[Call to Order]
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ALL RIGHT. WELCOME TO THE SECOND DAY OF BUDGET HEARINGS. I'M RICK BLACKWELL, CHAIR OF THE BUDGET
[Roll Call]
COMMITTEE. WITH ME TODAY IS MY VICE CHAIR, COUNCILMAN KRAMER. OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS ARE WITH US. COUNCILWOMAN SHAMIKA PARISH. RIGHT. COUNCILMAN COREY ARTHUR, COUNCILWOMAN PAULA MCCRANIE IS VIRTUAL. COUNCILMAN BEN RENO WEBER, COUNCILMAN JOHN OWEN, COUNCIL COUNCILWOMAN PARKER IS VIRTUAL. COUNCILMAN PIAGENTINI IS VIRTUAL. COUNCILMAN HUDSON IS VIRTUAL. ALSO JOINING US, COUNCILWOMAN HAWKINS, COUNCILWOMAN CHAPPELL AND COUNCILWOMAN RUY. IS ANYONE? I[ ID 24-0266 Economic Development]
THINK THAT'S ALL OF US. WE'LL BEGIN OUR HEARINGS TODAY WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY CODES AND REGULATIONS. AS A REMINDER, WE WON'T HAVE OPENING COMMENTS, BUT WE'LL BEGIN IMMEDIATELY WITH QUESTIONS FROM ANY COUNCIL MEMBER PRESENT IN THE CHAMBERS OR VIRTUALLY. AND REMEMBER TO CLICK ON, WE'RE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. SO YOU SHOULD SEE WHEN YOU CLICK ON THERE, YOU SHOULD SEE SPEAKERS AND YOU SHOULD SEE AUTHOR AND, ANTHONY PIAGENTINI ALREADY LISTED AS SPEAKERS. SO THEN YOU KNOW, YOU'RE IN THE RIGHT PLACE, WANT TO REMIND YOU, BEFORE WE START DISCUSSING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT'S PROPOSED $14.6 MILLION OPERATING BUDGET AND $2.75 MILLION CAPITAL BUDGET, THERE ARE SOME SYSTEM CONVERSION ISSUES STILL WITH THE NEW METRO FINANCE SYSTEM MAKING COMPARISONS BETWEEN PROJECTED FISCAL YEAR 24 BUDGET, FISCAL YEAR 23 BUDGET AND FISCAL YEAR 25 BUDGET. UNRELIABLE, BUT THEY ARE REALLY INSIGNIFICANT WHEN IT COMES TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, LET'S START BY ASKING ABOUT SOME OF THE SERVICE CHANGES IN THE DEPARTMENT. THE MAYOR'S PROPOSED 11 STRUCTURAL, FISCAL CHANGES IN THIS BUDGET, INCLUDING REDUCON IN FUNDING FOR SEVERAL OUTSIDE AGENCIES, WHICH I'M SURE WE'LL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT GOING TO START TODAY BY ASKING YOU FOR THE NEED FOR THE PROPOSED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. THE MAYOR'S PROPOSING TO ADD $1.5 MILLION TO BEGIN THE NEW AUTHORITY. WHAT IS EXPECTED TO BE ACCOMPLISHED THAT ISN'T BEING ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT IT? AND WILL THIS BE A REOCCURRING COST IN THE FUTURE? SO SPECIFICALLY, WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT IS THE $1.5 MILLION BEING USED FOR IN THE FISCAL YEAR 25? SO I'M NOT SURE WHO'S STARTING. YOU CAN INTRODUCE YOURSELVES AND YEAH, SURE. RIGHT GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCILMAN AND COUNCILWOMAN, EVERYBODY, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME. I'M DEPUTY MAYOR PAT MALLOY, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, DEPUTY MAYOR, LET ME SPEAK TO THE $1.5 MILLION AND, AND LET ME GIVE YOU ALL SOME CONTEXT FOR THAT, THIS LAST WEEK, I HAD BEEN , IN THE JOB ABOUT ABOUT A YEAR, AND WHEN I CAME ABOARD THE MAYOR, IN OUR FIRST CONVERSATION, WANTED TO BEGIN A NEW STRATEGIC PLAN FOR HOW WE DO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE CITY. AND NOT BEING JUDGMENTAL OR PEJORATIVE ABOUT ANYBODY IN THE PAST. BUT WANTED TO HAVE A FRESH LOOK AT HOW IT'S DONE. AND THE CABINET HAD BEEN ORGANIZED IN DIFFERENT WAYS OVER THE YEARS , THERE HAD BEEN RELATIONSHIPS.THERE'S ALL KINDS OF STAKEHOLDERS WHEN IT COMES TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WHETHER IT'S GREATER LOUISVILLE INC. OR WHETHER IT'S UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE, UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, JEFFERSON COLLEGE AND KENTUCKIANA WORKS, LOTS OF STAKEHOLDERS FROM ALL DIFFERENT SIDES. AND SO WE PUT TOGETHER LAST JUNE, WE BEGAN A GROUP OF ABOUT 80 CITIZEN VOLUNTEERS.
AND, SEVERAL MEMBERS FROM COUNCIL WERE ON IT, LOTS OF BUSINESS PEOPLE, FOLKS FROM LABOR, THE NOT FOR PROFIT WORLD. AND WE HIRED A COUPLE OF CONSULTANTS. ONE WAS A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED WORKFORCE CONSULTANT, IT WAS INTERESTING BECAUSE IN HINDSIGHT, THE SINGLE BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FOR ME WAS, IS THAT TALENT DEVELOPMENT AND TALENT ATTRACTION IS PROBABLY AT THE HEART OF WHAT WILL MAKE OUR CITY GREAT AND SUCCEED OVER THE NEXT GENERATION, AND WE HIRED A FELLOW WHO WAS THE ONE OF THE LEAD SITE SELECTORS IN THE COUNTRY, BUT ALSO HAD LED AND BUILT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CABINET FOR INDIANAPOLIS IN THE EARLY 90S WITH A SERIES OF SUCCESSFUL MAYORS BACK THEN. SO WE DID ALL THAT WORK AND THAT PLAN IN ABOUT THE SECOND WEEK OF DECEMBER, WAS PRESENTED TO THE COMMUNITY, AND IT FOCUSED ON FOUR BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS. ONE WAS QUALITY OF PLACE, THE QUALITY OF WHERE WE LIVE. AND THAT'S EVERYTHING FROM PARKS TO STREETS TO COMMUNITY CENTERS TO ALL OF THE GATHERING PLACES AND ALL THE COMMUNITY AREAS IN OUR IN OUR COMMUNITY, SECONDLY, HOW DO WE ATTRACT PEOPLE? HOW DO WE EDUCATE PEOPLE? SKILLS WAS THE SECOND LEG OF THE STOOL. THE THIRD WAS HOW DO WE BRING CAPITAL TO BEAR IN THIS TOWN? AND THAT'S CAPITAL FROM EVERYTHING FROM BIG CAPITAL ALL THE WAY DOWN TO LITTLE CAPITAL.
IT'S HOW DO I GET, COUNCILWOMAN, PARISH. RIGHT. HOW DO I GET THE SMALL ENTREPRENEUR WHO'S NEVER DOESN'T, NEVER BORROWED MONEY AT A BANK BEFORE? HOW DO THEY ACCESS THAT $5,000 LOAN OR THAT $20,000 LOAN? SO IT WAS A FRESH LOOK AT ALL OF THAT. AND THE FOURTH LEG OF THE STOOL WAS THAT
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LOUISVILLE NEEDS TO TELL ITS STORY BETTER. WE ARE A MULTIFACETED, MULTI-SIDED, TERRIFIC COMMUNITY, BUT WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO TELL OUR STORY BETTER. AND THERE ARE LOTS OF FOLKS THAT HAVE THEIR HANDPRINTS ON WHAT YOU WOULD SUPERFICIALLY MIGHT CALL A BRAND. UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE HAS ITS BRAND. JEFFERSON COLLEGE HAS ITS BRAND. ALL KINDS OF FOLKS, THE CLIO BATTLIN, THE FOLKS AT LOUISVILLE TOURISM PROBABLY DO IT AS WELL AS ANYBODY IN TOWN IN TERMS OF TELLING OUR STORY, ACROSS THE COUNTRY. SO THAT WAS THE FOURTH LEG OF THE STOOL. THE UNANIMOUS CONCLUSION. ON TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION. FINALLY, COUNCILMAN, OF WHAT THIS, WHAT THE UPSHOT OF THIS WAS, WAS THAT WE NEED AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND BEST PRACTICE WE LEARNED AROUND THE COUNTRY, WHETHER IT'S HOUSTON OR PITTSBURGH OR ATLANTA OR, THEIR MODELS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. AND WE HAVE KATIE LIPPMAN IN THE GOVERNMENT. DID A WHOLE MATRIX OF ALL OF THE VARIOUS FLAVORS, AND THEY COME IN ALL DIFFERENT SIZES AND SHAPES, BUT YOU WANT TO BUILD SOMETHING THAT IS, FRANKLY, PRIVATE SECTOR DRIVEN, BUT HAS PUBLIC INPUT AND HAS A COUNCIL MAN OR WOMAN OR TWO ON THE, ON THE BODY, THE MODELS ARE GENERALLY BUILT AROUND WHAT'S CALLED A 500 1C6. SO IT'S A NOT FOR PROFIT ENTITY THAT CAN DO ADVOCACY, THAT CAN ARGUE ABOUT ISSUES, CAN DEBATE ISSUES, WHETHER IT'S STATE TAX POLICY OR DISPLACEMENT POLICY OR WHATEVER THE PUBLIC POLICY HAPPENS TO BE, AND THEN AND BUILD THAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. IT IS A IT'S A BODY THAT WILL BE PRIVATE SECTOR DRIVEN. WE'VE GOT LAWYERS WORKING ON IT RIGHT NOW, AND, THE MAYOR'S VISION IS WE'VE GOT A LOT OF THESE FOLKS ARE SITTING BEHIND ME, BUT INSIDE OUR CABINET, JOSH MCKEE, KEISHA SWANN AND SOME OTHERS HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH US ON HOW WE ORGANIZE THIS. WE'VE GOT AN ARRAY OF, I CALL THEM PROJECT MANAGERS. IN THE OLD DAYS, THEY USED TO USE THE WORD CLUSTER STRATEGY A LOT. YOU'D HAVE A MAN OR A WOMAN THAT JUST DID FOOD AND BEVERAGE OR SOMEBODY DID HEALTH CARE. THOSE DAYS HAVE PROBABLY PASSED. WE'VE GOT GENERALISTS, IF YOU WILL, NOW WORKING ON DEALS IN THE CITY LIKE COUNCILWOMAN HAWKINS. WHEN WE BROUGHT THAT MMI DEAL TO LOUISVILLE, WE HAD ONE OF THOSE PROJECT MANAGERS WORKING ON THAT. THEN OVER ON THIS SIDE OF THE CABINET, YOU'VE GOT YOU'VE GOT TWO WOMEN SITTING BEHIND ME THAT ARE SMALL BUSINESS GATEKEEPERS. WHEN THAT SMALL BUSINESS ENTREPRENEUR COMES TO LOUISVILLE AND THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO BUSINESS OR THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN OR ACCESS ALL THE NOT FOR PROFITS IN TOWN THAT ARE GOOD, THEN ASHBY EGGERS AND GIGI TALBOTT ARE SITTING BEHIND ME. THOSE ARE THE GATEKEEPERS. AND THEN THERE'S A WOMAN BEHIND ME AS WELL, TERRY HATHAWAY, WHO RUNS BASICALLY A SMALL LENDING OPERATION INSIDE THE CITY CALLED METCO. AND SHE'S GOT, I DON'T KNOW, BRENDA HIRED US HERE OR NOT, BUT BRENDA HYATT WORKS IN THAT TEAM. AND SO THE VISION IS SOME AND WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THIS SOME EIGHT, TEN, 12 OF THOSE PEOPLE. AND THIS IS NO ADDITIONAL COST TO THE CITY WILL GO TO WORK AT NEWCO IN KIND OF AN EMPLOYEE LEASING ARRANGEMENT. IF PAT'S WORKING ONE DAY IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CABINET, HE OR SHE MIGHT WORK AT NEWCO THE NEXT DAY. BUT IT'S THE SAME SALARY AND BENEFITS GOING OUT. AND SO WE WOULD ASK THE CITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT. BUT IT'S NO NET NEW COST IN ASKING THEM. THE MAYOR AND I HAVE STARTED THIS PROCESS. WE'RE TALKING TO STAKEHOLDERS, MANY OF WHOM WERE ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WORKFORCE THAT DID THIS PLAN TO PARTICIPATE AND SERVE ON THE BOARD. IT WON'T BE THAT BIG. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE 80 PEOPLE. THAT'D BE LIKE HAVING THE UNITED NATIONS. IT'D BE A LITTLE CRAZY. IT'D BE AN UNWIELDY SIZED BODY. SO IT'LL BE A SMALLER ORGANIZATION WITH A SMALL WORKING EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, 9 TO 11, 9 TO 13, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, AND THERE WILL BE A DUES STRUCTURE THERE.AND THAT WILL BRING IN A MILLION AND A HALF TO $2 MILLION OF REVENUE TO HELP FUND THIS. AND THEN THE LAST PIECE WE'RE ASKING FOR IS THIS MILLION AND A HALF DOLLARS. AND IT'S FRANKLY, TO STAND UP THE ORGANIZATION. IT'S FOR THE START UP COST. JEFF AND I ARE WORKING. WE'VE DRAFTED AN RFQ. WE'RE GOING TO GO TO THE MARKETPLACE IN PROBABLY JUNE, AND WE'RE GOING TO DO A NATIONAL SEARCH FOR THE BEST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THINKER THAT WE CAN FIND IN THE COUNTRY. THE MODEL I USED IN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT IT IS SOMEBODY LIKE A DAN MANN AT THE AIRPORT, AND I'M NOT USING DAN INDIVIDUALLY AS AN EXAMPLE, BUT YOU NEED A YOU TO GO RUN AN AIRPORT AUTHORITY. YOU GOT TO FIND SOMEBODY THAT'S EXPERT IN ALL THAT AREA. AND THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT LARRY GINGRICH, OUR CHIEF CONSULTANT, GAVE US AS HE WAS EXITING THE WORK WITH US. WE PROBABLY GOT THE NAMES OF 15 POTENTIAL CANDIDATES AROUND THE COUNTRY. AND IT IS IT'S A BODY TO TAKE THIS PLAN AND DRIVE THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY, AND IT WILL DRIVE IT. IT DOESN'T SUPPLANT THE CABINET. MY FRIEND ON MY LEFT HERE, MR. O'BRIEN, HE'LL STILL BE AT THE CABINET AND HE'S GOT CODES AND REGS AND ALL THE OTHER PLANNING AND ZONING, ADVANCED PLANNING, ALL THE OTHER FUNCTIONS THAT YOUR GOVERNMENT DOES WILL REMAIN WITH THE GOVERNMENT. BUT WE WOULD MOVE THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITH A REAL FOCUS TO THIS PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP. SO THAT'S, IN A NUTSHELL, WHAT
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IT'S FOR. WHAT HAVE I LEFT OUT? ANYTHING. THAT'S RIGHT. OKAY SO. SO, COUNCILMAN. YEAH. SO IF I HEAR YOU CORRECTLY, THEN THE 1.5 GETS US UP AND RUNNING. IT WILL NOT BE A RECURRING EXPENSE. I DIDN'T SAY THAT. I DID. I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT. I THOUGHT YOU SAID THAT. NO, NO, BUT I DON'T KNOW. THE ANSWER TO THAT IS THE HONEST ANSWER. WE WANT THIS THING TO BE SELF-SUSTAINING. I DON'T EXPECT IT TO BE TO RELY ON GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS, BUT IT MAY WELL BE ONE OF THESE SOFT LANDING DEALS WHERE WE GOT TO BUILD IT, AND WE START OFF WITH A BUDGET OF 4 MILLION OR 5 MILLION, AND WE TAPER OURSELVES OFF OF THE GOVERNMENT SUPPORT OVER TIME.BUT I DON'T I DON'T WANT TO BE BOXED IN ON THAT. I'M NOT BEING CUTE WITH YOU. WE THOUGHT WE GOT A WORK GROUP THAT MEETS EVERY MONDAY FROM 4:00 TILL 6:00. WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 8 OR 9 MONTHS AND THOSE ARE ALL GOOD QUESTIONS, WE'LL BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT IT, I PROMISE YOU. WE'LL BE HERE TO TELL YOU WHAT WE'RE DOING. BUT WHAT WE'RE ASKING TODAY, I MEAN, YOU CONSTITUTIONALLY, YOU CAN'T DO A RECURRING THING ANYWAY, RIGHT? BUT WE'RE ASKING SO IT'LL COME BACK FOR DEBATE AND CONVERSATION, BUT WE'RE ASKING FOR A ONE TIME, $1.5 MILLION APPROPRIATION ONE ONE TIME, WHICH MAY NOT BE ONE TIME, BUT THAT'S WHAT I HEAR YOU SAYING.
I'M A LAWYER, I GOT YOU. SO, IS THE. DO WE STILL IN A. SO LAST YEAR WE HAD THE CONTRACT IN RELATIONSHIP WITH GLENN. SO IS THAT STILL? LET ME LET ME TALK ABOUT GLEE. I HAD LUNCH TODAY WITH ONE OF THEIR BOARD LEADERS, AND IT'S AN IMPORTANT ORGANIZATION, BUT IT'S A DIFFERENT ORGANIZATION. IT'S A CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, AND IT'S 15 COUNTIES AND A REGIONAL COMPACT.
AND THEY GET INFORMATION, THEY GET LEADS ON SOUTHERN INDIANA, AND THEY GET LEADS ON HENRY COUNTY AND SPENCER COUNTY AND SHELBY COUNTY AND IT NEEDS TO KEEP DOING ITS WORK. THIS IS NOT MEANT TO SUPPLANT THAT AT ALL, BUT WHAT I HOPE HAPPENS IS, STEVE MILLER, WHO MANY OF YOU ALL KNOW HAS BEEN A VOLUNTEER ON THIS THING, AND WE SPENT THREE HOURS YESTERDAY SORT OF REDRAFTING ALL THE FUNCTIONS. AND THERE ARE SO MUCH WORK TO DO WHERE I SEE THIS BODY, THE VERB, THE VERB, IF IT'S A VERB OR NOUN I'VE BEEN USING, IS A CONVENER. IT'S A PLACE WHERE WE CAN START CONVERSATIONS ABOUT TALENT DEVELOPMENT. THE GENTLEMAN BEHIND ME, MICHAEL GRIFFIN, HAS DONE A TERRIFIC JOB BUILDING A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FUNCTION IN 5 OR 6 KEY AREAS, MOSTLY FOCUSED ON YOUNGER PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY. WELL, IN TODAY'S WORKFORCE, WE NEED A MICHAEL GRIFFIN SORT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT TALENT DEVELOPMENT AND WORKFORCE ON STEROIDS. AND IT'S MUCH BIGGER THAN THAT. IT'S EVERYTHING FROM FOLKS COMING OUT OF PRISON TO PEOPLE THAT WANT TO REENGINEER THEIR, EDUCATIONAL PATHS IN THE MIDDLE OF THEIR LIFE. SO I'M HOPEFUL THAT NEWCO CAN BE A CONVENER WORKING WITH. AND WHEN I, CONRAD AND DANIELS AND I HAD LUNCH TODAY, WE'RE CHATTING ABOUT THIS. THERE'S SOME, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A BODY THAT WILL BE THE CONVENER. BUT IT'S A CONVENER OF CONVERSATIONS WITH TY HANDY AT JEFFERSON COLLEGE AND DOCTOR SCHATZEL AT U OF L, AND SARAH AND THE BOARD AT GLEE. AND THERE'S A LOT OF STAKEHOLDERS IN THIS, ASHLEY WATSON, THE STATE CHAMBER PLAYS A ROLE. JEFF NOLAN, THE CABINET. THEY'VE BEEN A TERRIFIC PARTNER TO THE CITY OF LOUISVILLE AND FRANKLY, THE STATE LEGISLATURE, YOU KNOW, PUT POLITICS ON THE SHELF FOR A SECOND. THAT HISTORIC AMOUNTS OF MONEY WERE JUST APPROPRIATED FOR THIS CITY, THAT I THINK WILL HELP US DO ALL KINDS OF INTERESTING THINGS. SO, COUNCILMAN ARTHUR, THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU MENTIONED METRO COUNCIL HAVING 1 OR 2 SEATS ON THIS AUTHORITY. HOW MANY SEATS WOULD PRIVATE CORPORATIONS HAVE, THE GOAL IS TO HAVE MOST OF THEM . THE MAJORITY OF THEM, THAT'S WE'RE STILL IN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THAT. I WANT THE MODELS WE'VE SEEN AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE PRIVATE SECTOR DRIVEN. SO THAT YOU'VE GOT WHETHER IT'S APPLIANCE MANUFACTURER, AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURERS, SUPPLY CHAIN, LOGISTICS PEOPLE. NOT THAT THEY CONTROL EVERYTHING.
