Louisville Metro Government operates on an annual budget that unlike the Federal Government, must be balanced and must be passed prior to the start of the new Fiscal Year on the first day of July. Mayor Greenberg delivered his third budget proposal to the members of the Louisville Metro Council, outlining approximately $1.2 billion in spending ($960 million for the Operating Budget and $240 million for the Capital budget). The mayor’s budget proposal begins working from as positive of a position as has occurred in many years. According to the Mayor’s Office, Louisville Metro is working from a position of strength and has a surplus of approximately $50 million. This funding will be used to increase our investment in infrastructure, technology for fighting crime, as well as finding ways to streamline permitting and application processes for persons looking to invest within our city. The mayor also used our positive position to propose levels of paving and other deferred maintenance that will help us continue to make significant improvements to our roads, sidewalks, as well as the general upkeep of our community assets.

Next Steps

We will now spend the next few weeks looking through the hundreds of pages of details in order to get a better grasp of what is being proposed. Starting Thursday, May 8^th the Metro Council’s Budget Committee will begin the hearing process. Over the course of the next two months, we will have nearly 30 hours of budget hearings covering at least 20 departments and government agencies.

Many Good Things to Talk About

Mayor Greenberg seems to have listened and worked many of our ideas into his budget proposal. Fully funding road paving, the police headquarters construction and helping to complete funding for new libraries are a few examples of what can be liked about this proposal.

The willingness to invest not only in downtown but now in areas outside of the Watterson Expressway gives me hope we can begin to make real progress and improvements in all parts of our city.  There is $122 million proposed to be managed by our Public Works and Assets Department for 41 projects including $30 million for paving throughout Metro, $2 million in sidewalk repair, $29 million to continue the Louisville Loop in over 10 areas of Metro, $18 million for the Cooper Chapel Road project and many new sidewalk and road projects. 

$26.8 million is proposed to be spent for affordable housing projects, home repairs and homeless shelter projects.

The Mayor has included $33.3 million throughout Metro for grants or contracts to non-profit organizations to supplement the activities and objectives of Louisville Metro.

A few concerns heading into Budget Hearings:

Lack of Funding for a Police Training Facility: While the Mayor’s budget does adequately fund the continued work on a new police headquarters, it fails to support an equally needed new police training facility. This project has been needed for nearly a decade and was one of the top projects that I and members within the Metro Council listed in our meetings leading up to the Mayor’s speech. I will continue to pursue funding for this facility as it is needed to help us bring in more officers as well as improve training for police, fire and other safety officers working in our community.

Growth of Metro Personnel: There are 69 new positions as well as salary increases listed within the Mayor’s Proposal. Some of those proposals are needed to keep and retain needed positions such as engineers and project managers. Even though we are in good financial times, we want to be sure that we are still evaluating the usefulness of all persons so that our government is operating in the most efficient way possible. Understanding the hiring, growth and other factors within this budget will take some time, but that will be an aspect of this budget that I will be carefully reviewing.

Planning for the Future: Over the past decade the Metro Council has helped to fund more proactive approaches towards issues by increasing funding for preventative maintenance within our parks and public works departments. We need to make sure that this budget not only continues that work, but also creates proposals that will help to address traffic problems, improve safety and deliver services as they are needed instead of making promises and failing to deliver.  As a member of the Metro Council, I will be looking to fund the work that will lead to upgrades in our District 16 parks, Thurman Hutchins, Cox, and Hays Kennedy, as well as historic site Locust Grove. By funding this type of project, we will have a game plan for bringing real improvements to our area.

