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The Metro Council typically meets twice per month. This schedule changes in May during our review of the Mayor’s FY26 Budget proposal. Instead of having two meetings in May, we adjust to having a single meeting to accommodate an additional 10-15 hours of budget hearings.
This week, we heard testimony from the Metro Human Resources Department, Codes and Regulations, Economic Development, and Facilities. Next week, we will continue budget hearings with LMPD, Public Works, and Parks and Recreation, along with other departments scheduled to speak. We will end next week’s meetings with a public hearing where persons wanting to give comments on the budget are allowed to sign up and speak for up to three minutes on changes they would like to see made. If you have ever wanted to participate in this, know that sign ups for the hearing will take place between 5pm and 6pm on the day of the hearing (May 22nd). Persons will be called to speak in the order in which they sign up, and the topics covered must relate to items or ideas related to the FY26 Metro Budget.
This week’s Metro Council Meeting included 11 items on old business ranging from zoning cases to fire board appointments, and funding to support non-profit organizations. Below are a few of the highlighted pieces of legislation passed during the meeting:
Land Development Code – Public Awareness: Councilwoman Bast (District 14) and Councilman Dan Seum (District 13) proposed resolution (R-049-25) which seeks to improve the notice as well as the number of persons notified for changes proposed in zoning on properties. Councilman Joseph was proud to sign on as a co-sponsor for this action.
Fire Board Appointments: 3 new Members to the Anchorage Middletown Fire Protection District were approved. Mr. Jason Smith, Ms. Andrea Oser and Mr. Clinton Hall were appointed to fill vacancies within the board.
Zoning Cases Approved: The Metro Council voted to approve zoning cases located on Crawford/Textile Avenue and a case on Campground Road.
The Crawford/Textile zoning case is in District 12, located behind the Burger King across from St. Paul’s. Councilman Joseph spoke on this change, saying “While this development will be a significant change to the surrounding neighborhood, we were pleased at the willingness of the developers to work with us on binding elements that we feel will reduce the impact on the neighbors. I will vote yes on this housing development, but I continue to advocate for more amenities and resources in the Southend to support our new residents.”
Signage Regulations: (R-037-25) Updated policies to allow for off-premise, modern, technologically enhanced signs to be constructed within the Downtown Business District. This request came from leaders within the downtown area and will help to improve our ability to host visitors and guests in our downtown core.
As stated earlier, next week (May 18th) will be a week of budget hearings followed by another week of budget hearings and committee meetings. The next scheduled meeting of the Louisville Metro Council is planned for June 12, 2025. All budget hearings as well as Metro Council Committee and regular meetings of the full Metro Council are televised live and available streaming on MetroTV as well as Facebook. For more information on anything contained within this article or for any questions about actions or events within Louisville Metro government, please contact my office at 574-1112 or via email at Jonathan.joseph@louisvilleky,gov.
 We hope to see you tomorrow! We will be in the Harbor House, located at 2233 Lower Hunters Trace in the same parking lot as Incarnation Catholic Church.
Happy grad season to all of our District 12 families celebrating a graduate this month, whether it's from Elementary, Middle, High School, or College! For those looking to attend some of our local HS graduations, they are scheduled for the following times:
Pleasure Ridge Park: 9:00 am on Tuesday, May 27 at Freedom Hall
Holy Cross: 6:00 pm on Friday, May 16 (TODAY) at Bellarmine
Valley: 8:00 pm on Friday, May 23 at Valley High School
Fairdale: 12:30 pm on Saturday, May 24 at Broadbent Arena
Butler: 4:00 pm on Tuesday, May 27 at Freedom Hall
Doss: 12:30 pm on Tuesday, May 27 at Broadbent Arena
 This week, Councilman Joseph joined with 5 other Metro Council members from Southwest Louisville to express their frustration with the lack of a Southend location for the upcoming JCPS Superintendent Finalists Forums.
While there is still not currently any plans for a Southend location, we encourage any residents who want to be heard to attend those hearings.
May 20 Superintendent Forums
4 to 6 p.m.
Center for Professional Learning
3903 Atkinson Square Dr.
Louisville, Ky. 40218
7 to 9 p.m.
Stopher Elementary School
14417 Aiken Rd.
Louisville, Ky. 40245
Yesterday, Councilman Joseph and District 12 Legislative Assistant Bryson Sebastian walked the Triplett Woods neighborhood with Major Boeckman and Lt Walsh from LMPD's 3rd Division to speak with neighbors.
I want to thank LMPD 3rd Division's leadership for their willingness to be out in the neighborhood and want everyone to know that I have been told that patrols have been increased in the area to provide peace of mind to the neighbors as LMPD works to catch those responsible.
Anyone with more information can all the anonymous tip line at 574-LMPD.
While these did not appear to be random events, we know that it is not only the targets of these violent acts that suffer.
In the face of continued senseless violence, we have to fight for the Southend that we want and deserve. If you see something, we ask that you say something. We must all be involved in the fight for a better Southend, and the only way we can move forward is together.
 In 2015, the Metro Council started a movement to significantly increase our investment of capital funds into a long-term plan to bring all Metro roads up to safe standards. We were told that to achieve this goal, we would need to consistently appropriate nearly $20 million towards paving. Each year since setting that goal, we have met or exceeded that funding standard. In 2023 we received an update on our progress and were told that the funding needed to increase to $30M. Although there are numerous worthy programs and capital projects that we would like to fund, we are focused on continuing our work to improve this essential function of Metro Government.
For the first time since setting our sights on addressing the road paving needs of our community in 2015, the Mayor has allocated $30M towards paving in this years budget. Over the course of our decade of commitment to improving our roads, we have seen significant improvements to our transportation system.
While it is easy to complain about potholes that pop up over the winter, it is important to recognize that our roads today are substantially safer and smoother that a year ago. These investments reach every corner of the community and have led to other increases in funding for important needs such as street markings, guardrails as well as the proactive repair of bridges and dams throughout the community.
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