YOU KNOW, THE AND THERE'S A PIECE OF THIS PUZZLE THAT YOU JOG MY BRAIN. I NEED TO COMMENT ON, COUNCILMAN, BUT THE MAJORITY, THE STRAIGHT ANSWER IS THE MAJORITY WOULD BE PRIVATE BUSINESSES, PRIVATE OR PUBLICLY TRADED BUSINESSES. HOW WOULD MEMBERS BE APPOINTED TO THE AUTHORITY, WELL, IT WILL BE. THE MODEL IS WE'LL SORT OF LIKE WE DID THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN. THE MAYOR ASKED 80 PEOPLE TO VOLUNTEER, AND THEY DID. I THINK MAYBE WE ASKED 90 AND 80 SAID, YES, THIS WILL BE A CONVERSATION WITH X NUMBER OF CIVIC LEADERS, AND THEN IT WILL BECOME ONCE LIKE ANY OTHER 500 AND 1C6. IT'LL HAVE A NOMINATING GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE. AND THAT NOMINATING GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE WILL IT'LL GOVERN ITS WHAT IT'LL GOVERN ITS BUSINESS IN ACCORDANCE WITH KENTUCKY, NOT FOR PROFIT CORPORATE LAW. BUT IT WON'T BE GOVERNMENT DRIVEN.
IT'LL BE, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE MAYOR AND I WERE IN A MEETING THE OTHER DAY AND HE WAS TELLING SOMEBODY IN TERMS OF WHAT HIS VISION WAS. HE HE HE WANTS TO BE THE FIRST CHAIR BECAUSE HE'S GOT A VISION ABOUT HOW WE OUGHT TO DO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. BUT MY GUESS IS IN 2 OR 3 TERMS OF THE STUFF, IT WON'T THE MAYOR WON'T BE THE CHAIR. IT'S NOT BEING WRITTEN SO THAT THE MAYOR OR ANY
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POLITICIAN. AND I DON'T MEAN THAT IN A NEGATIVE WAY, BUT IS AUTOMATICALLY BE THE CHAIR OF THIS ORGANIZATION. THIS NEEDS TO BE, YOU KNOW, ONE YEAR, THE WOMAN THAT'S RUNNING XTERM BANK MAY WANT TO BE, CHAIR OF THIS THING AND MAYBE OUGHT TO BE THE RIGHT CHOICE OR, SOMEBODY WHO'S RUNNING, THE VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA OR AMPED OR. I'M GIVING YOU A HYPOTHETICALS, BUT YOU GET MY POINT. YOU MENTIONED THIS AS A BEST PRACTICE. COULD WE HAVE ANY SORT OF REPORTS, ACADEMIC STUDIES THAT POINT TO THIS AS THE DIRECTION THAT WE SHOULD TAKE WITHIN OUR CITY? AND I'LL JUST SAY RIGHT NOW I'M VERY CONCERNED WITH THE CONCEPT BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE THE PRIVATIZATION OF OUR PUBLIC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT THAT ESSENTIALLY SHOULD BE PUBLICLY ACCOUNTABLE, BECAUSE AN ELECTED OFFICIAL DOES OVERSEE IT, WHO YOU ALL WORK FOR. SO I'M VERY CONCERNED WITH THE WAY IT'S BEEN DESCRIBED TODAY. THERE'S NOT A LOT OF INFORMATION ABOUT IT IN THE EXECUTIVE BUDGET. AND BEFORE WE VOTE ON THIS OR SUPPORT THIS ANY FURTHER, I WOULD HOPE THAT WE CAN HAVE THAT INFORMATION SO THAT WE CAN THINK ABOUT IT MORE. WE'VE DONE A TON OF RESEARCH AND WE CAN GET YOU THAT. AND LET ME COMMENT ON ONE OTHER PIECE OF WORK THAT THAT YOU ALL OUGHT TO KNOW THAT WE'RE DOING. AND THIS I DON'T KNOW IF IT'LL ASSUAGE YOUR CONCERNS, BUT IT MAKES A POINT. WE CAME INTO THIS JOB, AND I LIKE A LOT OF THINGS I DIDN'T KNOW OR UNDERSTAND. THERE IS THIS PATCHWORK QUILT TODAY OF THINK ABOUT HOW WE DO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. GLEE DOES STUFF CITY GOVERNMENT DOES STUFF. STUFF BUBBLES UP FROM COUNCIL MEN AND WOMEN. IT COMES FROM 18 DIFFERENT SOURCES AND GENERALLY FINDS ITS WAY INTO THE CABINET IN SOME FASHION, AND THEN BUT FOR SPENDING FOR DOLLARS, IF I'VE GOT TO SELL BONDS ON SOME PROJECT THAT COUNCILMAN BAKER IS INTERESTED IN, WE GOT TO COME HERE. AND UNDERNEATH, IN ADDITION TO THE METRO AND THE SMALL BUSINESS LENDING STUFF THAT EXISTS, THERE IS THIS WHOLE MOSAIC, IF YOU WILL, OF BONDING AUTHORITIES. LOUISVILLE HAS JEFFERSON COUNTY CAPITAL PROJECTS CORPORATION, METROPOLITAN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, LOUISVILLE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, PARK AUTHORITY, RIVER PORT AUTHORITY, ALL OF THOSE STATUTORY CREATIONS HAVE BONDING CAPACITY. THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO SELL BONDS. AND IT'S NOT THAT THEY ARE IRRATIONAL, BUT THEY'RE KIND OF IRRATIONAL WHERE YOU STAND AND LOOK BACK AT THEM, JEFFERSON COUNTY CAPITAL PROJECTS WAS BUILT BACK WHEN WE HAD A COUNTY JUDGE, BUT IT'S A REAL LEGAL ENTITY TODAY, AND IT'S GOT DEBT AND IT'S GOT BALANCE SHEET WITH SOME ASSETS ON IT, AND IT'S GOT THE ABILITY TO SELL BONDS. RIVERPORTS GOT THE ABILITY TO SELL BONDS ALL OVER THE COUNTY, AND SO, TERRY HATHAWAY AND SOME OTHER FOLKS INTRODUCED US TO THERE'S AN ORGANIZATION OUT OF TOLEDO. TOLEDO? EXCUSE ME. COLUMBUS, OHIO. THANK YOU. COLUMBUS, OHIO CALLED THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FINANCE AUTHORITY, AND THEY KIND OF ARE. THEY'VE BEEN AROUND SINCE THE 30S. THEY ARE THE THINK TANK IN THE COUNTRY FOR HOW YOU SET UP FINANCING, BONDING. IF YOU HAD EQUITY, IF YOU HAD, HOW DO YOU BUILD A GREEN BANK, ALL THAT STUFF, STUFF WE NEED THERE EXPERTS IN HOW TO DO THAT. WE'VE HAD THEM ENGAGE FOR 4 OR 5 MONTHS, AND BY THE END OF JUNE, THEY'RE GOING TO BRING TO US A PLAN. AND THE VISION IS YOU WOULD HAVE A PUBLIC, PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP WITH A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS FROM THE CITY, SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR. AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO TRY WE'RE NOT GOING TO COME WITH A WHOLE BUNCH OF STATUTORY CHANGES, BUT WE ARE CDFA IS GOING TO GIVE US A BLUEPRINT TO HOW TO RATIONALIZE ALL THESE BONDING AUTHORITIES THAT THE CITY HAS, AND SO THAT WE CAN MAKE THEM. SO YOU ALL CAN UNDERSTAND THEM, SO THAT WE CAN ACCESS THEM IN A RATIONAL WAY. AND THEN THE VISION IS THAT THERE WOULD BE A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT OR A CONTRACT, IF YOU WILL, TO ACCESS ACCESS THOSE TOOLS. BUT STATUTORILY WE CAN'T THERE'S NO VISION HERE TO PRIVATIZE OR TAKE AWAY THE ABILITY TO SELL DEBT, TAKE AWAY YOUR ABILITY TO APPROPRIATE DOLLARS AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL.THAT'S NOT A PATH WE'RE GOING DOWN. THIS IS A VOLUNTEER PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TO HELP DIRECT VOLUNTEER DEBATE, ARGUE, PUSH CITY GOVERNMENT IN CERTAIN DIRECTIONS, OR PUSH THEM AWAY FROM CERTAIN DIRECTIONS, BUT THEN ALSO RATIONALIZE ALL THE TOOLS WE'VE GOT IN THE FINANCING AUTHORITIES. THAT ALREADY EXIST. AND THAT'S JUST WORK. THAT'S KIND OF LONG OVERDUE IN THE CITY, SO I'M GONNA KEEP IT REAL. THAT COMMENT MADE MY CONCERNS WORSE. OH, COME ON NOW. AND THE REASON I SAY THAT IS BECAUSE YOU JUST TALKED ABOUT BONDS AND HAVING THEM HAVING THIS POWER.
YEAH. NO, NO, I DIDN'T SAY THAT. OKAY. WELL YOU MENTIONED OTHER AUTHORITIES HAVING THE POWER TO DO BONDING ITS AUTHORITY, THE POWER TO DO BONDING WILL STILL BE THE CITY'S POWER. IT WILL BE COUNCIL'S POWER. I'M WORKING ON A PROJECT RIGHT NOW THAT WOULD BE REVOLVE A REVITALIZATION OF A OF A PARK HERE IN TOWN WHERE A NOT FOR PROFIT HAS COME TO THE CITY AND WANTS THE CITY TO SELL $20 MILLION WORTH OF BONDS. CAN'T SELL THE BONDS WITHOUT YOUR VOTE AND WITHOUT YOUR APPROVAL. AND THERE'S NO VISION TO CHANGE THAT, I PROMISE YOU. OKAY, LET'S HAVE A BREAKDOWN OF THAT. BECAUSE IF WE HAVE A GROUP OF MAJORITY PRIVATE CORPORATIONS OR PEOPLE WHO REPRESENT PRIVATE CORPORATIONS, WE CAN CALL IT A SIX ALL DAY LONG. THEY'RE STILL HAVING PRIVATE CORPORATION
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INTERESTS COMPARED TO OUR INTERESTS, SHOULD BE THE REFLECTION OF WHAT OUR CONSTITUENTS WANT AND NEED. I'LL ASK ONE MORE QUESTION TO GET BACK IN THE QUEUE. YOU HAVE 3 MILLION IN REDUCTIONS OR ELIMINATIONS FOR TAX INCREMENT FINANCING. COULD YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THAT MEANS? THAT'S. YEAH. SO WE HAVE THE QUESTION ON THE TAX INCREMENT FINANCING. WE'VE HAD A COUPLE OF, TIFFS THAT HAVE EXPIRED THIS YEAR ARE GOING TO RELY. WE'RE ANTICIPATING THEY'LL REALIZE LESS. THE BIGGEST ONE IS THE RENAISSANCE ZONE. THE TIFF OUT AROUND THE, SOUTH OF THE LOUISVILLE AIRPORT, IS EXPIRING. THAT'S AN ANNUAL. THAT'S AN ANNUAL PAYOUT, IN THE AMOUNT OF $2.38 MILLION. SO THAT'S THAT'S THE THAT'S THE BIGGEST PART OF THAT. SO ESSENTIALLY WHAT IT MEANS IS WE'RE ANTICIPATING THAT WE'LL HAVE FEWER TIF PAYOUTS THIS YEAR BECAUSE THE, BECAUSE OF THE, THE EXPIRATION OF THAT PARTICULAR TIF. AND THEN WE'RE ALSO ANTICIPATING THAT THE NUCLEUS TIFF, WHICH IS THE U OF L TIFF AROUND, AROUND IN THE EASTERN PART OF DOWNTOWN, IS GOING TO HAVE A REDUCTION OF AROUND $400,000. AND I SHOULD SAY MY NAME IS JEFF O'BRIEN. I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CABINET. VERY GOOD, COUNCILMAN PIACENTINI. I'M SORRY. OKAY. YES. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. CAN YOU HEAR ME? OKAY. YES, SIR.EXCELLENT SO, THANKS VERY MUCH. I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY SOMETHING, I GUESS. AND I THINK I'M UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU'RE GETTING AT, RELATED TO THIS NEW, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY.
BUT LAST YEAR, WE ALLOCATED AN ADDITIONAL $400,000 TO GLI. PARDON ME. IT LOOKS LIKE THAT HAS BEEN REDUCED BY $325,000 TO $75,000, BUT I'M JUST NOT CLEAR ON AND I. I DON'T SHARE ALL OF COUNCILMAN AUTHOR'S CONCERNS, OTHER THAN I AGREE WITH HIM THAT WE NEED MORE INFORMATION, 100, BEFORE WE DO ANYTHING, BECAUSE I THINK I'M GETTING THAT THE POWER, PARTICULARLY OF THE PURSE, WILL NOT BE DELEGATED, BUT THERE WILL BE SIGNIFICANT, ROLE TO BE PLAYED AS FAR AS ADVICE AND, DEVELOPMENT OF DEALS AND EXPERT FEES BROUGHT BY THE PRIVATE SECTOR, WHICH, QUITE FRANKLY, GIVEN HOW THE CITY HAS MANAGED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE PAST, I'LL TAKE ANY NEW WAY OF DOING IT BECAUSE WE'VE REALLY BEEN DERM. SO BUT WHAT ROLE WILL GLI PLAY IN THIS AND HOW MUCH FUNDING HAVE WE REDUCED MAINTAINED? WHAT DOES GLI GETTING FROM THE CITY OF THIS BUDGET AND WHY, THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN. LET ME LET ME START THAT OFF IN. JEFF. YOU COME IN BEHIND ME. IF I'VE MISSED ANYTHING, PLEASE, FIRST OF ALL, THE 425 WAS, WHAT WAS IN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET THIS CURRENT YEAR, COUNCILMAN. AND THAT'S BEEN REDUCED TO 100. IT'S NOT A NUMBER THAT WAS FRANKLY TARGETED AT GLI SPECIFICALLY. THIS WAS PART OF A COMPREHEND THAT YOU ALL HAVE LOOKED AT THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET NUMBERS. THERE ARE A HOST OF AREAS WHERE THE MAYOR, BECAUSE OF FUNDS AND AN ATTEMPT TO REDIRECT FUNDS, IS TAKING A FRESH LOOK AND A FRESH SET OF EYES AT A LOT OF NOT FOR PROFITS OUT IN THE MARKETPLACE. AND SO IT WAS PART OF THAT CONVERSATION AS WELL, I THINK, I DON'T KNOW, ALL OF GLI'S BUDGET, BUT I THINK WE'RE A RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBER IN THAT BUDGET. THERE WERE SOME TARGETED MARKETING, DIGITAL WORK AND OTHER WORK THAT WAS DONE BY GLI OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST YEAR. SO THIS SHOULD THIS DOES NOT REFLECT ANY DISSATISFACTION WITH GLI OR ANYTHING OF THAT NATURE. THEY ARE. I WAS TALKING TO SOMEBODY AT LUNCH TODAY. THEY ARE COMPLEMENTARY BUT DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS. THEY'RE A CHAMBER OF COMMERCE THAT IS AN INVESTOR RELATIONS DRIVEN. THEIR JOB IS TO REPRESENT THEM. IT GOES BACK TO THE GREATER LOUISVILLE PARTNERSHIP THAT WAS BUILT. I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG AGO, BUT I REMEMBER JERRY TALKING ABOUT IT. IT'S A 15 COUNTY THING AND THEY WANT THEY FIELD INQUIRIES FROM ALL OVER THIS GEOGRAPHY AND THEIR JOB IS TO TAKE IF AN INQUIRY COMES IN ABOUT BUSINESS WRITTEN OR ATTRACTION FOR THAT MATTER, IF IT'S AN ATTRACTION, IT TYPICALLY COMES TO US VERY QUICKLY BECAUSE BETWEEN THE CITY AND STATE GOVERNMENT, WE'RE THE ONES WITH THE TOOLS, THE INCENTIVE, STATUTORY TOOLS TO BE ABLE TO DO THINGS FOR THESE COMPANIES THAT WE WANT TO COME TO LOUISVILLE, BUT WE WORK HAND IN GLOVE WITH THEM ON BUSINESS ATTRACTION. THEY DO MORE BUSINESS EDUCATION. WE DON'T DO BUSINESS EDUCATION. THEY DO A LOT OF BUSINESS RECOGNITION WORK . THEY DO A LOT OF JUST GENERAL NETWORKING WORK LIKE THE GLIDE TRIP, WHICH IS A BIG EDUCATIONAL, NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY EVERY YEAR FOR THE COMMUNITY. BUT THEY'RE COMPLIMENTARY TO USE THE WORDS OF MY FRIEND STEVE MILLER. THEY'RE COMPLIMENTARY, BUT DIFFERENT. THIS BODY IS A BODY THAT'S BUILT TO DRIVE THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND EXECUTION OF THE CITY, JUST LIKE A REGIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY. AND IT'S THAT SORT OF BODY AND IT IS NOT DESIGNED. COUNCIL BUT I'LL SAY IT AGAIN, TO TAKE ANY POWER OF THE PURSE OR CONTROL OF DOLLARS AWAY. IT'S NOT DESIGNED AT ALL TO DO THAT. AND I'M GLAD WE REVIEWED THAT. DOWN TO YOUR
[00:25:07]
POINT, I, I THINK THAT GLI IS A COMPLEMENTARY PARTNER. BUT YOU KNOW, I THINK WE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, FIGURE OUT AND FINALIZE THIS STRATEGY AND MOVE FORWARD WITH IT. YOU KNOW, THE BOTTOM LINE IS THEY'RE A GREAT ORGANIZATION. YES, BUT THEY ARE PRIMARILY FUNDED BY THEIR MEMBERS WITH THEIR OWN INTERESTS. AND THAT'S FINE. GOOD FOR THEM, THAT'S PRECISELY WHAT THEY SHOULD BE DOING. YEAH THAT MAY NOT NECESSARILY BE WHAT THE CITY NEEDS TO BE DONE RIGHT. SO I THINK I'M ACTUALLY VERY INTERESTED IN A NEW DIRECTION HERE BECAUSE I THINK WE NEED SOME SORT OF RADICAL CHANGE FROM WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST. YOU MENTIONED, RETENTION OF TALENT, NEWS ARTICLES HAVE COME OUT RECENTLY POINTING OUT THAT ALTHOUGH WE, WE SAW IN THE LAST CENSUS AND COUNCILMAN WINKLER AND I ARE VERY AWARE OF THIS, WE HAD THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR, THE WHOLE REDISTRICTING PROCESS, WE INCREASED THE POPULATION BY ABOUT 4.5, BUT THAT WAS LARGELY, EITHER IMMIGRATION OR REFUGEES, OUR NATIVE BORN POPULATION HAS LARGELY MOVED OUT OF THE CITY.WE SEE THAT THAT CONTINUING NOT BEING REPLACED BY PEOPLE MOVING INTO THE CITY, OR AND OTHERS, SORT OF IMMIGRATING IN. WE SEE, WE DON'T SEE ANY SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN LARGE BUSINESSES LOCALLY. AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE SEE CONTRACTION. HUMANA SCARES THE JUNK OUT OF ME. QUITE FRANKLY, WE'RE LOSING SOME OF THE LOCAL FEEL OF THAT ORGANIZATION THAT MOVE LARGELY OUT OF DOWNTOWN. WHAT I THINK THE CJ MISSED THE POINT A LITTLE BIT ON WHAT WHY I'M INTERESTED IN WHY YOU THINK THEY HAVE TALKED ABOUT ARTICLES ABOUT PEOPLE MOVING OUT OF THE CITY DUE TO OUR, PROBLEMS WITH OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM. I THINK THAT'S A SURPRISE FOR ANYBODY BUT COUNCILMAN. COUNCILMAN KEN, LET'S GET TO A QUESTION HERE. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HERE WE GO. YOU MENTIONED TALENT ATTRACTION. HOW IS THIS PROCESS AND NEW AGENCY GOING TO FOCUS ON THAT, AND HOW ARE THEY GOING TO AND WHAT SECTIONS OF YOUR BUDGET AND WHAT'S THE STRATEGY AROUND THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM. THAT'S COMPLICATED. ANSWER BUT IT IS IT'S ISSUE NUMBER ONE. AND IF THE THAT I WOULD COMMEND TO EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM, IF YOU HAVEN'T TAKEN THE TIME TO READ THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN, IT'S NOT HOLY SCRIPTURE, BUT IT'S PRETTY GOOD. IT'S JUST 52 PAGES. WON'T TAKE YOU THAT LONG TO GET THROUGH. AND YOU WILL SEE THAT TALENT DEVELOPMENT, TALENT ATTRACTION IS THE KEY TO YOUR ILLUSION, COUNCILMAN, TO THE RECENT COURIER JOURNAL ARTICLE, I'M NOT OVERLY. I MEAN, I GET IT. THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE A GROWING ECONOMIC FOOTPRINT. I GET THAT SO. WELL, PEOPLE ARE GOING THEY'RE GOING TO MOVE TO OLDHAM COUNTY. YES. ARE THEY GOING TO BE NEW SUBDIVISIONS BUILT IN SPENCER COUNTY OF COURSE THERE ARE. WE'D BE NAIVE TO THINK DIFFERENTLY. I'M ON THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE HOSPITAL BOARD. WE JUST OPENED THE FIRST ACUTE CARE HOSPITAL IN BULLITT COUNTY TO HELP PEOPLE THERE HAVE A HOSPITAL CHOICE IN THAT COUNTY. SO I'VE. AND I TELL PEOPLE ALL THE TIME, IF ONE SEA OR RIVER RIDGE GETS A HUGE WIN OVER THERE, I MIGHT BE A LITTLE JEALOUS FOR A MOMENT. BUT I'M NOT OVERLY FUSSED ABOUT IT. I WANT THIS WHOLE SOUFFLÉ. IF YOU WILL, TO RISE, BECAUSE IT WILL HELP ALL OF US. AND THE KEY TO IT IS WORK HAS CHANGED SO MUCH WITH COVID. WE'VE GOT TO REBRAND THE CITY, MAKE THIS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO COME LIVE. WE'VE GOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT. WE'VE GOTTEN HUGE AMOUNT OF INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS FROM STATE LEGISLATURE THIS TIME THAT I THINK ARE GOING TO CHANGE THE COMPLEXION OR HELP INCREASE, BETTER THE COMPLEXION, IF YOU WILL, OF OUR CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT. WE'VE GOT WALK OUT OF THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT, I MEAN, THE PLACE IS ON FIRE AND, YOU KNOW, THANK GOD FOR TOURISM. THANK GOD FOR THE WORK THAT CLEO AND HIS TEAM ARE DOING. THANK GOD FOR THE BOURBON INDUSTRY. I'M A GLASS IS HALF FULL GUY. I THINK IF THE GOAL IS TO FIND ALL THESE 2.5 MILLION THAT COME TO THIS TOWN TO TAKE THE BOURBON TOUR EVERY YEAR, WE GOT TO GET OUR FAIR SHARE OF YOUNG PEOPLE THAT WANT TO MOVE HERE. TWO OTHER POINTS I WANT TO MAKE. AND ONE OF THEM YOU ALLUDED TO, COUNCILMAN, I AM TICKLED TO DEATH. RECENTLY IN A RECENT REORGANIZATION, THE MAYOR HAS MOVED THE OFFICE OF IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS AND THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THEY ARE NOT EXCLUSIVELY IN THE DOMAIN OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, NOR SHOULD AMOS AND SUMEIDA'S WORK BE EXCLUSIVELY IN THAT AREA. BUT THE CDFA PEOPLE, WHEN THEY WERE IN WITH US TWO WEEKS AGO, AND I CAN'T REMEMBER IF SHUMATE WAS IN THE MEETING OR NOT, BUT THEY LOOKED AT US VERY DIRECTLY AND SAID, YOU GOT A HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTRACT GREEN ENTREPRENEURS TO YOUR TOWN JUST BY TAKING SOME MONEY IN ONE OF THESE BUCKETS OF MONEY WE'VE GOT AROUND HERE, AND CREATING A GREEN BANK, AND IT'S NOT THAT HARD TO BUILD. AND SO THAT'S ONE OF MY GOALS, IS TO GET THAT BUILT. AMOS WILL TELL YOU THAT THEN. COUNCILMAN PIAGENTINI, YOU JUST ALLUDED TO IT THE FASTEST GROWING PORTION OF OUR POPULATION, THERE ARE PEOPLE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR THAN I AM. THEY'RE CUBANS, THEY'RE SYRIANS, THEY'RE REFUGEES.