Big Picture Highlights of the Budget Proposal:

• $30 million for paving/repairing streets. This marks the ninth year in which the Metro Council would meet or exceed our goals for addressing needed paving within the community.
• $1 million for additional cameras and license plate readers to continue our efforts to reduce crime.
• $9.2 million for continued work towards a new LMPD Headquarters
• $3 million for a new and innovative program established with the goal of bringing new businesses and restaurants to the South End.
• $3 million for addressing overdue infrastructure needs within the fastest growing areas of eastern Jefferson County
• Additional Funding for 24-hour shelter service to assist with our communities homeless population.
• Additional funding to offer medical assistance to homeless persons recently released from hospital treatment.
• $15 million in funding to support the Affordable Housing Trust Fund
• $2 million to support efforts to use Artificial Intelligence to reduce regulations, improve the permitting process and streamline the delivery of government services.

You can read, review and make comments on the proposed budget

to see the full schedule Metro Council FY26 Budget Committee hearings planned during the months of May and June use the following link:  2012 12-Month Basic Calendar (any year)

If you would like to review the Mayor’s Proposed FY25 Budget you can view it using this link:  Approved Budgets by Fiscal Year | LouisvilleKY.gov

If you would like to make a comment, suggestion or have a question about the budget, you can fill out the following form and your submission will be collected and shared with all members of the Metro Council. 2025 - 2026 Louisville Metro Budget Comment Form

This past Saturday, a team of dedicated volunteers, led by Dyllan Tipton from my office, joined forces for the Brightside Clean-up. The group included students from Fairdale High School and McConnell Scholars from the University of Louisville. Together, they tackled cleaning efforts on Fairdale Rd., Nelson Hornbeck Park, the roundabout, W. Manslick Rd., as well as the interchanges at Gene Snyder and National Turnpike, and Gene Snyder and New Cut Rd. Their hard work resulted in the collection of over 20 bags of trash, several tires, and other large items. A special thank-you goes to Graham Davis and Liz Morris at Fairdale Derby City Pizza for generously providing lunch for the volunteers.

Louisville Metro residents may now fill out an online form to request curbside debris pick-up following recent severe weather events, including tornadoes and flooding.

“When storms hit, they don’t just impact physical structures, they can turn people’s lives upside-down. We’re happy to be able to offer some relief from what we know can feel like an overwhelming burden, cleaning up what is left behind from the storms and flooding,” Mayor Craig Greenberg said.

Curbside service is for residential storm and flood related debris only. Household hazardous waste will not be accepted at the curb.

Additionally, residents must fill out the Self-Reporting Form, then wait for further instructions on when to bring their debris to the curb.

Businesses should contact and go-through their insurance for assistance. 

If you cannot access the Self-Reporting Form, or need additional assistance, please contact Public Works at 502-574-3572.

To find the Self-Reporting Form and review frequently asked questions visit the Storm and Flood Debris Cleanup webpage.

There are approximately 100 boards and commissions with many areas of interest, including business and economic development, land planning, parks and recreation, public health and public safety.

If you are interested in volunteering for one of Louisville Metro Government's Boards and Commissions, now is the time to start. By being a part of a board or commission, you will offer your time and your talents to improve the quality of life in our community.

There are currently or upcoming vacancies for the following boards and commissions: Building Code Board of Appeals (one vacancy), Civilian Review and Accountability (four vacancies), Downtown Management (one vacancy), Kentuckiana Works (one vacancy), Air Pollution Control District Board, 3-year term (one vacancy), Cemetery Board (two vacancies), Juneteenth Jubilee (four vacancies), Medical Center Commission of Jefferson County , Waterworks (two vacancies), and Greater Louisville Lodging Management District (four vacancies). 

To learn more, please visit Boards and Commission.

Property Address: Melton Ave. Metal Recycling, 4514 Melton Ave.

Case Number:  25-DDP-0027

A revised detailed district development plan to allow a scrap yard/equipment storage on 15.52 acres in the M3 and EZ1 zoning districts.

For more information, please click HERE.

Property Address: Minor Lane, 3000 Shadeswood Ave.  

Case Number:  25-MPLAT-0041 

A minor subdivision plat create 5 tracts from 8 tracts and dedicate right-of-way.

For more information, please click HERE.

To View the Full Report, Please Click HERE.