected with so many of you on Friday mornings. We are concerned, however, that a weekday time may make it difficult for some people to attend, and we believe it's important that we hear from all voices in the community. So, in the interest of making sure we are being accessible to everyone, we are going to try weekend coffees to see how that impacts attendance.

Our first meeting will be at the Heine Bros at Douglass Loop at 10am on November 20th. No need to make an appointment or stay the whole time--just pop by to say hi and tell me about your ideas for our community.

As always, if that time or format doesn't work for you, just let us know! We are always happy to schedule meetings for other times.

No November Neighborhood Nights!

With it getting darker earlier (and colder for our outdoor musicians!), all of the Neighborhood Nights partners decided it made sense to cancel the November event. We are already beginning to discuss what type of programming we'd like to do next spring and summer, and we'd love to hear from you. Please be in thoughts with your ideas and suggestions.

 If you have a question or comment, please call me at: (502) 574-1108 or email: cassie.armstrong@louisvilleky.gov (and copy megan.metcalf@louisvilleky.gov).  If you have a service request, please call Metro 311 or visit Metro 311 online. If you have AT&T you may have to dial 502-574-5000.

Thanks for reading, and tune back in next month!  

Councilmember Cassie Chambers Armstrong  |   Louisville Metro Council   |   District 8

601 West Jefferson Street, Third Floor

Louisville, Kentucky 40202

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