THEY'RE HUGE WORK COMING HERE. I JUST LEARNED TODAY, THEY HAVE CERTIFIED. GRETCHEN HUNT GOT CERTIFIED WITH AMOS, SIX CONGOLESE WOMEN AND THREE RWANDAN REFUGEES HERE. OPENING DAY CARE CENTERS. SO THERE IS THE IMMIGRANT POPULATION IS REALLY AT THE HEART OF OUR
[00:30:04]
ABILITY TO SUCCEED, BECOME A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO LIVE, WHERE PEOPLE SHOW UP, THEY WANT TO MAKE A HOME. WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN AN INCLUSIVE, WELCOMING COMMUNITY. WE CAN BUILD ON ALL THAT. SO I THINK SPREADING THAT WORD, IS A BIG PART OF WHAT WE'VE GOT TO DO. THERE'S A LOT OF POLICY STUFF THAT GOES WITH THAT, BUT, TALENT ATTRACTION. AND I ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION COMPLETELY, COUNCILMAN, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW ALL THE ANSWERS TO IT, BUT I KNOW IT'S WHAT WE GOT TO GET DONE JUST REAL QUICK. I KNOW WE'RE MEETING LATER, BUT, BECAUSE OF DEPARTMENT KING LOUIS, WHAT'S THE FINAL VERDICT HERE? I'M ABOUT TO MAKE A JOKE ABOUT FRENCH IMMIGRANTS, BUT I WON'T SAY THAT. SO ANYWAY, GO AHEAD, COUNCILMAN, WE HAVE, AS THE MAYOR'S PROPOSED MONEY IN THE BUDGET TO, REPAIR KING LOUIS, AND, AND THAT IS JUST IT'S GOT SOME STRUCTURAL ISSUES, AS I THINK WE'VE MENTIONED BEFORE, WE'VE GOT TO REPLACE. IT'S IN STORAGE, SO THE CHALLENGES WILL GET, FERM ON TO DO THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. AND THEN WE CAN TO ADDRESS THE STATUE AND THEN MOVE IT TO A PLACE WHERE IT CAN BE, SEEN, IT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GO BACK OUTSIDE THE I THINK I'VE SAID THAT BEFORE, BUT WE'VE, WE'VE GOT THERE'S THE PROPOSAL IN THE BUDGET TO HAVE THAT THOSE FUNDS THERE AND WE INTEND ON ADDRESSING IT. WE'RE NOT IGNORING THE ISSUE. IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, COUNCILMAN, WE STUDIED AT JESSICA KINCAID HERE, SPENT A LOT OF HOURS TALKING ABOUT CONSERVATOR EXPERTS, TALKING TO SCIENTIFIC EXPERTS.AND WE'VE GOT SOME THOUGHTS AND IDEAS AND WE'VE GOT A MEETING WITH YOU. AND I THINK, COUNCILMAN KRAMER, TO VISIT MORE ABOUT THIS. I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT COUNCILMAN BAKER AND COUNCILMAN PURVIS AND PRESIDENT WINKLER HAVE JOINED US, A WHILE AGO, ACTUALLY, COUNCILMAN HUDSON. COUNCILMAN HUDSON, IF YOU ARE IF YOU ARE SPEAKING, YOU'RE MUTED. IF YOU'RE NOT SPEAKING, WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PERSON. I'LL JUST TAKE THIS.
LET'S TRY. LET'S SEE IF WE CAN DO. IS IT IS IT ALL VIRTUAL? WE HAVE AN ISSUE WITH COUNCILWOMAN PARKER. CAN YOU SEE IF WE CAN HEAR YOU? I WON'T FORGET YOU, COUNCILWOMAN HUDSON. I'LL COME BACK. OH, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. WE'LL COME BACK TO COUNCILMAN HUDSON. GO AHEAD.
COUNCILWOMAN PARKER. ALL RIGHT, I'M GOING TO MOVE OFF OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY.
ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM. WE'VE GOT 977, THOUSAND, ALMOST A MILLION TO FUND. THIS, PROGRAM. AND I BELIEVE LAST YEAR, IT WAS FUNDED WITH ARP FUNDS, CAN YOU DESCRIBE HOW THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND WHY WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO FUND IT GOING FORWARD? YES, COUNCILMAN. THE, THE LAST YEAR WE FUNDED THE PROGRAM ENTIRELY WITH, GENERAL FUND DOLLARS THAT THE PROGRAM MOVED OFF OF ARP FUNDS, I BELIEVE, IN FY 23. SO, THE, THE PROGRAM LAST YEAR, WE, WE, EXPANDED THE DOWNTOWN AMBASSADOR PROGRAM TO INCLUDE SAFETY AMBASSADORS, WHICH INCLUDED HOURS, EXPANDED HOURS FOR OUR AMBASSADORS TO BE, WORKING IN DOWNTOWN. OUR AMBASSADORS WORK IN CORRIDORS, IN THE BEECHMONT NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE HIGHLANDS, IN, IN WEST LOUISVILLE AND, IN THE EASTERN EDGE OF DOWNTOWN. SO THE PROGRAM HAS REALLY HELPED SUPPLEMENT SOME OF OUR SAFETY ISSUES. THEY'VE HELPED US TAKE CARE OF GRAFFITI ISSUES. THE SAFETY AMBASSADORS DOWNTOWN HAS SPECIFICALLY HELPED WITH, SOME OF OUR TOURISTS THAT ARE IN TOWN IN THE EVENING HOURS, AND SO WE, WE HAVE, WE, WE SEE A REPORT WHERE THEY GET SPECIAL PROJECTS THEY'VE HELPED IN, IN DISTRICT EIGHT, CLEANING, KEEPING PEOPLE OUT OF, PORTIONS OF CHEROKEE PARK THAT HAVE BEEN PROBLEMATIC FROM A GRAFFITI AND, FROM A GRAFFITI STANDPOINT AND TRASH STANDPOINT. SO REALLY, THEY REALLY HELP KEEP OUR, SOME OF OUR COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS, FREE OF LITTER, FREE OF, GRAFFITI, DRESSING, HELPING PEOPLE THAT ARE WALKING AROUND IN THE CORRIDORS AND DOING SHOPPING IN OUR, PEDESTRIAN FOCUSED, URBAN CORRIDORS, OKAY. SO HOW DO THEY KNOW WHERE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO WORK? I MEAN, HOW DO THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO? DO
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THEY HAVE A ARE THEY TRAINED? DO THEY HAVE ARE THEY TRAINED FOR SPECIFIC JOBS? DO THEY HAVE AN EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK, YOU MEAN HOW MUCH MONEY DO WE SPEND ON THE TRAINING? IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE ASKING? WELL, I'M ASKING, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THEY TRAINED TO DO? DO THEY HAVE AN EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK? ARE THEY JUST TOLD TO GO OUT ON THIS STREET AND DO WHATEVER YOU THINK NEEDS TO BE DONE? OR. AND WHO DO THEY ANSWER TO? YEAH. SO WE HAVE SO WE HAVE A CONTRACTOR BLOCK BY BLOCK. IT IS A LOCAL GROUP THAT DOES WORK ACROSS THE NATION IN DOWNTOWNS AND OTHER URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, SO BLOCK BY BLOCK HAS EMPLOYEE HANDBOOKS. THEY HAVE TRAINING IN OUR CONTRACT WITH BLOCK BY BLOCK. WE IDENTIFY, SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS AND SPECIFIC TASKS THAT THE AMBASSADORS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING ON A ON A DAILY, WEEKLY BASIS, DEPENDING ON DEPENDING ON HOW MANY HOURS THEY'VE DEDICATED TO THE INDIVIDUAL AREAS. OKAY.SO THEY ANSWER TO THE ORGANIZATION OF BLOCK BY BLOCK. YEAH. THE SPECIFIC THE SPECIFIC AMBASSADORS DO. COUNCILMAN I'M SORRY TO CUT YOU OFF THERE, BUT THE I DIDN'T ANSWER THIS PART OF YOUR QUESTION. BLOCK BY BLOCK REPORTS TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CABINET. SO WE GET A MONTHLY REPORT THAT WE SHARE WITH THE IMPACTED COUNCIL MEMBERS. AND, AND THEN WE, WE'VE ALSO ANY ISSUES THAT COME UP WITH THE SPECIFIC AMBASSADORS OR SPECIFIC ISSUES ARE ADDRESSED BY THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CABINET . VERY GOOD. COUNCILMAN. HUDSON, LET'S TRY TO SEE IF WE CAN GET YOU IN AGAIN. NO WE STILL DON'T HAVE YOU, COUNCILWOMAN, PARRISH. RIGHT THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. AND, THANK YOU FOR THIS EXTRA CONTEXT. I I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS ON WHERE TO START, BUT I'LL TRY TO JUST ASK YOU ABOUT A FEW. THESE THE FIRST QUESTION IS 1.5 IS SIGNIFICANT. THINKING ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE BEING UNDERFUNDED AND CUT. BUT HAVE YOU ALL THOUGHT ABOUT OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OR WAYS TO GET THAT ONE TIME FUNDING? I KNOW IT'S ONE TIME WITH THE CAVEAT YOU MAY COME BACK. IS THERE A WAY TO GET THAT FUNDING THROUGH ANOTHER WAY AND THEN COME BACK TO US NEXT YEAR AND FIGURE THIS OUT? I'M JUST CONCERNED BECAUSE I SEE AN INCREASE IN, INCREASE IN THE MAYOR ADMINISTRION, TOOM YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS GOOD, BUT FOLKS HAVE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF CLARITY ON THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, DELHI METRO AND THE METRO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. AND SO THERE NEEDS THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND INFORMATION LIKE MY OTHER COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID. SO SO AND THEN ALSO HOW THE AUTHORITY WILL BE GOVERNED. I KNOW YOU MENTIONED SOME OF THAT. SO MY THOUGHT IS, IS THERE ANOTHER PLACE TO GET THIS THINKING THAT I MEAN, WHERE, YEAH. IS THERE ANOTHER PLACE TO GET THIS 1.5? I DON'T THINK SO. I MEAN, WE THOUGHT WE WE'VE WORKED ON THIS FOR 7 OR 8 MONTHS, AND IF I COULD WAVE A MAGIC WAND AND CREATE CAPITAL, WE WOULD. BUT WE DON'T HAVE THAT ABILITY. CITY GOVERNMENT CAN'T PRINT MONEY, I THINK OTHER THAN I THINK IN TERMS OF CITY PRIORITIES, PUBLIC SAFETY, HOMELESS, MAKING OUR STREETS NOT STREETS, NOT ONLY SAFE BUT HABITABLE PLACES WHERE PEOPLE CAN LIVE. AND THEN THE THIRD LEG OF THAT STOOL IS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, CREATING JOBS FOR OUR PEOPLE. THAT'S AT THE HEART OF WHAT THIS IS ABOUT.
IT'S ABOUT ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY. AND I THINK IT'S JOB ONE. AND THE MAYOR BELIEVES IT'S JOB ONE.
AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE LEADING WITH THIS PROPOSAL. A LOT OF THOUGHTFUL PEOPLE, A LOT OF, FOLKS FROM ALL KINDS OF NOT FOR PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND FOR PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS DEBATED THIS FOR SIX MONTHS OF WORK FROM JUNE OF LAST YEAR THROUGH DECEMBER, AND THEY WROTE A REPORT THAT WAS UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED. THERE WAS NO DISSENTING REPORT TO. IT DOESN'T MEAN, AS I SAID, IT'S NOT THE HOLY SCRIPTURE, AND IT'S WRITTEN BY HUMAN BEINGS. SO IT'S IMPERFECT, BUT IT'S PRETTY THOUGHTFUL. AND ALL OF THE OUTSIDE EXPERTS. AND I'M GOING TO GET COUNCILMAN, ARTHUR, SOME OF THE WORK THAT THOSE FOLKS I'LL GET FOR ALL OF YOU, SOME OF THE WORKS THAT THOSE FOLKS HAVE DONE, THAT THE BEST MODELS IN THE COUNTRY ARE WHERE THE PUBLIC AND THE PRIVATE JOIN TOGETHER IS A PARTNERSHIP. SO THAT'S THE THOUGHT BEHIND IT. AND WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, I TRIED TO BE CANDID WITH YOU THAT I CAN'T PROMISE YOU THAT TREES ARE GOING TO GROW TO THE SKIES.
BUT IN A PERFECT WORLD, THIS THING WILL BECOME SELF-SUSTAINING AND FAIRLY SHORT
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ORDER. THIS IS AN ASK, YOU KNOW, YOU ALL GOT THE POWER OF THE PURSE. AND SO WE'RE ASKING FOR A ONE TIME APPROPRIATION, AND THE MAYOR DID HIS LEVEL BEST TO PUT IT IN THE CONTEXT OF ALL THE AND YOU'RE RIGHT, ALL THE OTHER PRIORITIES GETTING PAID UP TO SPEED FOR FIRST RESPONDERS AND FIREMEN AND EMTS AND, TRYING TO GET LAUNCHED A 3 TO 4 YEAR OLD UNIVERSAL PRE-K IN THIS PROGRAM.THERE'S THE NEEDS. AS YOU KNOW, THEY'RE BOTTOMLESS, AND IT DOESN'T MATTER WHERE WHAT PART OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM YOU SIT ON. THEY'RE ALL HUMAN NEEDS. AND WE'RE JUST THIS IS ABOUT JOB CREATION AND IMPROVING PEOPLE'S WAGES. TAKE HOME DOLLARS, THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A REAL JOB THAT'S MEANINGFUL TO THEM. THAT'S WHAT THIS IS AT ITS HEART. OKAY. AND THIS IS FOR THE WHOLE COUNTY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY. YES, MA'AM. YES, MA'AM. BECAUSE, WE HAVE THE LOUISVILLE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT GROUP. WE HAVE A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT GROUPS THAT ARE WORKING TO BUILD OUT EVERYTHING YOU SAID. BUT IN A CERTAIN PART OF TOWN AND THOSE OF US WHO HAVE DISTRICTS THAT CARRY OVER BEYOND DOWNTOWN ARE COMPLAINTS WE GET FROM OUR CONSTITUENTS, IS THAT THERE'S NO FOCUS OUT IN THE COUNTY. IN THE SOUTH END, OUT NEAR THE COUNTY LINES. AND SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BEING INTENTIONAL AND MAKING SURE THAT ANYTHING THAT WE APPROVE IS WITH THE INTENTIONS OF UNITING AND CONNECTING ALL OF THOSE THINGS TO THE FOLKS THAT ARE OUT IN THE COUNTY WHO FEEL NEGLECTED. ABSOLUTELY FAIR COMMENT. DOES SCHIMANA MATTER TO DOWNTOWN? YES, I'VE BEEN TALKING TO THOSE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME, AND I THINK THEY'RE GOOD CORPORATE CITIZENS.
