February 10, 2023
Dear Neighbor,
You may have seen an article on the $67MM in American Rescue Plan (ARP) dollars - federal funding - headed to work on public safety programs and violent crime intervention in our City. That's a sizeable investment in important programs that may help reduce violent crime and homicides - particularly among youth and young adults.
A group called the Greater Louisville Project has released a report on the disproportionate impact of homicides on young people in Louisville. In 2021, 30% of homicides on Jefferson County were people ages 15-24. That is heartbreaking and we should do what we can to stop young people killing each other.
I believe the programs funded with ARP dollars and raised by this group will yield some positive impact. I hope they do a lot toward everyone's goal of reducing homicides and other violent crime in Louisville, particularly for young people. These programs are worthy of consideration, which is why we are funding them.
But, given the source of their funding, we need to be honest with each other about the future of these programs which sunset in 2024. There is no guaranteed funding after that time. I hope we can change that if the programs are successful, but am not optimistic. My comments in the attached news article from Louisville Public Media reflect that honesty.
We must be realistic about how the budget process works and that it will be challenging - if not impossible - to commit general revenue dollars (that recur and rise because of increased tax revenue). In the best years, 75-80% of Louisville Metro revenues go to existing personnel. There is also routine maintenance, facilities, fleet, utilities and other recurring expenses that have to be covered just for the services local government provides to function.
This reality is compounded by the fact that Louisville is projected to have a budget shortfall for the next few fiscal years. How big that shortfall is has yet to be made clear, but the current projections are that it will be significant. Millions of dollars significant.
Our tax revenues are largely based on Property Taxes, Occupational Taxes (local income taxes), and Net Profits Tax (an income tax on business earnings). These are all impacted if we have an economic downturn. They rise and fall as our economy and real estate market rises and falls. Louisville gets no share of the state income tax (which is being reduced) or sales tax revenue for allocation here.
We also must balance our budget. Local government's ability to borrow (or bond) expenses is limited to capital projects. We do a lot of that for street and sidewalk repair as it is. When local tax revenues fall and budgets tighten, non-essential new programs and projects are the first on the chopping block. Traditional funding for police programs (salaries, equipment, training), infrastructure spending (roads, sidewalks, sewers), and waste removal will be the last to see cuts. Those core services of our city are what every council member hears about the most on a daily basis, including our office. Those functions are most likely to see broad agreement that they are essential. Even the least controversial new programs will face scrutiny when the basic services of our city might not have the resources they need in challenging times.
The simple unfortunate truth is this: barring some change in state law that allows Louisville more control over our tax structure or a benevolent sustaining gift from a non-government source - continuing these programs or any new program is an uphill battle, no matter how much good they do in Louisville.
Many city leaders have gone to Frankfort year after year and asked for additional revenue and tax flexibility so we can try tackling the unique challenges facing our community. Louisville provides a large majority of the revenue to state government. Despite this fact, Frankfort has turned a deaf ear on any idea that would help our city increase funding for new programs, initiatives, or personnel as recommended by experts - including those involved in the Greater Louisville Project.
Enjoy the weekend,
 Brent T. Ackerson
26th District Councilman
You can read the LPM article here
Appointment System still phasing in!
Large Item Pickup by appointment is being phased into the entire Urban Services District. Once appointments are available for your address, you will be able to quickly get rid of up to four large items, once per week, by simply making an appointment on the Metro311 app or website. This means more opportunities to dispose of large items, less "junk" sitting out for weeks, and improved neighborhood cleanliness!
Most residents are scheduling their appointments with ease and following the guidelines. We appreciate everyone's patience as we phase in the new appointment system to all areas.
Top 5 mistakes we've seen so far:
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Resident set out items that were not listed on the confirmation email. If you describe an item that is unaccepted, you'll receive a separate email letting you know that one or more of your items is not allowed. Your confirmation email will only list the items from your request that are acceptable. Please note: Bags/boxes of small items are NOT accepted.
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Resident broke an item into small pieces. If an item is in many small pieces, it is no longer a large item and should be placed in your garbage cart! Keep your items as intact as possible so they can be easily collected with no litter or debris left behind.
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Resident made an appointment for an address other than their own. Doing this can hinder our education process. If you see a pile of debris in front of or behind someone's property, please report this as a violation rather than making an appointment on their behalf. This is especially an issue when the pile includes unacceptable material. Report to Metro311 under "Trash Complaints and Violations" and "Waste Violation."
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Items are blocked by a vehicle. Collection crews use heavy equipment to collect the items and they are unable to maneuver around parked vehicles. All items should be clear of other objects and should never block sidewalks or streets.
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Resident didn't include a description of the item. If your item is not listed in the dropdown list or if the choice is vague (e.g., Furniture item), please include a description so our collection crews know what to expect to find.
All areas are eligible to make appointments after their last "junk" set out weekend. The areas that had setout dates Oct 21-23, Nov 4-6, Nov 11-13, Dec 2-4, Dec 9-11, Dec 16-18, Jan 6-8, Jan 20-22, and Jan 27-29 are currently able to make appointments. Area J will be able to make appointments beginning Feb 13. Area K may set out large items Feb 17-19 and will be able to make appointments beginning Feb 27. Find your final setout weekend at Louisvilleky.gov by clicking "Address Lookup." When your address is on the appointment system, you can make an appointment up to once per week for up to 4 large items to be picked up. Households and property owners will receive a letter and info card in the mail.
The Louisville Asset Building Coalition’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, or VITA, provides trained, IRS-certified volunteers who offer free tax services at 11 sites across the city. VITA is available to individuals and families who earned less than $66,000 in 2022.
VITA volunteers will also help determine if residents are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a refundable federal tax credit for low- and middle-income working individuals and families. Eligibility for the EITC is based on income, the number of family members and other criteria, such as the age of household members. Working families who earn up to $57,400 may be eligible, and the average credit last year was $2,800.
Tax filing season is now officially underway and the deadline to file this year is April 18. VITA sites will prepare in-person free tax filing, by appointment only, at several sites. Most of the sites will provide free tax filing through drop-off services.
The VITA free tax preparation sites are located at:
- Americana Community Center, 4801 Southside Drive
- Edison Center, 701 W Ormsby Ave., Ste 201
- Goodwill Resource Center, 909 E. Broadway
- Louisville Urban League, 1535 W. Broadway
- Oldham County LaGrange Library, 308 Yager, LaGrange
- Portland Promise Center, 1831 Baird St.
- NABA/Shively City Hall, 3920 Dixie Highway
- Vincent de Paul Family Success Center, 1029 S Preston St.
- Sun Valley Community Center, 6505 Bethany Lane
- United Crescent Hill Ministries, 150 State St.
- Wesley House Community Services, 5114 Preston Hwy.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Escorts children across streets and highways before and after school hours Directs traffic at street intersections near county school drive entrances to assist buses arriving and departing Directs the flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic
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