October 9, 2026

• Friday Thoughts
• 'Coffee With Your Councilman' - Monday, October 26
• Office of Planning Weekly Activity Report
• Pop-Up Drop-Off Event - October 17
• Brightside's Fall Community-Wide Cleanup - October 24
• LMPD 8th Division Trunk or Treat - October 24

Friday Thoughts

Happy Friday!  I hope you've had another great week and are enjoying this spectacular fall weather!  

For this week’s update, I want to share some more details about an ordinance I helped introduce to address roadway debris.  This is an issue I hear about often from constituents: Who is responsible for bumpers and other car parts left behind after an accident? It's a problem I've been working to address for several yeas with limited success.

I am happy to share that after working with the administration, we believe we've found a solution that will help address this issue. As we have done with other issues, like copper wire theft, we believe a combination of increased public awareness, increased enforcement, industry partnership, and legislative change will help solve the problem.  

Our current law leaves some gaps about who is responsible for cleanup and what they are required to do.  Specifically, if a tow operator is not called, the owner of the vehicle is currently only responsible for removing broken glass - an obvious gap in the law. Additionally, the law lacked clarity on who had enforcement ability and how issues should be reported. 

Going forward, if a tow operator is not called, the owner would need to make a reasonable effort to remove all debris (as safety allows). If a vehicle needs to be towed, the towing company will now be required to (1) make all reasonable efforts to fully cleanup the crash scene; and (2) notify LMPD of the scene, the vehicle and owners information, and a photo of the crash site before and after the tow to verify what was safely cleaned up.  

If the private individual or towing company fails to clean up debris (again, where it is safe to do so), they will be issued a fine and will be responsible for the costs Metro incurs to clean the site.  

While I am realistic that this will not result in the removal of every car bumper post-crash, I am hopeful that over time, tow operators and private individuals will comply with these requirements. This effort, coupled with other initiatives around illegal dumping and signs in public rights of way will lead to a cleaner city - something I know is important to many of us.

The ordinance passed unanimously out of committee on Wednesday and I am confident that it will pass the full Metro Council next week.

I hope you have a great weekend and as always, if my office can be of any service please reach out anytime!

Contact the District 17 Office

Markus Winkler
17th District Councilman
Louisville Metro Council
502.574.1117
Contact Councilman Winkler

Kip Eatherly
Legislative Aide
502.574.3462
Contact Kip

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Important Numbers

Animal Services  473-7387
Charmoli NP  574-5787
Codes & Regulations  574-2508
EACM  426-2824
Health & Wellness  574-6520
Jefferson Co. Clerk  574-5700
KY Science Center  561-6100
LG&E  589-1444
LMPD (8th Division)  574-2258
Louisville Water  583-6610
Louisville Zoo  459-2181
Mayor's Office  574-2003
Middletown Library  245-7332
MSD  540-6000
NE Regional Library  394-0379
Parks & Recreation  574-7275
Planning & Design  574-6230
Public Works  574-5810
TARC  585-1234