AND I BELIEVE THEM WHEN THEY SAY WHAT THEY'RE DOING. BUT I NEED WE NEED BUSINESSES UP AND DOWN DIXIE HIGHWAY. I MEAN, IF YOU IF RECENT PROPOSALS ON LAND, DEVELOPMENT CODE REFORM, ONE OF THE RICH THINGS WE HAVE IN THIS TOWN ARE THESE GIANT SPOKES THAT GO ALL THE WAY OUT IN OUR COMMUNITY, WHETHER IT'S PRESTON HIGHWAY OR DIXIE HIGHWAY OR POPLAR LEVEL ROAD OR NEWBURG. I MEAN, THEY CONNECT ALL OF US. I MEAN, AND SO, YEAH, IT MATTERS. WE GOT TO GET JOBS ALL OVER THIS TOWN. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING. YES, MA'AM, COUNCILMAN HUDSON, I'M TOLD THAT THAT YOUR MICROPHONE MAY BE WORKING, SO WE'LL TRY THAT AGAIN. I THINK THE JOKE'S ON THE CHAIR. IT'S LIKE WE'LL SWITCH VICE TO VICE CHAIR AND MAKE IT CLEAR HE DOESN'T HAVE IT EITHER, COUNCILMAN ARTHUR, THANK YOU. AND YOUR PAST BUDGET EQUITY GOALS. YOU WANTED TO INCREASE MINORITY EMPLOYEES, MINORITY OWNED BUSINESSES, AND REVENUE FOR MINORITY OWNED BUSINESSES. I KNOW YOU'VE SHIFTED YOUR FOCUS THIS YEAR TO BE MORE INTERNAL, BUT HAVE YOU MADE ANY PROGRESS ON THOSE PREVIOUS GOALS? YEAH WE DID. WE ACTUALLY GOT A WE GOT GOT A REPORT TODAY THAT OUR MINORITY OWNED BUSINESSES HAVE ACTUALLY GONE UP, WE, JUST THIS IS SOMETHING I HEAR, ON THE WAY INTO THIS MEETING, AS A MATTER OF FACT. SO I CAN'T GIVE YOU A NUMBER, BUT WE'VE ACTUALLY SEEN SOME IMPROVEMENT THERE. AGAIN, THE, US CENSUS BUREAU HAS CHANGED THE WAY THAT WE REPORT DATA. I THINK AS, AS DEPUTY MAYOR MALLOY JUST MENTIONED, TO IN HIS RESPONSE, THE GOAL HERE, THE TOOLS THAT WE HAVE AND THE WAY THAT WE'RE BUILT IS NOT NECESSARILY LOOKING AT THESE SMALLER BUSINESSES THAT ARE GOING IN CORRIDORS. AND WE KNOW THAT THE MAJORITY OF BUSINESS IN THIS IN THIS COUNTRY IS SMALL BUSINESS. SO I THINK THAT WE KNOW THAT WE NEED TO TAKE AN INTENTIONAL LOOK AT THAT, AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO, TO HAVE OUR TO LOOK AT OUR TOOLS. A WE TALKED ABOUT THE CDFA HERE, THAT A LOT OF THAT IS HOW DO YOU MAKE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO CAPITAL AND HOW DO WE RESHAPE OUR PROGRAM SO THAT WE'RE PROVIDING THAT EQUITABLE ACCESS TO CAPITAL . SO WHEN I ASK ABOUT THIS, I REMEMBER YOU SAYING THERE WERE ABOUT 20 REFERRALS MADE FOR PEOPLE TO RELOCATE OR GET SOME HELP WITH BUSINESSES IN THE WEST END. YOU KNOW, THAT'S LESS THAN TWO A MONTH. SO IS THERE ANYTHING IN THE BUDGET TO INCREASE THAT NUMBER? WELL, I WOULD SAY I THINK THAT THIS MONEY GOING TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY WILL HELP US FOCUS OUR SMALL BUSINESS EFFORTS AND LOOKING AT, AT AT BUSINESSES IN THE, IN THE, IN WEST LOUISVILLE. I WILL SAY THAT SPECIFICALLY TO A COUPLE OF LARGE INVESTMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE AND WELL KNOWN IN THE WEST END. THE MY INVESTMENT THAT WAS, THAT'S THAT'S BEING MADE AND THE STELLAR SNACKS, INVESTMENT THAT'S BEING MADE, THOSE WERE THOSE WERE SPECIFICALLY DONE BY THE CITY AND STATE WORKING CREATIVELY TO, FIND AND INCENTIVES AND PROGRAMS TO GET THOSE BUSINESSES TO LOCATE QUALITY JOBS AND QUALITY, QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS IN OUR IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. MY FOR EXAMPLE, THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE WHAT THEY'RE DEEMING TO BE A MOM SHIFT, AND THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE ON SITE DAYCARE AVAILABLE. SO AND THE STELLAR SNACKS IS PROVIDING SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 350 JOBS IN A ON A FORMER BROWNFIELD SITE. SO THOSE ARE THE SORTS OF INVESTMENTS THAT WE ARE HOPING THAT THIS NEW AUTHORITY WILL HELP US GET TO IT. IF I CAN MAKE A POINT ABOUT COMMUNICATION, COUNCILMAN, THAT FOLLOWS ON TO ONE OF THE, YOUR QUESTION THAT I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT. IN ADDITION TO ALL THIS MOSAIC, IF YOU WILL, OF CITY OWNED FINANCING AUTHORITIES, WE CALL TOGETHER WHEN WE BROUGHT THE CFA CDFA GROUP IN TO A CONFERENCE ROOM ABOUT 3 OR 4 MONTHS AGO WHEN THEY GOT STARTED, A LOT OF
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THE FOLKS ON OUR TEAM ASKED, AND THERE'S THIS WHOLE ARRAY OF STAKEHOLDERS THAT DO THIS WORK LISC L HOME AMPED, I'M ALWAYS BLANK ON THE WOMAN WHO RUNS THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP THING WITH LYNDON AT THE URBAN LEAGUE. AND THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF PROGRAMS OUT THERE THAT WE HAD 30 OR 40 OF THEM IN A CONFERENCE ROOM OVER IN, THE BAYARD TOWER. AND THE COMMENTARY WE GOT THAT. IT'S THE FIRST TIME THEY'VE BEEN CALLED TOGETHER. AND SO A LOT OF THEM DON'T KNOW RIGHT HAND, LEFT HAND DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING. SO ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT THIS AUTHORITY TO DO IS LET'S HAVE A WHOLE GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT JUST FOCUS ON THE SMALL BUSINESS, THE MINORITY DEPRIVED ENTREPRENEURS IN OUR TOWN THAT HAVE NEVER HAD ACCESS TO STUFF SO THAT WE'VE GOT SO THAT PEOPLE DON'T STUMBLE FROM AMPLIFY TO L HOME TO LISC. AND I'M NOT DENIGRATING. THOSE ARE ALL GOOD ORGANIZATIONS DOING GOOD WORK. BUT WE JUST WE GOT TO CONNECT THE DOTS AND MAKE THE ECOSYSTEM MAKE SOME SENSE, YOUR BUDGET HAS AN 80% DEDUCTION FROM THE HEARTS PROGRAM, THE ARTS PROGRAM, AND COMMUNITY CENTERS. THIS IS A METRO FUNDED PROGRAM. SO IF THIS PASSES, IT WOULD ESSENTIALLY END IT. COULD YOU EXPLAIN THE RATIONALE BEHIND THAT? AGAIN, I THINK LOOKING AT THE OVERALL GOALS OF THE ADMINISTRATION, WE KNOW THIS IS GOING TO HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE HEARTS PROGRAM. BUT AGAIN, OUR PRIORITY HERE IN THIS BUDGET IS ENSURING THAT WE'RE HELPING FUND THE, OUR STAFF THAT'S WORKING ON THE ON THE FRONT LINE. SO OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, SO WE KNOW THERE'S GOING TO BE AN IMPACT. AND I THINK OUR TEAM WILL WORK TO, HAVE THE MOST ROBUST PROGRAM THAT CAN HAVE WITH A SIGNIFICANT BUDGET CUT LIKE THAT. BUT WE UNDERSTAND THERE'S SOME PRIORITIES, SOME PRIORITIES AND SOME CHOICES THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE AND WHAT PROGRAMS WE OFFER.IN ADDITION TO HEARTS BEING DEFUNDED AND ENDING, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT DEDUCTIONS AND ELIMINATIONS OF THE SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION AND COOPERATIVE EXTENSION. COULD YOU EXPLAIN THAT AS WELL? AGAIN I THINK THAT WE LOOK AT OUR OVERALL PHILOSOPHY ON HOW WE'RE FUNDING NOT FOR PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE ACROSS THE COUNTY. AND, WHILE THOSE ARE IMPACTED, I UNDERSTAND THOSE ARE IMPACTFUL TO THE ORGANIZATIONS. I THINK THERE'S OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO BRING FUNDING INTO THIS, INTO AGRICULTURE IN OUR IN OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH THE STATE OF THE USDA. AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK WITH THE ORGANIZATIONS.
THERE'S STILL SOME FUNDING LEFT IN OUR BUDGET. SO WE KNOW IT'S GOING TO HAVE AN IMPACT. BUT, AGAIN, I THINK WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT THE PRIORITIES OF THE CITY ARE AND HOW WHAT ARE WHAT ARE THE PRIORITIES OF THE CABINET IN ORDER TO GET THE WORK DONE, AGAIN, WE'RE WE'RE FOCUSED ON TRYING TO GET PUSH MORE BUSINESSES INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND MAKE A MAKE BETTER LIVES FOR OUR SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE TRYING TO GENERATE WEALTH FOR THEMSELVES IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. TO BE CLEAR, ALL OF THEM, IF DEFUNDED, WOULD CEASE TO EXIST. THAT'S WHAT THESE ORGANIZATIONS AND PROGRAMS HAVE ALREADY SAID PUBLICLY. LAST QUESTION ONE OF YOUR CAPITAL PROJECTS IS PROPOSED AT A $200,000 IN BONDS FOR THE CONSERVATION OF THE KING LOUIS STATUE. I THOUGHT THIS WAS IN SHORT. SO WHY DO WE NEED $200,000 FOR THE PROJECT? AND I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM OUR ARTS ADMINISTRATOR IF POSSIBLE, SINCE SHE'S BEEN DOING SO MUCH WORK ON THIS. SURE, SURE. JESSICA. GO AHEAD. YOU WANT TO STEP UP TO THE MIC? I'M BLANK ON THE INSURANCE ISSUE, SO YOU'LL HAVE TO ANSWER THAT. ALL RIGHT. JESSICA KINCAID, OFFICE OF ARTS AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES, SO METRO IS SELF-INSURED, ANY DAMAGE TO PROPERTY IS FILED, LIKE A SELF INSURED OR SELF PROPERTY DAMAGE CLAIM WITH RISK MANAGEMENT. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT ALL OF THOSE FUNDS DO COME OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND, ANYWAY, SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE FILING IT WITH, HUNTINGTON BLOCK OR SOME OTHER EXTERNAL INSURANCE CARRIER. THIS CLAIM DOES NOT RISE TO THE LEVEL OF OUR EXCESS INSURANCE POLICY. SO, THE DECISION WAS MADE TO PUT IT INTO THE CAPITAL BUDGET. PRESIDENT WINKLER. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THANK YOU ALL, I'VE GOT JUST THREE QUICK QUESTIONS. SO, THE FIRST, I DON'T THINK YOU COVERED. HOW IS NEWCO ACTUALLY ESTABLISHED? IS THAT BY ORDINANCE OR SORT OF WHAT IS THE CREATING ENTITY FOR THAT? WE'LL CREATE A 500 AND 1C6. OKAY. WE'VE GOT AN OUTSIDE COUNSEL WHO'S VOLUNTEERING HIS TIME RIGHT NOW WORKING WITH LAURA FERGUSON. AND HOW WOULD THAT BE DISSOLVED IF, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, TO COUNCILMAN ARTHUR'S CONCERNS, IF IT DIDN'T MEET, LIKE, ARE WE PERMANENTLY ASSIGNING OVER THIS AUTHORITY WITH LIMITED ABILITY TO PULL BACK? I MEAN, AND LET ME JUST PREFACE THIS BY SAYING I'M FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS PLAN. I MEAN, I THINK THAT WHAT WE'VE DONE SO FAR, HAS NOT WORKED TO ITS FULL ABILITY. AND SO I'M, I'M ALL IN ON TRYING SOMETHING NEW, SO DON'T GET. NO, NO, THAT'S FINE. MY QUESTION IS, ONCE YOU TURN THIS OVER, IF SOMETHING DOESN'T WORK THE WAY YOU INTEND, WHAT IS YOUR ABILITY TO PULL IT BACK? WELL IT'S LIKE ANY BUSINESS IN THAT SENSE. THIS WILL BE A NOT FOR PROFIT ENTITY. IT'LL BE INCORPORATED UNDER THE LAWS OF KENTUCKY. AND SO LET'S SAY HYPOTHETICALLY, IT GETS SET UP AND YOU ALL FUND IT WITH A MILLION AND A HALF DOLLARS LIKE WE'VE ASKED. WE WALK $2 MILLION WORTH OF PAYROLL, EXISTING
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PAYROLL INTO THE ORGANIZATION, AND WE GO RAISE A MILLION AND A HALF TO $2 MILLION IN DUES. AND LET'S SAY WE HIRE THE WRONG PERSON. AND THE THING TURNS OUT TO BE A TRAIN WRECK.HYPOTHETICALLY WELL, SEVERAL THINGS HAPPEN. FIRST OF ALL, PEOPLE WALK. THEY VOTE WITH THEIR FEET. ABC CORPORATION SAYS, I'M NOT I'M NOT PARTICIPATING IN THIS ANYMORE, SALLY SMITH, WHO RUNS ONE OF THE LARGER NOT FOR PROFIT, SAYS, I'M NOT SITTING ON THIS BOARD ANYMORE. AND THEY WALK AND THEY DEFUND IT THAT WAY. YOU ALL, YOU ALL HAVE THE POWER OF THE PURSE LIKE WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT WITH COUNCILMAN ARTHUR. SO IT WOULD. AND THE WAY YOU DISSOLVE IT, YOU WOULD DISSOLVE IT LIKE ANY CORPORATE ENTITY. IT JUST BE DISSOLVED OVER TIME. YEAH. SO MAYBE ASK A DIFFERENT WAY. OKAY. ARE YOU HANDING OVER ANY LEGAL AUTHORITY OF METRO, TO NEWCO OR SIMPLY YOU ARE STAFFING IT THROUGH? YOU ARE VOLUNTARILY CHOOSING TO FORGO THESE ACTIVITIES IN YOUR OFFICE, LOAN FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM, THE STAFF TO THIS CORPORATION. AND IF YOU HAD A DIFFERENT DECISION A YEAR FROM NOW, YOU WOULD STOP SUPPORTING THEM AND YOU WOULD RESUME ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES WITHIN METRO GOVERNMENT. BUT WE'RE NOT ACTUALLY TURNING OVER ANY STATUTORY AUTHORITY. ALL CORRECT. WHAT YOU JUST SAID.
THANK YOU, MY OTHER QUESTION SORT OF RELATES TO THE LINE OF QUESTIONING THAT WAS ASKED ABOUT, OUR REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY. AND I'LL JUST SORT OF ASK THESE 2 OR 3 QUESTIONS IN QUICK SUCCESSION. YOU CAN ANSWER THEM HOWEVER YOU YOU WANT TO, BUT, CAN YOU SPEAK TO WHAT OUR CURRENT UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS AND LABOR LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE AND WHAT IN THIS BUDGET IS GOING TO SPECIFICALLY BE, EITHER A IMPROVE THE WORKFORCE PARTICIPATION RATE, BUT REALLY, THAT'S IT BECAUSE YOU ALREADY ADDRESSED THE, THE OTHER PART, WHICH IS ATTRACTING MORE TALENT.
I DON'T KNOW THOSE NUMBERS, COUNCILMAN. OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I KNOW DIRECTIONALLY WHAT UNEMPLOYMENT IS IN THE CITY. IT'S THREE AND A HALF, 4, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION, SO MANY MORE EXPERTISE. WHAT IS IT? IT'S IN THE 60S. IN THE 60S, IF THE FOCUS OF THIS BODY IS TALENT ATTRACTION AND BRINGING PEOPLE TO LOUISVILLE, THAT AND THE CREATION OF BUSINESSES, THEN THAT'S A SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY. IT'LL IT'LL BRING MORE PEOPLE HERE AND IT WILL CREATE MORE JOBS FOR FOLKS. YEAH. I GUESS MY POINT IS, IF, YOU KNOW, FUNCTIONALLY 3% OR 3.5% IS FUNCTIONALLY FULL EMPLOYMENT, RIGHT? IS BY THE FED'S DEFINITION, THAT IS ACTUALLY PROBABLY BELOW FULL EMPLOYMENT. RIGHT. AND HOWEVER, IF WE HAVE A WORKFORCE PARTICIPATION RATE OF 40 OF 60, YOU KNOW, THE ONLY WAY TO INCREASE THE OR THE PROBABLY THE QUICKEST WAY OF INCREASING THE AVAILABLE WORKFORCE IS THROUGH TAPPING THESE UNTAPPED LABOR MARKETS AND INCREASING THAT PERCENTAGE. AND SO I'D BE CURIOUS WHAT SPECIFIC THINGS IN THE BUDGET SEEK TO ADDRESS THAT ISSUE. AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER THAT. THE SECOND, IF YOU HAD SOME TIME TO SORT OF HIGHLIGHT THOSE ITEMS, YOU CAN SEND THEM OVER. BUT BUT I REALLY WOULD BE CURIOUS IF WE'VE GOT TARGETED EFFORTS TO ADDRESS OUR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES AND GET THEM INTO THE WORKFORCE. THANK YOU. OKAY, COUNCILMAN SAM HAS JOINED US AS WELL, AND WE'RE GOING TO TRY ONE MORE TIME WITH COUNCILMAN HUDSON. HOW ABOUT NOW? CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? WE CAN . HEY, WAS THAT YOUR QUESTION? THANK. YOU. AND YOU'RE DOING LORD'S WORK THERE. IT'S ON YOU.
THANK YOU. HEY, THANK YOU, DEPUTY MAYOR MALLOY AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR O'BRIEN FOR COMING, I AM AND, AVID SUPPORTER OF THAT OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN, THAT WAS PUT TOGETHER. I, I, HAD HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE OF SEEING HOW THE SAUSAGE WAS MADE, AND GOT TO, GOT TO BE A PART OF DEVELOPING THAT, THAT, THAT PLAN. SO, IF IT'S, IF IT'S IF IT GOES SOUTH, WE CAN BLAME ME. BUT, I WANTED TO GET TO THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE SMALL BUSINESSES AND HOW THE CONTRACTS WERE AWARDED TO THAT TO SMALL BUSINESSES. AND I WANT TO PREFACE ALL OF MY COMMENTS HERE WITH I AM A FULL SUPPORTER OF SMALL BUSINESS AND MINORITY OWNED BUSINESSES, BUT I, I'M CAUTIOUS THAT, THE, THE CART HAS GOTTEN BEFORE THE HORSE IN SOME INSTANCES. NOT ALL JOBS ARE, SUITED FOR SOME SMALL BUSINESSES , AND CASE IN POINT IS, IS OUR OUR PAVING AND SIDEWALK CONTRACTORS THAT THAT'S A BIG JOB THAT TAKES A LOT OF CAPITAL INVESTMENT AND SOME SMALL BUSINESSES HAVE COME IN AND BEEN AWARDED THE BUSINESS, AND IT'S TAKEN THEM THREE, 4 OR 5 MONTHS TO FIGURE OUT THAT THEY ARE JUST NOT CAPABLE OF DOING THE WORK AND PULLING THAT WORK BACK AND GIVING IT TO A CONTRACTOR THAT CAN DO THE WORK PUTS US SO FAR BEHIND. THEN. THEN WE GET OUT OF SEASON, ALL THAT TO SAY, THIS, THAT TO GET TO MY QUESTION CAN, CAN CAN WE REVISIT THE WAY THAT
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THE SMALL BUSINESSES ARE VETTED TO ENSURE THAT ONCE, ONCE THEY ARE AWARDED THE CONTRACT, THEY CAN ACTUALLY DO THE WORK? YEAH. COUNCILMAN. THANKS FOR THAT. WE ARE, SO WE AS YOU KNOW, AS PART OF THIS BUDGET, WE ARE MOVING THE EQUITY AND PROCUREMENT TASK FORCE FROM THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO THE OFFICE OF EQUITY. PART OF THE WORK IS LOOKING AT HOW WE BETTER GEAR UP OUR SMALL, MINORITY OWNED BUSINESSES FOR DOING WORK WITH THE CITY OR MSD OR OTHER LARGE PROVIDERS HERE IN THE COMMUNITY. SO I THINK THAT, ONE OF THE SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS, IS HOW DO WE PROVIDE ACCESS TO THAT CAPITAL FOR CONTRACTORS? WE HAVE A WE HAVE A PRETTY SMALL PROGRAM THAT'S RUN OUT OF OUR, FROM OUR METCO PROGRAM THAT HELPS FUND THE HOME REPAIR, CONTRACTORS THAT WORK IN, AND, AND HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. THOSE ARE RELATIVELY SMALL LOANS, BUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AND LOOKING AT HOW OUR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES, WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT PROVIDING RESOURCES TO SMALL BUSINESSES, SOMETHING THAT THIS IS PART OF THE WORK THAT PAT, DEPUTY MAYOR MALLOY AND I HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, TRYING TO HAVE A LINE OF THAT BUSINESS THAT IS FUNDING, SMALL BUSINESSES, CAPITALIZING SMALL BUSINESSES. SO THEY ARE GETTING READY TO DO THE WORK AND SO THAT THEY CAN COME AND DO THOSE LARGER WORK WITHOUT WITHOUT MISSING A BEAT. AND OUR RESIDENTS NOT FACING ANY SHORTFALLS FROM THE PAVING OR SIDEWALK WORK. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. ALL RIGHT. SO, YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT I HAD A LAPTOP AND COMPUTER GOING AT ONE POINT HERE BECAUSE THIS COMPUTER DID A FORCED REBOOT IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR MEETING, WHILE WE WERE DOING THAT, I ACCIDENTALLY, ELIMINATED, COUNCILWOMAN CHAPPELL FROM THE QUEUE. SO, COUNCILWOMAN, YOU'RE UP. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. AND THANKS FOR HONORING THAT, BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE A LONG QUEUE, AND, MAN, WE HAVE A PRETTY LONG WINDED ABOUT A SUBJECT A LOT A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE PROBABLY CONSIDERED PRETTY BORING, I HAVE FOUR QUESTIONS. ONE IS A YES OR NO RESPONSE. MY FIRST QUESTION, THE OFFICE OF ADVANCED PLANNING, IS THAT WITHIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, IT'S WITHIN THE CABINET. IT IS, BUT IT IS ITS OWN STANDALONE DEPARTMENT. YES OKAY. WE DON'T HAVE A COMPLETE, ORGANIZATIONAL CHART FOR ANY FOR ALL OF LOUISVILLE METRO. I WOULD IF I WERE A TEACHER, I WOULD GRADE THIS INCOMPLETE, I FEEL LIKE THERE'S INFORMATION HERE THAT'S MISSING. SO, WE CAN DO BETTER THERE. AND THE REASON I'M ASKING, BECAUSE A COUPLE OF MY QUESTIONS HAVE TO DO WITH THAT. THE OFFICE OF ADVANCED OR OFFICE OF PLANNING, AS IT WAS RENAMED LAST YEAR, IN FISCAL YEAR 24, $2 MILLION WAS ALLOTTED TO THE PRESTON AREA CORRIDOR PROJECT AND THEN AS A MEMBER OF COPA, I LEARNED THAT SOMETHING LIKE 2% OF THAT $2 MILLION WAS DEDICATED TO PUBLIC ART ALONG THE CORRIDOR. AND THEN ON APRIL FIRST OF THIS PAST YEAR, WE LEARNED THAT THERE WAS A, THAT SOME OF THAT MONEY WAS GOING TOWARDS THE PRESTON CORRIDOR MASTER PLAN, SIDEWALKS, AND I SAY ALL OF THAT BECAUSE, I MET TO DISCUSS THE DRAFT ON MARCH 23RD, 2023, AND SINCE THEN I'VE ASKED AT LEAST 12 TIMES THAT I CAN FIND IN EMAIL, RECORD WHAT THE STATUS OF THAT PRESTON AREA CORRIDOR REPORT HAS BEEN. IT'S BEEN OVER A YEAR, AND WE'VE BEEN ANTICIPATING THE PLAN EVER SINCE, ON AND THE BUDGET QUESTION. YES. SO SORRY. SO I'M JUST WONDERING WHY HAS WORK STARTED ON THIS BEFORE? THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING METRO COUNCIL, HAS BEEN, MADE ABREAST OF THE PLAN? AND HAS ANY OF THAT MONEY BEEN TRULY SPENT YET? I HEARD THE SIDEWALKS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE STARTED SOON. I DON'T KNOW, WE. I'D HAVE TO GO CHECK THAT.YEP. OKAY, NEXT QUESTION, $3 MILLION WAS GIVEN IN FISCAL YEAR 24 FOR DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT FUND. EVEN THOUGH THE INITIAL ASK WAS $8 MILLION, TO MY UNDERSTANDING, NONE OF THAT MONEY HAS BEEN SPENT. IS THERE A PLAN FOR THIS MONEY? YES, MA'AM. WE'RE WORKING ON THAT. WE'VE GOT A. WE SIGNED JOSH ONE DEAL, QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS. WE JUST. IT'S BRINGING A NEW BUSINESS UP TO THE BROADWAY CORRIDOR. WE'VE GOT TWO MORE IN THE QUEUE. ONE IS A BUILDING NEW BUSINESS COMING FROM OUT OF THE CITY, AND ONE IS, EXCUSE ME, A BUSINESS COMING FROM, I BELIEVE, THE SUBURBS BACK TO THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT. SO. YES, MA'AM. WE'VE GOT THREE COOKING RIGHT NOW, AND THE PUBLIC WILL BE MADE AWARE OF THAT. YES, WE WILL MAKE. WE'LL HAVE ANNOUNCEMENTS ONCE IT'S FINALIZED. AND AARON JUST REMINDED ME TWO MEN OF THAT.
WE'RE ASKING TO ROLL OVER INTO NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET. DID I SAY THAT CORRECTLY? AARON REAPPROPRIATE BEING REAPPROPRIATED SORRY, I DON'T KNOW ALL THE NOMENCLATURE. OKAY, WE'VE SPENT LESS THAN $3 MILLION. CLEARLY WE'VE SPENT LESS THAN A MILLION. IT'S THE STRAIGHT ANSWER, BUT I THINK WE'LL SPEND ON THE ORDER OF A MILLION ON THESE THREE PROJECTS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON. I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS IN FRONT OF ME, BUT I KNOW THE ONE NUMBER OFF
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THE TOP OF MY HEAD. SO WE ARE YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SPENT HOURS WITH EVERY COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE BROKER IN DOWNTOWN LOUISVILLE EDUCATING THEM ON AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO DEALS, THE ONE I THINK THAT WE'RE GOING TO ANNOUNCE UP HERE ON BROADWAY, IT'S NOT A HUGE NUMBER. IT'S LESS THAN $300,000, BUT IT'S MEANINGFUL. IT'S GOING TO BRING STUDENT HOUSING TO THE EDUCATION CORRIDOR ON BROADWAY. SO IT'S BEING PUT TO GOOD USE. WE'RE NOT WASTING IT, I PROMISE YOU. NO, THAT'S PERFECTLY FINE. IT JUST SEEMS LIKE IF IT WAS A STRUGGLE TO SPEND $1 MILLION IN ONE YEAR, THEN AN $8 MILLION ASK IS PRETTY RIDICULOUS IN THE FIRST PLACE. THE TRUTH IS, WE DIDN'T KNOW, I WOULDN'T SAY MY NEXT ONE. THE DIRECTOR OF CITY PARTNERSHIPS THAT WAS LISTED ON YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL CHART FOR THIS YEAR, SINCE IT'S NOT INCLUDED IN THIS YEAR'S. COULD YOU, SPEAK TO THAT POSITION? I BELIEVE IT'S BEEN FILLED. AND THAT PERSON IS IN THIS ROOM AS I MET THEM IN MARCH. YES. WE HAVE A DIRECTOR OF CITY PARTNERS. IT'S, JOHN RAMSEY. HE'S IN THIS ROOM. HE'S WORKING. HE'S GOING TO BE PART OF OUR PLAN. AND HE'S BEEN WORKING TO BRING, BRING PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT TO METRO EFFORTS, WHETHER IT'S, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS OR EFFORTS AROUND, EVENTS, FUNDING, GETTING FUNDING FOR EVENTS. SO HE'S HERE AND HE'S GOING TO BE ON THE STAFF NEXT YEAR AS WELL. HE ALSO SEE WHERE THIS WOULD DESERVE ANOTHER ARM, AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION, THIS IS THE YES OR NO, IS THERE A PLAN, A PLACE FOR THE KING LOUIS STATUE TO GO? NO, NO. THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN HAWKINS. THANK YOU. CHAIR, HELLO . THANKS FOR BEING HERE TODAY, MY FIRST QUESTION WILL BE, SO WHEN NEW WHEN NEW CODE AFFECT METCO IN ANY WAY? NO, METCO WILL KEEP DOING ITS LENDING. IT MAY GO TO IT MAY GO TO NEW CODE. WE'RE NOT SURE OF THAT YET, BUT IT ITS JOB WILL CONTINUE TO WORK AND CONTINUE TO DO THE WORK THEY'RE DOING. OKAY, SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT METCO MAY GO TO NEWCO. COULD THAT THE ANSWER COULD YOU'RE NOT SURE OR YOU DON'T KNOW. I MEAN THE CURRENT PLAN IS, THESE THINGS ARE I GOT SERIOUS PEOPLE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE BEST WAY TO SET THIS ORGANIZATION UP. AND ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS TALKING ABOUT IS TO TRY TO PUT ALL THE SMALL BUSINESS LENDING AND THE SMALL BUSINESS FACILITATORS LIKE ASHBY AND GIGI, IN ONE SPOT INSIDE OF THE NEW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. OKAY, THE ANSWER IS MAYBE I'M NOT BEING COY WITH YOU. I DON'T KNOW. YOU KNOW, I AIN'T WORRIED ABOUT THAT. I UNDERSTAND, I DON'T KNOW, TO 100. AND MY NEXT MY NEXT QUESTION IS, IS, THE REASON THAT I ASKED THAT QUESTION? BECAUSE I DEFINITELY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT METCO IS NOT, FELL THROUGH THE CRACKS. NOBODY'S DISPLACED ANY OF THAT. BEING THAT, YOU KNOW, THESE NEW IDEAS BECAUSE METCO IS A PRODUCT OF WHAT THE COMMUNITY NEEDS. ABSOLUTELY. SO ANYTHING THAT METCO NEEDS, I'M DEFINITELY GOING TO SUPPORT, AND I DON'T WANT IT TO GET SO BIG THAT, IT LOSES THE SIGHT OF ALL THE, COMMUNITY, BUSINESSES THAT ARE STILL TRYING TO THRIVE BECAUSE OF THE NEW IDEAS AND THE NEW BUSINESSES THAT WANT TO COME IN SO THAT IS WHY I WANTED TO KNOW, IF NEW CO WAS GOING TO AFFECT METCO. NO, IT WON'T AFFECT IT NEGATIVELY IN ANY MANNER. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MY NEXT QUESTION IS I KNOW THAT, THAT YOU SAID THAT PEOPLE WANT TO COME TO LIVE HERE IN LOUISVILLE AND, THAT, I'M SURE SO, BUT, WE ALSO NEED TO KEEP IN MIND THAT, THERE ARE PEOPLE HERE THAT WE NEED TO HELP. YOU KNOW, I KNOW YOU'RE SAYING THAT WE GOTTA GET, YOU KNOW, WE GOTTA BEAUTIFY, YOU KNOW, DOWNTOWN, AND WE GOTTA MAKE ALL THESE CHANGES, RIGHT? BUT WE ALSO GOTTA HELP THE PEOPLE AND THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE HERE THAT ARE STILL TRYING TO THRIVE FIRST. SO DEFINITELY KEEPING SOMETHING IMPLEMENTED TO HELP THOSE THRIVING BUSINESSES THAT'S BEEN HERE, THAT'S, THAT'S BEEN THRIVING AS LONG AS THEY CAN THROUGH COVID, YOU KNOW, WE DEFINITELY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP THEM IN PLACE, AS WELL AS LOOKING FOR, OTHER NEW AND CHANGE IS GREAT, BUT I DON'T WANT TO LOSE SIGHT OF THE BUSINESS THAT ARE CURRENTLY HERE. THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM. COUNCILMAN CRAMER. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. JUST A COUPLE OF YOU MENTIONED, MR. MALLOY, THE OFFICE OF IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS IS BEING TRANSFERRED AND TRANSFERRED, AND YOU, YOU MENTIONED IT WITH SOME AMOUNT OF ENTHUSIASM, BUT I, THROUGH ALL THE ENTHUSIASM, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY WHY NOT? WHY THE ENTHUSIASM? BUT WHY IS IT BEING MOVED? YOU SEEMED HAPPY ABOUT IT, BUT. OH, NO, I DIDN'T HAVE ANY POINT OF VIEW. THE MAYOR SET IT UP. HE'S THE BOSS. SO HE SET IT UP WHEN HE DESIGNED IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. HE BROUGHT SEVERAL OFFICES BECAUSE HE WANTED TO ELEVATE, FRANKLY, THE IMPORTANCE OF OFFICE OF WOMEN. OFFICE OF EQUITY, OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND OFFICE OF IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS.[01:05:01]
THEY ALL REPORTED TO BARBARA SEXTON SMITH. AND WHEN BARBARA LEFT, THE GOVERNMENT, THE MAYOR AND DAVID, OTHER PEOPLE HAD SET IN A ROOM AND SAID, HOW ARE WE GOING TO ORGANIZE THIS? AND THEY ASKED ME IF I WOULD TAKE THOSE TWO. THE SUSTAINABILITY AND THE IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS. YOU ASKED MY ENTHUSIASM. IT'S ABOUT IT'S THE FASTEST GROWING SEGMENT OF OUR POPULATION ALMOST IS DOING AMAZING WORK TO HELP THESE PEOPLE GET WELCOMED INTO LOUISVILLE, WHETHER IT'S LANGUAGE ACCESS, I THINK THERE'S MONEY IN THE STATE BUDGET TO SET UP A UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE LAW SCHOOL LEGAL RIGHTS CLINIC FOR PEOPLE, BECAUSE I'M AN OLD LAWYER AND THERE'S NO MORE COMPLEX AREA OF THE LAW THAN IMMIGRATION LAW, AND HE'S TRYING TO NAVIGATE ALL OF THOSE SHOALS FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS. AND IF WE CAN HELP THEM GROW BUSINESSES HERE, THAT'S A HUGE OPPORTUNITY.OKAY SO IT WAS A IT WAS BASICALLY A REORG. IT JUST HAPPENED TO YEAH. FALL TO YOU.
IT'S NOTHING I'M NOT HAPPY ABOUT OKAY. GOOD THANKS. WORK. AND THERE'S A $70,000 INCREASE.
IT'S, THE COST WAS 328,000. NOW IT'S 398. I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT. I CAN GET YOU THE ANSWER, BUT I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER. THERE IS A SPECIFIC, PROGRAMMATIC, ELEMENT THAT WAS BEING INCREASED THIS YEAR, AND I THIS IS FOR THE LANGUAGE ACCESS. THANK YOU. AND LANGUAGE ACCESS.
SO THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN EITHER WAY. YES IT'S JUST COINCIDENTAL. OKAY. GOOD.
THANKS. JEFF, WHEN YOU WHEN YOU WERE ASKED ABOUT, THE TIFF, YOU MENTIONED A COUPLE TIFFS THAT WE ARE NOT ANTICIPATING FOR THE REVENUE FROM. RIGHT, WHEN I'M LOOKING AT THE TIFF NUMBERS, WE REVISED THE BUDGET UP TO 11,685,000 FROM 7 MILLION SOMETHING, AND YET WHEN I LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE WITH TIFFS, IT LOOKS LIKE THE RENAISSANCE TIFF ZONE IS GOING DOWN BY 2 MILLION.
IT LOOKS LIKE THE BELKNAP IS GOING DOWN 330,000. IT LOOKS LIKE, 10,000 IS GOING DOWN FROM THE AXIS APARTMENTS. WE'RE ANOTHER 5 MILLION OR 5000, I'M SORRY, FROM MAINE. AND CLAY APARTMENTS. AND THEN 390 FROM NUCLEAR. I'M SORRY, I DID THOSE OUT OF ORDER, AXIS APARTMENTS IS DOWN 260,000, 5000 FROM CLAY. ANYWAY I'M SEEING REDUCTIONS IN WHAT WE'RE EXPECTING IN TIFFS.
AND YET YOU GUYS CHANGED THE PROJECTION FROM 7 MILLION AND BUMPED IT UP TO 11. AND THAT'S NOT CARRYING FORWARD. CORRECT SO ONE OF THE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S HAPPENED WITH THE TIFF SPECIFICALLY, AGAIN, THIS RENAISSANCE TIFF, WHICH IS A ALMOST $2.4 MILLION ITEM IN OUR BUDGET, THAT MONEY, THEY'VE NOT BEEN KEEPING UP WITH THEIR ANNUAL REQUEST FOR TIFF. SO THEY MADE A RATHER LARGE THEY MADE A REQUEST THIS YEAR FOR SEVERAL YEARS OF THEIR TIFF, WHICH IS WHY WHICH IS WHAT'S DRIVING THAT, AMOUNT. I BELIEVE THAT ALSO, IS TRUE FOR THE BELKNAP AND, AND NUCLEUS TIFFS WITH BOTH THE U OF L TIFFS WHERE THEY HAD NOT BEEN MAKE NOT BEEN KEEPING UP WITH THEIR REQUEST. SO THEY SUBMITTED, IN THIS FISCAL YEAR, FY 24, THEY SUBMITTED A REQUEST FOR PAYMENT OF SEVERAL YEARS THAT THEY WERE OWED UNDER THE UNDER THE TIFF. SO THAT'S WHY WHAT THE REVISION WAS, WE HAD THE AMOUNTS WE JUST HAD UNFORTUNATELY HAD TO REVISE THE BUDGET BECAUSE THE, THE, THE ENTITIES HAD NOT MADE THE REQUEST FOR THE MONEY. OKAY AND THIS ONE IS SHIFTING OVER TO THE EAF FUNDS. SO, IT'S A SMALLER QUESTION, THEN I'M GONNA GET ON THE Q I'LL GET BACK IN. OVER THE YEARS, WE'VE WE'VE BEEN, WORKING THROUGH THE EXTERNAL AGENCY FUNDS PROCESS, SOME YEARS THAT NUMBER HAS GONE UP. OTHER YEARS IT'S GONE DOWN A BIT. IT IT LOOKS LIKE, WE'RE GOING TO RAISE IT 150,000 THIS YEAR. AND THEN THERE'S A CONVERSATION ABOUT RAISING IT AGAIN. CAN YOU GIVE US A SENSE OF LIKE, HOW ARE WE ARRIVING AT THE NUMBER THAT WE'RE SPENDING ON EAF, ON EXTERNAL AGENCY FUNDING? IS IT WHERE IS THAT COMING FROM? AND I DON'T HEAR THIS WRONG. IN PREVIOUS BUDGETS, IT FELT LIKE SOMETIMES IT WAS LIKE, THIS IS WHAT WE DID. SO IT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO. THERE ARE CHANGES THAT YOU GUYS ARE MAKING. SO I'M NOT UNHAPPY ABOUT THE CHANGES. JUST CURIOUS WHY. YEAH. AND THEN IF I COULD JUST REAL QUICK THROW THIS IN, IN THE PAST WHEN, EAF HAS COME OVER, WE'VE HAD AN EXPLANATION OF WHAT THE EXPENDITURES WERE GOING TO BE RIGHT THIS YEAR. IT SIMPLY SAYS SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF OPERATING SUPPORT. CAN I COUNT ON WHEN THE EAF FOLKS ARE HERE ON MAY 23RD? I KNOW THAT'S A COUPLE OF WEEKS, BUT THEY'RE GOING TO BE BEFORE US. CAN I COUNT ON THEM AT THAT POINT TO GIVE ME SPECIFIC. THIS IS WHERE THE FUNDS ARE GOING TO GO. YES. AND I AND JESSICA KINCAID IS HERE, THIS EVENING. AND SHE'LL BE HERE ON THE 23RD AS WELL. SO, JESSICA, ANYTHING YOU WANT TO WEIGH IN THERE? THANK YOU. QUESTIONS AT EAF HEARING. MY OFFICE HAS BEEN ENGAGED IN A LOT
[01:10:03]
OF CONVERSATIONS AT A NATIONAL LEVEL WITH ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS, SPEAKING ABOUT THE IMPACT TO ARTS AND CULTURE, FOLLOWING COVID, IT WAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST IMPACTED INDUSTRIES, SECTORS BY THE PANDEMIC. IT WAS ONE OF THE SLOWEST TO RECOVER, LOOKING AT THE EFFECTS OF THAT, WHAT THAT INDUSTRY NEEDS FOLLOWING THAT, FOLLOWING THE PANDEMIC. SO TO YOUR FIRST QUESTION ABOUT WHY WE'RE ASKING FOR A SPECIFIC BUDGET LINE ITEM INCREASE, PRE 2008, THE EAF BUDGET LINE WAS $1.5 MILLION. IT WAS CUT SIGNIFICANTLY YEAR OVER YEAR OVER YEAR. WE GOT DOWN TO AS LOW AS $300,000 I THINK, IN 2021. SO WE'RE TRYING TO REINSTATE IT TO AT LEAST THE 2008 LEVEL, WE'RE LOOKING AT A METRIC OF WHAT IS THE NATIONAL AVERAGE OF ARTS, PROGRAMING, PUBLIC DOLLARS, INVESTMENT IN ARTS PROGRAMING AND HOW WE MEASURE UP TO THAT, SO WE INVEST IN PUBLIC ARTS PROGRAMING THROUGH OUR EAF FUNDS, THROUGH OUR CULTURAL PASS PROGRAM, THROUGH THE HEARTS PROGRAM, THINGS LIKE THAT, SO WE'RE WE'RE DOING THAT CALCULATION, AND I AM HAPPY TO SPEAK TO THE OPERATING SUPPORT SHIFT, PROBABLY BETTER SERVED THROUGH THE EAF HEARING, BUT IF THAT'S OKAY WITH YOU. SURE. I JUST WAS HOPING WE'D SEE A LIST OF WHERE IT IS. IT SOUNDS LIKE I'LL HAVE THAT ON THE 23RD.GREAT. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN OWEN. THANK YOU. CHAIR. SO CAN I. CAN WE REVISIT THE, BONDING AUTHORITY CONVERSATION, YOU MENTIONED A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY THAT CURRENTLY EXIST THAT HAVE BONDING AUTHORITY. YES, BUT THEN YOU MADE A POINT LATER TO SAY THAT ANY BONDING AUTHORITY WOULD NOT WOULD HAVE TO COME THROUGH METRO. METRO COUNCIL. I GUESS I WAS, I GUESS KIND OF GOT CONFUSED BY THAT. SO. AND WOULD THESE BE MUNICIPAL BONDS OR PRIVATE ACTIVITY BONDS OR WHAT? WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HERE? COULD BE ALL OF THE ABOVE, BUT IT'S ABOUT RATIONALIZING THIS SYSTEM OF BONDS. TOBY RITNER, WHO'S THE LEAD CONSULTANT, SAID WE MIGHT WANT TO TAKE WE HAVEN'T SEEN THE REPORT YET. WE'LL HAVE IT IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. YOU MIGHT WANT TO TAKE ONE OF THEM. YOU KNOW, THE MDA IS THE ONE THAT WE TYPICALLY USE. METROPOLITAN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, JUST MORE EXPERT THAN THIS THAN ME. BUT IT'S THE CONDUIT THROUGH WHICH BONDS ARE SOLD. TIFS GO THROUGH THAT AND THAT MAY WELL NEED TO BE THE PARENT. AND HAD THESE OTHER ONES HANG OFF OF IT IN SOME ORGANIZATIONAL FASHION. WE HAVEN'T BEEN IN A HUGE BOND ISSUING MODE. CITY'S BALANCE SHEET, I THINK, IS IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE, BUT TRYING TO GET THE ABILITY TO USE SOME OF THOSE TOOLS. A LOT OF CITIES DO ALL KINDS OF STUFF THAT WE'RE NOT DOING THAT WE'RE LEARNING ABOUT, JUST TOOLS FOR GROWTH, WHETHER IT'S HOUSING, WHETHER IT'S RECONFIGURATION OF OFFICE BUILDINGS OR WHATEVER. BUT WE WANT TO BE JUST HAVE THE BEST. I'M NOT PROBABLY NOT BEING TERRIBLY ARTICULATE, BUT WE'VE GOT THIS MISHMASH OF ORGANIZATIONS AND WE'RE TRYING TO GET THEM RATIONALIZED WHERE THEY MAKE SENSE. I, I HAVE TO SAY THAT I AM I'VE ALWAYS BEEN CONFUSED ABOUT NOT BEING IN NOT BEING A PART OF IT, BUT BEING A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY. I'VE ALWAYS BEEN CONFUSED ABOUT WHO DOES WHAT, AND I THINK IT'S A PROBLEM. AND SO IT IS GENERALLY SPEAKING, I LIKE THE INTENTIONALITY THAT THE PROCESS THAT HAS THAT HAS GONE. WE'VE GONE THROUGH HERE, AND I LIKE THE DIRECTION WE'RE HEADING. I THINK SOME OF THE QUESTIONS ARE COMING BASED ON THE FACT THAT, AT LEAST FOR ME, IT FEELS LIKE WE'VE PLAYED MUSICAL CHAIRS WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OVER THE LAST NUMBER OF DECADES, THAT'S WHY. SO THAT'S WHY THE MAYOR WROTE THIS PLAN, RIGHT? HE DIDN'T WRITE SO AND SO I THINK SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS ARE COMING BECAUSE OF THAT. IT'S LIKE, WAIT A SECOND. SO WE FOR THE LAST TWO DECADES, WE'VE PLAYED MUSICAL CHAIRS WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, MOVED IT AROUND, MOVED IT IN DIFFERENT PLACES. I DON'T THINK ANYBODY KNEW WHO THE HELL WAS DOING WHAT, WHICH WAS PART OF THE PROBLEM. AND SO I THINK SOME OF THIS IS OKAY, SO WE'RE GOING TO ALLOCATE 1.5 MILLION TO CREATE THIS NEW THING. WELL HAVEN'T WE DONE THIS BEFORE. THE ANSWER IS NO. I DON'T THINK WE HAVE WE HAVEN'T DONE THIS. BUT I THINK THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OF WHERE SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS ARE COMING FROM. THAT'S FAIR COMMENT. BUT IN OUR DEFENSE, ALL OF THE THESE THINGS WEREN'T BUILT BY DUMB PEOPLE. I MEAN, ABRAMSON DID TERRIFIC WORK. ABRAMSON, DAVE ARMSTRONG'S ADMINISTRATION GO BACK TO HARVEY SLOAN. THERE WAS ALL KINDS OF INTERESTING WORK DONE. BUT THE WORLD HAS CHANGED. AND SO UNTIL MARTHA LAYNE COLLINS WENT OUT AND DECIDED TO SELL $600 MILLION WORTH OF BONDS TO BRING TOYOTA TO KENTUCKY, THAT NOBODY TALKED ABOUT INDUSTRIAL POLICY IN THIS COUNTRY. AND I HAVE TO CHUCKLE.
BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT ARE REALLY PARTNERS IN TODAY'S WORLD. THEY'VE GOT TO BE IF THEY'RE GOING TO YOU KNOW, SPEND TAX DOLLARS WISELY BUT ALSO HELP CREATE JOBS. SO WE'RE JUST TRYING TO TAKE A FRESH LOOK AT IT. YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT. AND IF WE'RE GOING TO SPEND THE MONEY, I JUST SAY QUICKLY IF WE'RE GOING TO SPEND THE MONEY. I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT CHASING AND COMPETING FOR AND AGAIN, YOU CAN'T IGNORE OUT OF STATE BUSINESSES AND OUT OF COUNTRY AND TRYING TO BRING THEM HERE. IT'S IMPORTANT. IT IS. BUT I'VE HEARD TOO MANY INSTANCES OF LOCAL BUSINESSES LOOKING FOR INCENTIVES AND NOT BEING ABLE TO GET THEM. AND I THINK THOSE ARE
[01:15:06]
THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE ALREADY HERE. THEY'RE HERE FOR A REASON. THEY'RE VERY LIKELY NOT GOING ANYWHERE. RIGHT. AND I THINK INVEST IN THE PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE FOR THEY GREW UP HERE.THEY'RE THE ROOTS OF THEIR BUSINESS ARE HERE. I WOULD IF WE'RE GOING TO SPEND THE 1.5 MILLION, I WANT THE FOCUS. I WOULD LOVE FOR THE FOCUS A LOT OF THE FOCUS TO BE ON HOW DO WE HELP YOU GROW? HOW DO WE HELP YOU WHO ARE ALREADY HERE, EXPAND YOUR BUSINESS AND BRING AND CREATE NEW JOBS? I, I AGREE 100% WITH YOU. I CAN'T I CAN'T SAY ANY BETTER THAN YOU DID. SO, YEAH, SO I WON'T. OKAY. YEAH. YOU CAN'T YOU CAN'T ANSWER THAT BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY WASN'T A QUESTION. IT WAS JUST. BUT IT'S GETTING READY TO FINISH WITH ONE RIGHT HERE. I JUST HAD TO SAY WE AGREE. SO GO AHEAD. SO MAYBE THIS IS A QUESTION FOR AARON. BUT THE $2 MILLION REALLOCATION FROM THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT FUND FROM WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE I HAVEN'T I HAVEN'T NOTICED THAT IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET. IS THAT WHAT HOW IS IT. IT'S IN THE $3 MILLION IS ORIGINALLY IN THE CAPITAL BUDGET IN FY IN THIS FISCAL YEAR. SO IT'LL JUST ROLL OVER WHATEVER AMOUNT WE HAVEN'T SPENT OUT OF THAT ITEM BY BY JUNE 30TH, SO IT DOESN'T SHOW UP IN THIS, CORRECT? YEAH IT'S JUST YEAH, IT'S IN THE FY 24 CAPITAL BUDGET. OKAY. AND THEN I A SMALLER QUESTION THAT I HAD ABOUT THE SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION AND HOW, HOW DID THAT END UP IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE FIRST PLACE. AND THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION, THERE WAS, A BIG PUSH FOR, LOCAL FOOD SCENE FOOD ORGANIZATIONS. SO BOTH THE CO-OP AND THE, SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION ENDED UP IN, IN ECONOMIC. AND WHERE WAS IT BEFORE THAT? I COULDN'T TELL YOU WHERE IT WAS BEFORE THAT. I MEAN, I KNOW FOR ME, ANYWAY, I THINK I DON'T I WOULD LIKE TO FIND A WAY TO, TO HAVE THAT FUNDING REINTRODUCED INTO THE BUDGET. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE THAT WE NOT ABANDON THAT. AND I'M NOT SURE IT NEEDS TO STAY IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NECESSARILY, BUT, I THINK THERE'S GOING TO BE A PUSH FROM SOME OF US ON COUNCIL TO GET THAT FUNDING REINSTATED. THANKS COUNCILWOMAN. PARISH. RIGHT. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN. COUNCILMAN OWENS TOUCHED ON A LOT OF MINE, BUT I DO HAVE QUESTIONS, CHAIR. GOOD, GOOD. ALL RIGHT. I THINK WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, I HEAR IT, AND I HEAR THE VISION. I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE SPELLED OUT. IF THAT'S A ONE PAGER, IF THERE'S AN ADJUSTMENT, FOR INSTANCE, FOR ME, ALONG WITH WHAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SHARED, HOW IS IT GOING TO BE USED TO CREATE LONG TERM, HIGH PAYING JOBS FOR LOUISVILLE RESIDENTS, INCLUDING THOSE FORMERLY INCARCERATED, HOUSING AND SECURE ESL AND ETC? AND I KNOW YOU'VE TOUCHED ON IT AND YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB ON A VISIONING, BUT WE NEED TO SEE THAT IN WRITTEN LIKE A WRITTEN PLAN. SO YES, MA'AM, I WON'T GO DOWN THE ROAD WITH THAT . YOU CAN SEND THAT TO US WHEN YOU GOT IT RIGHT. AND THEN THE OTHER ONE, SAME AS COUNCILMAN WARREN. I THINK THAT IT IS A HUGE MISTAKE TO NOT SUPPORT THE EXTENSION OFFICE. AND ALSO, ANY, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE THINGS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IN ALL THESE PRESENTATIONS HAVE TO DO WITH DEVELOPMENT, BUT BEYOND BOURBON AND TOURISM, THERE IS NO REAL TALK ABOUT AGRICULTURAL OR CLIMATE CHANGE OR OPPORTUNITIES AND THINGS THAT WE COULD BE DOING. AND WE ALL ARE ONE NATURAL DISASTER AWAY FROM DISASTER AND NOT HAVING THE THINGS THAT WE NEED. AND I KNOW IN SOME OF THE TALKING POINTS I'VE SEEN THAT FOLKS ARE SAYING, CAN IT CAN THE TWO ORGANIZATIONS BE MERGED? CAN YOU MERGE EXTENSION OFFICE, WHO WOULD HOLD IT? BUT I THINK IT IS A GRAVE MISTAKE TO NOT SUPPORT SOMETHING. ONE IT'S ONE OF THE OLDER PROGRAMS THAT'S BEEN AROUND SINCE 1913, AND I'M SEEING THAT THERE IS NO LEGAL OBLIGATION TO FUND IT IN JEFFERSON COUNTY, BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE A GRAVE MISTAKE TO NOT FUND SOMETHING THAT FOCUSES ON OUR YOUTH AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES, FAMILY CONSUMER SCIENCES, HORTICULTURE, ALL THE THINGS THAT CONNECTED. WE HAVE NOTHING ELSE IN OUR BUDGET THAT'S EVEN TALKING ABOUT IT. AND MY QUESTION IS, BECAUSE YOU MADE THE COMMENT ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY AND, AND, FIRST RESPONDERS. I DEFINITELY SUPPORT THEM AND WANT THEM WELL PAID, WELL FUNDED. BUT THERE ARE MONIES THAT COME BACK. AND FOR INSTANCE, WHEN THE CHIEF WAS HERE, CHIEF VILLARREAL, SHE, SHE BROUGHT UP THE FACT THAT SHE'S NOT ENFORCING THE, THE OFFICER, THE INCENTIVE ON THE OFFICERS TO LIVE WITHIN THE DIVISIONS THAT THEY, SUPPORT. BUT LAST YEAR WE GET I WASN'T HERE, BUT THERE WAS $1 MILLION ALLOCATED. ALLOCATED IN THE BUDGET FOR THAT PROGRAM THIS YEAR, 500,000. THERE'S 1.5 MILLION RIGHT THERE. THAT TO ME, WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS IN A WAY. NOW, I WOULD LIKE THAT TO GO TO OTHER METRO GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES. BUT I'M JUST SAYING LET'S GO BACK TO THE DRAWING DRAWING BOARD. WHAT IS HOW DID HOW WAS THE DECISION MADE TO CHANGE? WHAT HAPPENED TO THE EXTENSION OFFICE? AND, YEAH. HOW WAS THAT? HOW WAS THAT DECISION MADE? WELL, I THINK
[01:20:01]
REALLY, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WHEN WE LOOK AGAIN AT WHAT, WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO WITH OUR BUDGET AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WE AGREE THAT CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY ARE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO, NOT GOING TO SAY THAT THE EXTENSION OFFICE AND THE SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DON'T PROVIDE AN IMPORTANT SERVICE THERE, BUT I THINK THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO IS WHAT ARE THE TOOLS THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THROUGH OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. DEPUTY MAYOR MALLOY MENTIONED A GREEN BANK. SO HOW DO WE START TO SEE HOUSING PROJECTS OR OTHER DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS HAVE ACCESS TO FUNDING TO IMPLEMENT SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES IN THEIR IN THEIR BUILDINGS AND IN KENTUCKY? WE ARE BEHIND ON THE ON THE NATIONAL ENERGY CONSERVATION CODE. WE AS THE CITY OF LOUISVILLE METRO GOVERNMENT HAD ZERO POWER TO CHANGE THAT. IT'S A STATE REGULATION. SO WE HAVE TO LOOK AT WAYS TO INCENTIVIZE THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO DO THE RIGHT THING. SO SEVERAL YEARS AGO, THE METRO COUNCIL AND THE STATE LEGISLATURE ALLOWED US TO HAVE A , A PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS US TO FINANCE SUSTAINABLE ENERGIES THROUGH THE TAX BILL. IT'S CALLED IPAD. EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE COUNTRY, IT'S CALLED PACE, FOR THOSE OF YOU FAMILIAR WITH THAT. BUT I THINK WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR PRIORITIES, WE'VE GOT TO FIND WAYS THAT ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO INCENTIVIZE THINGS TO, PROJECTS TO INCLUDE, ELEMENTS THAT ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE DIRECTLY. SO NET ZERO DEVELOPMENTS, ETC. AND THAT'S SOMETHING AS DEPUTY MAYOR MALLOY SAID, WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE SUSTAINABILITY COME AND JOIN US, BECAUSE THEY ARE THEY'RE WORKING DIRECTLY WITH THE WITH THE STATE AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO IDENTIFY FUNDING SOURCES THAT WE CAN SEE THE GREEN BANK AND ACTUALLY OFFER THOSE INCENTIVES.SO THAT WHEN WE BRING A TAX INCREMENT FINANCING PROPOSAL IN FRONT OF YOU, PART OF THAT CAPITAL STACK WOULD HOPEFULLY BE FUNDING FOR A GREEN ROOF OR FOR NET ZERO TECHNOLOGIES OR CLEAN, CLEAN ENERGY. SO I THINK THOSE ARE THE THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE CHOOSE TO FOCUS ON VERSUS, AND AGAIN, I'M NOT DENIGRATING THEIR WORK. LOCAL FOOD PRODUCTION AND, AND, SOIL TESTING. I THINK LOCAL FOOD PRODUCTION AND SOIL TESTING ARE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO. BUT YOU KNOW, REALLY THE STATE GOVERNMENT AND USDA FEEL BETTER SUITED TO FUND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS THAN LOUISVILLE METRO GOVERNMENT. COUNCILWOMAN RUBY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SO LITTLE WATER AGAIN. THAT WAS MY QUESTION. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR PARRISH. RIGHT. YOU GOT IT GOING THERE. SO THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE OFFERED THROUGH THAT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S OFFERED IS USDA GRANTS. SO IS YOUR GREEN BANK PREPARED TO START ADMINISTERING THOSE GRANTS ? I THINK THE GREEN BANK COULD DO ANYTHING IN TERMS OF, AGAIN, BUILDING TECHNOLOGY OR URBAN AGRICULTURE. THAT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING A GREEN BANK COULD DO. YEAH BECAUSE THESE ARE A LOT OF SERVICES THAT ARE, URBAN FARMERS HAVE COME TO DEPEND ON, AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE CUT OFF. AND YES, WE'VE ALL GOTTEN A LOT OF EMAILS FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE UPSET ABOUT THIS. SO IF THERE'S ANY WAY TO MAKE THIS ROLL OVER INTO SOMETHING ELSE. SO THESE SERVICES ARE STILL PROVIDED.
THERE'S A LOT OF EDUCATIONAL SERVICES HERE. THERE'S FOUR-H, THERE'S EDUCATION AND CLASSROOM UMMS. THERE'S OUTREACH TO FARMERS MARKETS TO HELP THEM, NO, ALL THE SERVICES, ALL THE THINGS THAT THAT THEY MUST COMPLY WITH THROUGH THE STATE. THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF GOING ON IN THERE THAT IS GOING TO BE CUT OFF RIGHT NOW. AND PEOPLE ARE JUSTIFIABLY UPSET. UNDERSTOOD YEAH. SO WE HAD LOTS AND LOTS OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT. SO WE DON'T NEED TO IF WE HAVE CLARIFYING QUESTIONS FOR THAT, WE AT THIS POINT, LET'S YEAH. SO MY BASIC QUESTION, LET'S NOT MAKE STATEMENTS ABOUT THEM. LET'S JUST IF THERE'S A CLARIFYING QUESTION ABOUT THAT ONE, BECAUSE THAT ONE'S NOW WE'VE PHRASED THAT 4 OR 5 TIMES. NOW OKAY, COUNCILWOMAN PARKER.
YES, ONE AN OVERALL GENERAL QUESTION. I'M I'M A SMALL NEW SMALL BUSINESS OWNER OF A COUPLE OF YEARS AND, PAST RESEARCH, AND I CAN VERIFY THIS NOW BECAUSE I'M LIVING IT, BUSINESSES AND NEW BUSINESSES ARE VERY ATTRACTED TO NOT NOT A TAX REDUCTION, BUT A TAX OR AN ELIMINATE OF AN ENTIRE TAX. HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT OF ANY NEW BUSINESSES, STARTUPS SAY FOR LIKE, THE FIRST 3 TO 5 YEARS THAT THEY'RE IN BUSINESS, YOU COULD JUST ELIMINATE THEIR OCCUPATIONAL TAX LIABILITY JUST TO, LET THEM GROW AND GET ON THEIR FEET. BECAUSE I WILL SAY THAT 40% OF OUR REVENUE GOES TO TAXES. IT'S PAYROLL TAXES, PROPERTY TAXES, INCOME TAXES.
IT'S JUST CRAZY, SO JUST KEEP THAT IN YOUR BACK POCKET, BECAUSE I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY APPRECIATED FOR ANY NEW BUSINESSES THAT ARE THINKING OF STARTING UP OR THINKING ABOUT LOCATING HERE, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE, DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT FUND, SO IN MY NOTES, IT SAYS
[01:25:09]
THAT NOTHING'S BEEN SPENT, FOR 2024. IS THAT CORRECT? AND IF IT IS, WHAT? WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR, YEAH. AS YOU'RE LOOKING AT A MARCH REPORT THAT DEPUTY MAYOR MALLOY MENTIONED THERE, WE HAVE WE HAVE NOT SPENT THE MONEY YET, BUT WE HAVE THREE PROJECTS THAT WE ANTICIPATE WILL, THAT ARE IN PROCESS RIGHT NOW. SO WE DO ANTICIPATE THAT WE'LL HAVE SOME OF THAT MONEY SPENT SHORTLY.OKAY. AND THEN, THE METRO SCHOLARS PROGRAM, 975,000 FOR THAT. WHO DETERMINES WHERE WHAT ARE THE SCHOLARSHIPS? WHERE DOES IT GO? IS THERE ANY CAVEAT THAT IF, THE SCHOLARSHIPS ARE GIVEN OUT, THAT THEY HAVE TO STAY HERE AND WORK FOR FIVE YEARS OR, SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT? THIS IS THE, THE METRO COLLEGE PROGRAM THAT WE RUN IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE, JEFFERSON COLLEGE AND, UPS THIS PROGRAM ALLOWS PEOPLE THAT WORK AT UPS TO, GET TO WORK AT UPS AND GET AN EDUCATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE OR GTC. SO THERE THAT'S A IT'S A PROGRAM THAT, PEOPLE PARTICIPATE IN. AND WE'VE ACTUALLY SEEN SOME, SOME PRETTY GOOD OUTCOMES, WHICH WE'LL BE HAPPY TO SHARE WITH METRO COUNCIL MEMBERS. BUT IT IS A SPECIFIC PROGRAM THAT'S RUN IN CONJUNCTION WITH, UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE, JEFFERSON COLLEGE, AND UPS. AND I POINT OUT MATCH BETWEEN UPS AND METRO. YES. OUR THERE'S A CONTRACT THAT RUNS BETWEEN THE ORGANIZATIONS AND THE $975,000 IS OUR ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION. AND STUDENTS WALK AWAY WITH NO STUDENT DEBT. THAT'S CORRECT. THEY GO TO WORK AT UPS AND WHILE THEY GO TO COLLEGE. COUNCILMAN KRAMER, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I'M LOOKING AT THE, FISCAL YEAR.
GENERAL FUND APPROPRIATIONS AND CARRYFORWARDS. AND IN FY 24, THE REVISED IS 40,962,200, AND IT'S WITH AN ASTERISK. SO THE ASTERISK. ASTERISK SUGGESTS, THAT IT INCLUDES 2 MILLION, 113,500 TO CARRY FORWARD AND 11,789,400 APPROPRIATION FROM DESIGNATED FUND BALANCE, WHY WAS THE 2 MILLION CARRIED FORWARD? AND WHAT WAS THE 11.8 MILLION? I'D HAVE TO I'D HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT. YEAH, WE'LL GET YOU ON THAT. COUNCILMAN. I DON'T WE DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER. THANK YOU. THE 11.8 MILLION IS PIQUES MY INTEREST, SO I'LL WAIT FOR AN ANSWER FOR THAT ONE. THANK YOU.
ALSO, I WOULD I'M LOOKING AT, THE ORCHESTRA. THE LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA, I REMEMBER A PREVIOUS PRESIDENT WHO WAS VERY INVOLVED IN SOME CONTRACT CONVERSATIONS. ORCHESTRA FOUND THEMSELVES IN A BIT OF TROUBLE, AND IT IT SUGGESTS HERE THAT THERE'S $125,000 REDUCTION IN FUNDING TO LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA, BUT I CAN'T SEE WHERE WE FUNDED THEM AT ALL. SO WHERE WHERE, WHERE IN THE PREVIOUS BUDGET CAN I FIND THAT WE WERE FUNDING THE ORCHESTRA. AND THEN WHEN I FOUND THAT, WELL, I FOUND THAT WE WERE FUNDING THEM AT 125,000, OR WERE WE FUNDING THEM AT A BIGGER NUMBER THAN THAT? AND WE'VE REDUCED IT BY 125,000. SO THE AND I'LL HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THE EXACT LOCATION OF THE LINE ITEM. BUT I BELIEVE THERE WAS AN OPERATIONAL LINE ITEMS IN THE PARKS DEPARTMENT FOR THAT. THE LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA WAS INCLUDED IN THE AMOUNT HAS BEEN IN THE IN THE FY 23 AND FY 24 BUDGETS, AS TOTAL AMOUNT HAS BEEN $250,000. SO IN THIS YEAR'S PROPOSED BUDGET, AGAIN, BEING MORE TRANSPARENT WITH IT, WE'VE GOT A SINGLE LINE ITEM FOR THE FOR THE ORCHESTRA AT $125,000. SO THE REDUCTIONS $125,000. COUNCILMAN. OKAY. SO WE HAVE TWO. THANK YOU, AND THEN THE LAST ONE IS, I'M ALMOST EMBARRASSED TO ASK, BUT IT'S AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S $50,000, THERE WAS $50,000 ADDED LAST YEAR TO THE, FOR ELM TO FUND THE FILM COMMISSION, IS THERE ANY FUNDING IN THIS BUDGET FOR THE FILM COMMISSION, OR HAVE WE GIVEN UP ON THAT, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DOING WITH, LOUISVILLE GARDENS? YEAH. SO THE FILM COMMISSION MONEY IS WE ARE WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF ISSUING AN RFP FOR SOMEBODY TO HELP US PROFESSIONALIZE AND BASICALLY BE CONTRACT STAFF FOR THE FILM COMMISSION. THAT MONEY IS IN THE BUDGET IS IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FY 25 AS WELL. OKAY AND THAT INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO GROW EXPONENTIALLY HERE. THE STATE TAX INCENTIVES US IN GEORGIA ARE THE TWO BEST IN THE COUNTRY, RIGHT. WITH ALL THE CONVERSATION AROUND LOUISVILLE GARDENS TOO, RIGHT? I MEAN, YEAH, IT SEEMED ODD TO ME THAT WITH THOSE GUYS THAT WOULDN'T BE THERE. AND COUNCILMAN, I SHOULD I SHOULD SAY THE INCREASE, THERE WAS AN INCREASE LAST YEAR OF THE BUDGET OF $50,000. SO THE TOTAL BUDGET IN FY 24 AND AGAIN PROPOSED IN FY 25 IS $65,000. OKAY. GREAT.
[01:30:04]
THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, COUNCILMAN HAWKINS, YOU HAVE THE LAST ONE. WE'RE WAY OVER TIME, SO, THIS IS JUST OFF MY, COLLEAGUE MERLIN. IT WAS, SOMETHING THAT SHE ASKED ABOUT THE 2024 BUDGET, AND YOU SAID YOU HAD THREE PROJECTS. BUT CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT THOSE PROJECTS ARE? WELL, ONE OF THEM IS RELATES TO A SOME STUDENT HOUSING THAT'S GOING TO OCCUR AT 200 WEST BROADWAY, UP NEAR JEFFERSON COLLEGE. IT'S A IT'S HOUSING FOR. EXCUSE ME FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. THE OTHER TWO, WE HAVEN'T PUBLICLY ANNOUNCED YET. THEY'RE IN PROCESS. ONE OF THEM IS AN OUT OF THE CITY NEW BUSINESS COMING TO DOWNTOWN, AND ONE IS A, SUBURBAN BUSINESS THAT WANTS TO COME TO DOWNTOWN.THEY'RE BOTH SERVICE BUSINESSES, DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES, FOR CONFIDENTIALITY REASONS. I DON'T WANT TO SAY IN PUBLIC WHAT? OKAY I UNDERSTAND, AND THEN, ARE WE SCARED TO BUILD OR INVEST IN THE BUSINESSES THAT WE ALREADY HAVE HERE LOCALLY? SO, WE SO NO. SO THEY CAN SELF SUSTAIN, BECAUSE I'M JUST LIKE I SAID AGAIN, I'M HEARING A LOT OF ATTRACTIONS FROM OUT OF TOWN AND THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT I JUST WANT TO KNOW, IS IT THAT ARE WE SCARED TO TAKE A RISK ON INVESTING IN WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE HERE LOCALLY? I PROMISE YOU, I'M NOT AFRAID OF THAT. I BUILT THREE COMPANIES IN THIS TOWN, AND I'VE ASKED FOR MONEY AND ASKED FOR HELP AND APPLIED FOR STATE TAX INCENTIVES, SO I KNOW WHAT THAT'S ABOUT. I KNOW WHAT IT'S ABOUT TO BUILD A COMPANY IN THIS TOWN. AND ONE OF THOSE LAST TWO EXAMPLES I JUST GAVE YOU IS NOT AN OUT-OF-TOWN. IT'S A SUBURBAN BUSINESS THAT WANTS TO BRING THEIR BUSINESS OF SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTO THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT. SO WE'RE TRYING TO HELP THEM DO THAT. OKAY THAT'S A GOOD THAT'S IMPORTANT. OKAY THAT WRAPS US UP. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. WE'LL BRING, COATS AND RAKES DOWN AND GET STARTED RIGHT AWAY. ALL RIGHT. FIGURED OUT. THANK YOU. OKAY.
HEY OKAY. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED ON THE. BEFORE TODAY, THE, BUDGET HEARING FOR CODES
[ ID 24-0267 Codes and Regulations]
AND REGS, WITH ME AS MY VICE CHAIR, COUNCILMAN KRAMER, AND ALSO COMMITTEE MEMBERS.COUNCILWOMAN PARISH. RIGHT, COUNCILWOMAN MCCRANEY IS VIRTUAL, COUNCILWOMAN OWEN, COUNCILWOMAN FOWLER IS VIRTUAL. COUNCILWOMAN PARKER IS VIRTUAL, AND COUNCILWOMAN HUDSON IS VIRTUAL. AND ALSO COUNCILMAN SAM IS VIRTUAL. AND COUNCILWOMAN CHAPEL AND COUNCILWOMAN HOPKINS, COUNCILWOMAN HOPKINS ARE WITH US AS WELL. SO THIS IS OUR LAST HEARING FOR THE DAY. CODES AND REGS. I'D LIKE TO WELCOME OUR NEW DIRECTOR, RICHARD PRICE. AND AS A REMINDER, THE DEPARTMENT'S WON'T BE MAKING OPENING COMMENTS. SO WE'LL JUST GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED RIGHT AWAY, I DO, SO I'LL ASK THE FIRST QUESTION ABOUT, SOME OF THE CHANGES FOR YOUR DEPARTMENT. AND MAYOR ANNOUNCED THAT YOU'LL BE RECEIVING SO FIVE POSITIONS FROM IF I'VE GOT IT CORRECT, FIVE POSITIONS FROM THE OFFICE OF PLANNING. MOVE OVER, AND THEN TWO NEW POSITIONS TO SUPPORT THE DEPARTMENT'S OPERATIONS. I KNOW YOU'RE DOING A LOT OF GREAT THINGS, INCLUDING THE EXPANDED, RENTAL REGISTRY, WHICH IS NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART. BUT CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT
[01:35:05]
THOSE, TOTAL OF SEVEN POSITIONS, WHAT THEY DO, WHAT? YEAH. SO THE SEVEN POSITIONS IS COMING OVER FROM PLANNING, AS YOU SAID, FIVE OF THOSE POSITIONS IS, WELL, FOUR IS CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ZONING CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. ONE IS A SUPERVISOR, THE OTHER ONE IS A PLANNER, AND THE OTHER ONE IS, ASSOCIATE PLANNER. COUNCILWOMAN HUDSON. WELL, WE'LL TRY THIS AGAIN. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. ALL RIGHT. OH, GREAT. THANK YOU. HEY, THANK YOU, MR. PRICE, FOR COMING IN, AND MY QUESTION IS ALONG THE LINES OF THE MERGER OR OR, ZONING PEOPLE COMING IN TO YOUR GROUP, IS THERE GOING TO BE, SOME CROSS TRAINING BETWEEN THE ZONING INSPECTORS AND THE CODE ENFORCEMENT INSPECTORS? BECAUSE IN WE'VE HAD SOME EXAMPLES IN THE PAST OF WHERE THOSE TWO ORGANIZATIONS DON'T PLAY WELL TOGETHER. AND, IS THERE GOING TO BE SOME KIND OF TRAINING TO, TO HELP CULTURALLY MERGE THOSE TWO ORGANIZATIONS? YES, YES. THAT IS THE PLAN, YOU KNOW, CODES AND REGULATIONS AS, AS A DEPARTMENT, WE'RE TRYING TO BE, FORWARD THINKING, EFFICIENT AND TRUSTED DEPARTMENT AND WITH WITH THE ZONING OFFICERS COMING OVER, THEY THEY'RE GOING TO FALL WITHIN THAT. I'M IN THE PROCESS OF TRAINING THE ENTIRE STAFF WITH THIS MISSION TO BECOME THE DEPARTMENT THAT THAT FOSTERS COMMUNITY TRUST AND TO DO WHAT THEY EXPECT US TO DO OR WHAT WE SAY WE DO. SO, YES, THEY WILL RECEIVE TRAINING AND FALL UNDER THAT VISION. AND I AM CONFIDENT THAT THEY WILL. THAT PASS PLAY, WHETHER THEY PLAY NICE OR WHAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST, IS GOING TO BE IN THE PAST AND WE'RE ALL GOING TO PLAY NICE SO WE CAN PROVIDE THE EXCELLENT SERVICE THAT THE CITIZENS OF LOUISVILLE DESERVE. GLAD TO HEAR IT. THANK YOU. GO AHEAD. CHAIR.COUNCILWOMAN CHAPEL, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. AND BY THE WAY, GOLD STAR FOR YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL CHART. YOU EVEN PROVIDED TO. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYBE YOU CAN GET TEACHER.
YOU WOULD GIVE WHAT GRADE? SURE, SO CONGRATULATIONS ON LOWERING YOUR TURNOVER RATE. I'VE HEARD A LOT OF POSITIVE THINGS ABOUT YOUR LEADERSHIP SO FAR. AS I'M LOOKING THROUGH YOUR FUNDING VERSUS PERSONNEL, I PICKED OUT FISCAL YEAR 14 AND FISCAL YEAR 24. JUST BECAUSE THAT IS ACCURATE OF TEN YEARS, YOUR FUNDING HAS, DOUBLED IN THAT TIME. AND YET YOUR PERSONNEL HAS DROPPED FROM 200 TO 186. AND I KNOW THAT, THERE'S BEEN SHIFTS IN THE DEPARTMENT, SUCH AS, THE RENTAL REGISTRY AND THE REMOVAL OF ABC INTO ITS OWN DEPARTMENT LAST YEAR. COULD YOU JUST TALK ABOUT, THOUGH, HOW WHY THE PERSONNEL RATE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN AS A NEW DIRECTOR? THE PERSONNEL HAS STAYED RELATIVELY THE SAME, BUT YOUR BUDGET HAS DOUBLED. AND WHAT THAT MONEY GOES TOWARDS, WELL, I CAN'T SPEAK DIRECTLY. WHY THE BY THE BUDGET HAS, YOU KNOW, THE, THE DISPARITY BETWEEN THOSE BUDGETS. BUT I CAN'T SAY THIS, THAT OVER HALF OF THE STAFF IN CODES AND REGULATIONS, WILL NOT, WILL HAVE 49% HAS BEEN WITH THE DEPARTMENT LESS THAN FIVE YEARS. SO WE HAD A HUGE TURNOVER RATE, AND I KNOW THAT WHEN I LOOK AT PERSONNEL, I THINK THAT WE, YOU KNOW, WE RIGHT WHERE WE NEED TO BE. AS I ASSESS THIS, I'VE BEEN IN THIS THING NOW FOR 114 DAYS, AND JUST LOOKING AT WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE AND HOW THIS AFFECTS THE BUDGET. I THINK WE'RE RIGHT WHERE WE NEED TO BE TO GET OUR HOUSE IN ORDER, YOU KNOW, I CAN ALWAYS. I LOVE ALL THE MONEY. YOU CAN. I CAN GET, YOU KNOW, BUT, I THINK WE I THINK WE'RE FINE. I CAN'T SPEAK DIRECTLY. IF YOU GOT SOMETHING SPECIFIC THAT YOU CAN GIVE ME, THAT I CAN GET BACK WITH YOU ON, I CAN FIND OUT ABOUT IT, BUT I CAN'T SPEAK DIRECTLY ON WHY THAT DISPARITY IS THERE. SURE. AND I'M HOPING THAT SOME OF THAT IS JUST A REFLECTION OF INCREASED WAGES, BUT, YOU KNOW, I'M WONDERING WHAT ARE THE WHAT THE OTHER HALF OF THE, THAT OTHER HALF GOES TOWARDS, THAT WE'VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN WHETHER THAT'S SOFTWARE, FLEET MANAGEMENT, ETC. AND THEN LASTLY, I WAS ACTUALLY
[01:40:06]
JUST TALKING ABOUT A PRESTON AREA CORRIDOR PLAN, WHICH I WON'T GET INTO VERY MUCH, BUT I WAS NOTICING THAT THAT PLAN COMES OUT OF THE OFFICE OF PLANNING THAT WAS FORMERLY THE OFFICE OF ADVANCED PLANNING THAT WAS IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BUT IT'S NOW BEEN TRANSFERRED TO CODES AND REGULATIONS. WHICH ONE IS THAT? THE FIVE POSITIONS. OKAY. YEAH, IT'S ITS OWN STANDALONE DEPARTMENT. IT'S NOT COMING UNDER CODES. THANK YOU. YEAH. I'M JUST KIND OF ONLY THE ZONING ENFORCEMENT DIVISION WITH A COUPLE OF PLANNERS IS COMING. TO CODES AND REGULATIONS. AND SO THE CITY ARCHITECT AND EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATOR THAT IS UNDER WHICH DEPARTMENT? THAT IS UNDER CODE REGULATION. NOW, CONSTRUCTION REVIEW IS AN AREA THAT IS UNDER, CODES AND REGULATIONS, BUT THAT'S. YEAH, THAT'S I'M SORRY I DIDN'T KNOW THAT'S WHAT YOU WAS TALKING ABOUT. YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE TWO POSITIONS THAT WE HAVE AXED THAT THAT, TO HAVE UNDER OUR CONSTRUCTION REVIEW PROCESS. THAT'S THE, THE, THE I BELIEVE THAT'S IT, I APOLOGIZE, IT'S JUST DIFFICULT TO ASK ABOUT DEPARTMENTS THAT KEEP GETTING SHUFFLED AROUND. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M DIRECTING MY QUESTIONS TO THE CORRECT PEOPLE. OKAY. YES, YES. SO WE ARE, EXPECTED TWO POSITIONS TO ENHANCE THE WORK OF OUR CONSTRUCTION REVIEW DIVISION.THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. COUNCILWOMAN FOWLER. MR. CHAIR. HI, MR. PRICE, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. YES, I HAVE A QUESTION I'VE ASKED YOU THIS BEFORE, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU FOUND OUT THE ANSWER, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO GET IT OUT THERE, BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHO, WHAT DEPARTMENT AND WHO WILL BE OVERSEEING THE FOLLOW UP ON DEVELOPMENT PLANS AND BINDING ELEMENTS AND SUCH. WELL, THE PLANNING IS STILL GOING TO BE DOING GIVEN THE INFORMATION WHEN IT COMES TO BINDING ELEMENTS. WE'RE GOING TO WORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH PLANNING TO GET THAT INFORMATION. THE BINDING ELEMENTS MUST IT'S GOT TO BE ANSWERED WITHIN PLANNING. AND SO OUR, ZONING OFFICERS WILL WORK TOGETHER WITH PLANNING TO, TO SOLVE THOSE ISSUES. OKAY. SO IS THERE A DEPARTMENT NOW UNDER IN PLANNING. IS THERE A CERTAIN ENTITY WITHIN PLANNING THAT IS, BEEN CHARGED WITH THAT WORK? BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE. THERE WAS BEFORE, I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT, I DO KNOW THAT THE, THE, THE INDIVIDUALS IN PLANNING WILL BE ADVISING US ON THAT TYPE OF STUFF WHEN IT COMES TO BINDING ELEMENTS AND OTHER ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE RESEARCHED AS IT RELATES UNDER THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, I THINK THE QUESTION MORE IS, THOUGH, WHO IS WHO DOES? I THINK IS WHO DOES THE FOLLOW UP? WHO IN YOUR DEPARTMENT DOES THE ACTUAL FOLLOW UP TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE BINDING ELEMENTS ARE ARE BEING OBSERVED? RIGHT NOW IT'S GOING TO BE MIKE WILTSHIRE, MIKE WILTSHIRE, THE SUPER ZONING SUPERVISOR. OKAY. ENFORCEMENT SUPERVISOR. THAT WOULD BE DOING THE FOLLOW UP FOR US AT THIS TIME. OKAY, OKAY. THANK YOU.
COUNCILWOMAN PARKER. HOLD ON. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? WE CAN. OKAY. GREAT, FIRST I WOULD LIKE TO SAY, REALLY GOOD JOB ON THE GRAFFITI, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPROVING. BUT MY QUESTION IS ABOUT THE RENTAL REGISTRY WE HAVE. HOW LONG IS THE RENTAL REGISTRY BEEN IN EFFECT? IS IT 4 OR 5 YEARS? AND THEN THE REASON I'M ASKING THAT IS BECAUSE I JUST I WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU'VE SEEN A INCREASE OR DECREASE IN REGISTRATIONS OVER THIS PAST YEAR OR TWO. I THINK THE ORIGINAL REGISTRY WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2017, WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED A NEW REGISTRY THIS YEAR, I THINK WE ROLLED IT OUT. MAYBE FOUR WEEKS AGO. DID YOU HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION ABOUT HOW MANY HAS REGISTERED? IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID? WELL, I WAS JUST WONDERING IF WE HAVE SEEN. AND
[01:45:02]
THIS MIGHT EVEN BE A MORE PERTINENT QUESTION. NEXT YEAR. SO WITH THE NEW REQUIREMENTS AND RANDOM INSPECTIONS AND WHATNOT, IF, IF, IF YOU. SO MY QUESTION WAS, HAVE YOU SEEN, INCREASE OR DECREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF RENTAL REGISTRY, REGISTRATIONS THIS PAST YEAR? YEAH, I THINK THERE WILL BE A NEXT YEAR QUESTION. I DO KNOW THAT WE DO HAVE A STEADY, PROPERTY OWNERS THAT IS REGISTERING THEIR PROPERTY. I THINK WE, I GUESS AROUND A LITTLE SHORT OF 4000. 3000 REGISTRANTS. SO THE, YOU KNOW, THE. YEAH, WE DON'T I DON'T I DON'T HAVE THE INFORMATION ON THAT. TOTALLY. WHAT THAT LOOKED LIKE. THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. BUT I THINK IT'S MORE OF A NEXT YEAR QUESTION. WE MAY BE ABLE TO HAVE SOMETHING AFTER MAYBE JUNE FIRST, YOU KNOW, I SUSPECT AS WE CONTINUE TO GET OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY AND HELP, INDIVIDUALS REGISTER THEIR, THEIR PROPERTIES, I THINK WE CAN BETTER ANSWER THAT IN THE COMING WEEKS. OKAY. THANK YOU.COUNCILWOMAN PARRISH. RIGHT. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THANK YOU, MR. PRICE. AND MR. CROWE, I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. FIRST, I DO WANT TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR CASE CLOSURES, I'VE BEEN HERE SIX MONTHS, AND MOST OF THE CONTACT IS AROUND CODES AND REGULATIONS.
SO IT'S GOOD TO SEE. AND I HAVE SOME NUMBERS THAT ARE TANGIBLE THAT I CAN GIVE TO OUR, MY CONSTITUENTS IN DISTRICT THREE. AND THANKS FOR THE BREAKDOWN PER DISTRICT ON WHAT'S HAPPENED, YOU GOT SOME HEAVY HITTERS OUT THERE. YEAH. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU. AND SO I MY QUESTION IS HOW WILL THE FIVE TRANSFER POSITIONS AND THE NEW POSITION CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR OPERATIONS WITH WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO. I KNOW SOMEONE MENTIONED IT, BUT WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO DEAL WITH THE, THE HIGH OVERTURN? YOU KNOW, I KNOW YOU SAID THAT 50% OF THE FOLKS ARE JUST STARTED.
OR ARE THERE ANYTHING, ANY IS THERE ANYTHING YOU'RE IMPLEMENTING OR DO? WILL THESE POSITIONS PLAY A ROLE IN YOU REDUCING THAT? YEAH, I THINK I THINK THE, THE CODE AND THE, ZONING OFFICERS WILL ADD ENHANCE WHAT WE DO IN PROPERTY MAINTENANCE. I THINK THERE'S TIMES WE GET A LOT OF CALLS FROM, YOU KNOW, CONSTITUENTS, YOUR CONSTITUENTS AND ABOUT, ZONING ISSUES. THEY THINK IT'S A PROPERTY MAINTENANCE ISSUE, BUT IT'S A ZONING ISSUE. SO THAT'S GOING TO BE GREAT THAT WE CAN BE HAVE RIGHT UNDER THE SAME UMBRELLA WORKING TOGETHER TO DO THAT. I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, ONCE WE GET SETTLED AND GET EVERYBODY INTO A RHYTHM AND A FLOW, I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE GOOD FOR THE FOR THE CONSTITUENTS. SO IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME, TO, YOU KNOW, GET THEM TRAINED, HOW WE DO THINGS, LIKE, AS I SAID EARLIER IN MY VISION, THAT I, PLAN TO IMPLEMENT WITH CODES AND REGULATIONS, BUT I THINK HAVING THEM UNDER THE UMBRELLA AND UNDER THIS LEADERSHIP, UNDER THIS VISION, IS GOING TO ENHANCE BOTH FOR ZONING AND PROPERTY MAINTENANCE. AND THEN THE I THINK YOU MENTIONED MAYBE ABOUT THE TWO POSITIONS IN CONSTRUCTION REVIEW. YEAH. YEAH. LISTEN, I THINK THAT WE WE'RE AT A POINT WE GOT TO START USING TECHNOLOGY, OKAY. AND LET, LET ME TALK ABOUT THE VIEW SPEC, THAT, THAT, IS COMING WITH THIS THAT I'VE REQUESTED DURING THIS BUDGET. YOU KNOW, IT'S SO DIFFICULT AS IT STANDS NOW TO GET A PERMIT OUT THE DOOR IN THE, YOU KNOW, BUILDING YEARS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THAT WANTS TO DO, RECONSTRUCT WHEN THEY GOT THE TIME IS MONEY. SO VIEW SPEC IS GOING TO GIVE US ANOTHER EDGE WHERE AND PRIMARILY VIEW SPEC WILL BE USED FOR HVAC GUYS. BUT WE CAN DO IT VIRTUALLY. IT'S SORT OF LIKE USING FACETIME TO DO THE INSPECTION. OUR INSPECTOR DON'T DON'T HAVE TO LEAVE THE BUILDING. ACTUALLY SO IT WAS SPEED UP THAT PROCESS WITH THAT.
AND THEN IN THE VIEW OF THE PLAN VIEW IS GOING TO BE A GAME CHANGER. I'M TELLING YOU, BECAUSE AGAIN, IT'S GOING TO ALLOW US TO LOOK AT PLANS IN A DIFFERENT WAY THAN WE LOOK AT IT NOW. RIGHT NOW, IF, IF A CONTRACTOR SUBMIT A PLAN AND THEN THERE IS A CHANGE TO IT, THEN HE'S GOT TO SUBMIT ANOTHER PLAN, AND THEN YOU GET THESE PLANS ALL OVER THE PLACE. WELL, THIS NEW SOFTWARE WILL WILL BRING ALL OF THEM TOGETHER WHERE WE CAN LOOK AT THEM JOINTLY. WE CAN ALL, ALL OF THE STAKEHOLDERS CAN, CAN COMMENT ON THEM AND WE CAN GET IT OUT FASTER. THESE TWO POSITIONS ALSO IS GOING TO BE HELPED WITH JUST THE OVERALL FLOW OF GETTING THAT OUT OF OUT
[01:50:05]
THE DOOR. UNDER CONSTRUCTION REVIEW. THE, DEDICATED ARCHITECT WILL BE ON SITE TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT PLANS. THERE ARE A LOT OF TIMES WE GET A LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT WE GOT TO, SET BACK TO CONTRACTORS THAT THEY GOT TAKE BACK TO THEIR, ARCHITECT. THEY SOMETIMES HAVE QUESTIONS THAT WE CAN'T ANSWER, BUT WE HAVE A DEDICATED ARCHITECT THAT CAN WORK WITH THAT. IT'S GOING TO BE IT'S GOING TO BE GREAT. AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING THAT PROCESS. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE UPDATE. THE LAST TWO I SHARE WITH MY COUNCIL. WITH COUNCIL, COUNCILMAN ARTHUR, BECAUSE WE BOTH RECEIVED COMPLAINTS THAT, THE PROACTIVE RENTAL INSPECTION PROGRAM IS BEING USED TO TARGET OWNER OCCUPIED HOMES. AND SO I KNOW YOU'RE WORKING ON A REPORT TO SHOW HOW THE PROGRAM IS BEING IMPLEMENTED, BUT IF YOU HAD TO GUESS HOW MUCH IS THAT PROGRAM TARGETING OWNER OCCUPIED HOMES VERSUS NEGLIGENT LANDLORDS? WELL, YOU KNOW, AND WHEN I GOT THAT QUESTION, I WAS A LITTLE CONFUSED BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT STARTED ANY INSPECTIONS AT ALL.I KNOW THERE IS A FEAR, FOR PEOPLE, ABOUT JUST, YOU KNOW, LET'S JUST BE REAL PEOPLE HATES TO SEE US COMING. I GOT TO CHANGE THAT. WE ARE HERE TO HELP. OKAY THE RENTAL REGISTRY IS TO IS GOING TO BE A HUGE HELP IN IDENTIFYING PROPERTY OWNERS, GIVING THEM EDUCATION ABOUT PROPERTY VIOLATIONS AND HELPING THEM TO COMPLY. NOW ANYONE THAT'S AFRAID OF THAT, I RECEIVE THAT. BUT WHEN WE GET FINISHED WITH OUR EDUCATION AND WE REALLY GET THIS THING ROLLED OUT, I THINK YOU WON'T HAVE THAT QUESTION FROM YOUR CONSTITUENTS. I THINK IT'S A IT'S AN OVERALL PASS OF WHO WE'VE BEEN IN THE PAST, BUT WHO ARE WE GOING TO BECOME? I DON'T THINK THEY WILL HAVE THAT TO WORRY ABOUT. ALL RIGHT, I APPRECIATE THAT. AND SINCE YOU'RE MISSING EDUCATION, MY LAST QUESTION, JERRY, IS A PART OF YOUR BUDGET EQUITY GOALS IS TO ENSURE THAT THE STAFF GET EQUITY TRAINING. HOW CLOSE ARE YOU TO ACHIEVING THAT? YES AND, YOU KNOW, ON THE 14 DAYS I HAVE NOT REALLY IMPLEMENTED THIS TRAINING, BUT ABSOLUTELY, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE EQUITY TRAINING.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO ME IS TRAINING MY STAFF ON EVERY LEVEL. AND I AM AWARE OF THE WHOLE EQUITY PIECE AND HOW THAT, PLAYS OUT. I AM KIND OF PROUD OF WHERE WE ARE, AND WE ARE BEING INTENTIONAL ABOUT, THINGS LIKE THAT PRACTICALLY. BUT, I'VE NOT YET GOT INTO A PRACTICAL TRAINING PART, BUT I WILL BE DOING THAT. HAVE YOU WELCOME? COUNCILWOMAN HAWKINS, THANKS FOR BEING HERE TODAY, MR. PEREZ, HOW MANY POSITIONS ARE YOU, LACKING CURRENTLY? WE. I'M SORRY, HOW MANY POSITIONS ARE ARE OPEN, I THINK WE HAVE HOW MANY WE HAVE OPEN IN ALTOGETHER, WE HAVE 21, 23 DIVISIONS. OKAY. BETWEEN THREE DIVISIONS, WE HAD 21.
OKAY. AND HOW LONG DID. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THIS ROLE? 114 DAYS. OKAY, AND THAT COMES WITH IT, FIRST I WANT TO SAY, YOUR ROLE IS NOT FOR THE WEAK. I ALSO WANT TO SAY THAT I FULLY SUPPORT , WHAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR. AND EVEN IF YOU FIND SOME OTHER OPTIONS THAT YOU NEED TO HELP YOU SUCCEED IN THIS ROLE, I'LL BE AN ADVOCATE FOR THAT, THIS SPECIFIC DEPARTMENT, HAS HAD SEVERAL ISSUES AND COMPLAINTS WAY BEFORE YOU GOT HERE WANTING A CHANGE TO HAPPEN. NOW THAT CHANGE IS HER LEADERS LEAD. SO, I'LL BE AN ADVOCATE TO ENSURE THAT YOU GET THE, THE TOOLS AND WHATEVER ELSE THAT YOU NEED. I APPRECIATE YOUR VISION, YOUR LEADERSHIP IN THIS ROLE, SOMETHING TO LIKE IT. SOME AIN'T, BUT WE JUST NEED TO TRUST THE PROCESS. THANK YOU.
ABSOLUTELY. AND LET ME SAY, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU. I MEAN, ONE OF THE THINGS I REACHED OUT TO ALL COUNCIL, PEOPLE PRIOR TO BECOMING. AND I MEANT EVERY WORD OF IT. I'M HERE TO PARTNER WITH YOU TO DO THIS. I AM THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB. OKAY I THINK FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS. AND I AND I RECEIVE, THE PROBLEMS WE HAVE HAD IN THE PAST. BUT HERE'S WHAT I FOUND OUT. IN 114 DAYS, WE GOT SOME DEDICATED, STRONG PEOPLE THAT IS WORKING HARD. YOU KNOW THEY ARE. BUT HERE'S ONE.
WHEN YOU RUN IN AN ORGANIZATION, YOU GOTTA HAVE TALENTED PEOPLE THAT IS DEDICATED, DOING THE RIGHT THINGS AND, I'M I'M JUST SO HAPPY TO HAVE, RECEIVED THE SUPPORT FROM THIS COUNCIL IN
[01:55:03]
GENERAL. THE ONES I'VE TALKED WITH, I'M JUST SO APPRECIATIVE OF THAT BECAUSE I CAN'T GET THIS DONE WITHOUT YOUR HELP. SO THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE COUNCIL IN NERA TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE SUCCESSES IS THAT I KNOW IS COMING WILL BENEFIT YOUR CONSTITUENTS. COUNCILMAN KRAMER, THANK YOU, I'M WONDERING WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF OPEN CASES IN CLOSED CASES, TWO QUESTIONS, ACTUALLY, ONE, HOW LONG ARE CASES GENERALLY OPEN? THAT'S HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE? JUST ON AN AVERAGE, FROM THE TIME YOU GET THE CALL, OPEN THE CASE TO THE TIME WE CLOSE IT. WHAT'S HOW LONG IS THAT TO BE EXPECTED? I GUESS IS TWO QUESTIONS. AND ONCE YOU HAVE THAT RIGHT, ONCE YOU HAVE A SENSE OF THIS IS HOW LONG IT'S TAKING US TO CLOSE CASES, WHAT WHAT DO YOU THINK IS AN APPROPRIATE LENGTH OF TIME? AND IT'S TWO DIFFERENT QUESTIONS. WHAT IS IT? AND THEN WHAT DO YOU THINK IS AN APPROPRIATE AMOUNT? AND THEN I GUESS THE THIRD QUESTION IS WHAT DO YOU BASE IN THAT APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF TIME ON? OKAY, I'M GOING TO LET, MY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, PHIL KROLL, ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE CLOSED CASES. BUT LET ME SAY IN GENERAL, I THINK IN GENERAL, ALL OF THAT PROCESS IS BROKEN, THE WAY WE CLOSED CASES DON'T FIT MY VISION OF THE WAY THEY'RE DOING THINGS. AND I'M WE'RE IN A PROCESS OF CHANGING THAT, I THINK WE CAN DO SO MUCH BETTER, THERE ARE THOSE NUMBERS ARE IMPRESSIVE. AS COUNCILWOMAN PARISH. RIGHT, SAID, HOWEVER, I THINK WE CAN DO SO MUCH BETTER IF WE STRATEGICALLY AND PROACTIVELY APPROACH CODE ENFORCEMENT. SO I'M. LET, PHIL TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THOSE CLOSED CASES. SO PHIL KROLL, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, COACH RIGGS. SO, COUNCILMAN, I DON'T HAVE THAT ANSWER ON THE CURRENT AVERAGE LENGTH TO CLOSE A CASE OUT. THE SECOND PART OF THE QUESTION, HOW LONG SHOULD IT TAKE? RELIES SOLELY ON THE THIRD QUESTION OF HOW DO WE MEASURE THAT? SO THAT REALLY JUST DEPENDS ON THE REASON WE'RE THERE. IF THESE ARE SIMPLY NUISANCE VIOLATIONS OF CLEANINGS OR ILLEGAL PARKING OR GUTTERS OR DOWNSPOUTS, THOSE ARE QUICK FIXES. AND WE EXPECT A QUICK RESPONSE, IF WE'RE DEALING WITH SOMEONE'S INSIDE THEIR HOME IN A RENTAL UNIT OR SOMEWHERE WHERE THEY HAVE HEALTH CONCERNS, THOSE ARE THINGS WE EXPECT A QUICKER RESPONSE. IF YOU'RE DEALING WITH SOMEONE PAINTING A HOUSE OVER THE WINTER TIME, IT LENGTHENS OUT THE TIME OF THE CASE SO I CAN GET YOU AN AVERAGE OF WHAT WE HAVE TODAY. AND I'LL DO THAT. BUT IT'S JUST SUCH A BROAD PICTURE. I CAN'T GIVE YOU AN HONEST GUESS AT WHAT I THINK IT SHOULD BE. AND SO LET ME LET ME ADD TO THAT, VICE CHAIR, AND LIKE I SAID, WE CAN GET WE CAN GET THAT DATA TO SEE WHAT THAT IS, AGAIN, I THINK THE WAY WE CLOSE CASES, IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO THE OVERALL WHAT I SEE CODE ENFORCEMENT IS AND I THINK, IT MAY CAUSE THAT NUMBER TO GO DOWN A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE HERE'S THE REALITY. SOMEONE FOR MOST OF OUR CASES, SOMEONE SOME CONCERN CITIZEN TOOK THE TIME TO PICK UP THAT PHONE AND CALL THAT COMPLAINT IN. SO IN MY MIND IT NEEDS TO BE CLOSED THAT DAY. NOW, THAT'S NOT A THAT'S NOT A PRACTICAL IT'S NOT A REALITY. BUT WHAT MY POINT IS WE GOT TO BE DILIGENT AND STRATEGIC OF HOW WE DO THAT. AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE NUMBERS, OUR NUMBERS AND BE ABLE TO TALK WITH YOU ABOUT THOSE NUMBERS THIS TIME NEXT YEAR, I THINK WE'LL I THINK YOU'LL BE MORE IMPRESSED WITH MY ANSWER NEXT YEAR THAN THAN NOW. THANK YOU. I WILL LOOK FORWARD TO YES, SIR, NEXT YEAR, AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S MORE OF A QUESTION OR A COMMENT, BUT, MY WIFE IS A OFFICE MANAGER AND KEEPS TRACK OF BOOKS AND $0. FLOATING AROUND. ON HER BOOKS WOULD MAKE HER NUTS. SO, THERE'S AN 80 CENT, REMAINING BUDGET ON A CAPITAL ITEM. PERHAPS WE COULD GET THAT SWEPT UP BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR. SO THAT DOESN'T MAKE SOME ACCOUNTANT SOMEWHERE THAT I WANT TO MAKE SURE I KEEP HAPPY, BECAUSE I REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK SHE DOES.SO, IF YOU COULD SWEEP THAT FOR ME. ANKS. I'LLET AARON TO TAKE CARE OF THAT FOR ME. I'V GOT. I THI, A QUICK QUESTION. SO I HEAR YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT CLOSED COURT CASES, CERTAINLY GISTRYND HAVING THAT BEAL SOMETHING THAT WAS MUCH MORE OPEN AND THE COMMUNITY CAN WORK
[02:00:03]
WITH YOU TO HELP YOU SEE WHAT THESE, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE WHERE THESE RENTAL, ARE EVEN LOCATED BECAUSE BEFORE WE HAD THAT CLOSED SYSTEM THAT JUST DIDN'T IT JUST DIDN'T WORK. BUT ONE OF MY CONCERNS IS, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE CLOSED CASES AND YOU SEE WE GIVE THEM, YOU GIVE SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW, 30 DAYS TO DO THE CLEANUP, YOU COME BACK AND INSPECT. THEY'VE MOVED STUFF AROUND A LITTLE BIT. AND YEAH. OKAY. SO WE'VE GOT SOME MOVEMENT. I'LL SEE YOU IN ANOTHER 30 DAYS, YOU KNOW, AND SOME, SOME REALLY ARE TRYING TO PROBABLY ARE REALLY TRYING TO CORRECT THE MISTAKES. AND SOME REALIZE THAT THIS IS A GAME THAT I CAN PLAY, THAT I JUST SHIFT THINGS AROUND, AND THEN YOU JUST KEEP COMING BACK. BUT BUDGET WISE, EVERY TIME YOU SEND SOMEBODY OUT THERE, IT COSTS YOU MONEY. AND THAT'S ONE PLACE THAT YOU CAN'T BE FOR SOMETHING ELSE, SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SO IF YOU CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, HOW DO WE HOW DO WE DO WHAT'S THE MOST EFFICIENT USE OF OUR CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS SO THAT WE, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T BUDGET TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, 300 CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO CAN BE THERE. SO WE REALLY CAN'T AFFORD TO HAVE THEM GOING TO THE SAME SITES OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. SO HOW DO WE HOW DO WE DO THAT? YEAH, YOU KNOW, THIS GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE IS COSTING METRO AND THE TAXPAYERS A LOT OF MONEY, AND YOU. ABSOLUTELY. RIGHT AND THAT SPEAKS TO WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT WHEN I TALK ABOUT STRATEGIC PROACTIVE CODE ENFORCEMENT. WE GOT TO WE HAD TO MEASURE WE GOT TO LOOK AT WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING . AND I'M, YOU KNOW, I'M ALL ABOUT THE NUMBERS, YOU KNOW, WE ARE WHAT THE DATA SAYS WE ARE. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, IN SOME CASES WE SPIN IN OUR WHEELS DOING JUST THAT. SO WE GOT TO GO BACK. LOOK AT THIS THING, AND DEVISE A PLAN WHERE WE CAN BE MORE EFFECTIVE. I'M GOING TO BE TRANSPARENT HERE. I DON'T THINK THE RENTAL REGISTRY GOES FAR ENOUGH. I THINK, THE PROPERTY MAINTENANCE CODE 156 DOESN'T GO FAR ENOUGH. AND OUR PLAN IN THE FUTURE TO BE WORKING WITH WITH THIS BODY AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE TO PUT TOGETHER SOME MORE LEGISLATION AND ORDINANCES THAT WOULD HELP THAT SITUATION GOING FORWARD. BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S TOO MANY LOOPHOLES, IN THE ORDINANCE THAT GIVE, YOU KNOW, INDIVIDUALS A CHANCE TO PLAY THIS CAT AND MOUSE GAME. AND THEN WE GO OUT AND WE SEE IT AND WE GET EXTENDED. AND BUT THERE'S SOME THINGS WE CAN DO NOW JUST BY BEING STRATEGIC. BUT THERE'S ALSO SOME THINGS THAT I THINK WE NEED TO KIND OF PARTNER TOGETHER TO CHANGE THE ORDINANCE AS. NO OTHER. BUT NO* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.