[00:00:58]
YES GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M VICE CHAIR KEVIN KRAMER, WELCOME TO THE FOURTH DAY OF BUDGET
[Call to Order]
[Roll Call]
HEARINGS, I'M JOINED IN COMMITTEE IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS TODAY BY COUNCILWOMAN MCCRANEY.COUNCIL MEMBER RENA WEBBER, COUNCIL MEMBER. OWEN. COUNCIL MEMBER. HUDSON. COUNCIL MEMBER.
PIAGENTINI. COUNCIL MEMBER. CHAPPELL. I'M JOINED ONLINE BY COUNCILMAN. SI'M. COUNCILWOMAN.
PARISH. WRIGHT COUNCILMAN. REED, I THINK THAT CAPTURES. WHO'S HERE. AND THEN I'D ASK IF THE CLERK COULD PLEASE READ INTO THE RECORD THE VIRTUAL MEETING STATEMENT. THIS MEETING IS BEING HELD PURSUANT TO CARS 61.826 AND COUNCIL RULE FIVE EIGHT. READ AND FOOL. THANK YOU. CHAIRMAN
[Departments/Agencies]
BLACKWELL WILL BE JOINING US DIRECTLY. WE WILL CONTINUE OUR HEARINGS WITH LOUISVILLE FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY, SAFE AND HEALTHY NEIGHBORHOODS, WE MAY TAKE A 2 OR 3 MINUTE BREAK BETWEEN THE[ ID 24-0277 Louisville Free Public Library]
TWO HEARINGS. SHOULD THAT BE NECESSARY? AS A REMINDER, DEPARTMENTS WILL NOT MAKE OPENING COMMENTS, AND WE WILL BEGIN IMMEDIATELY WITH COUNCIL MEMBER QUESTIONS. I WILL REMIND YOU BEFORE WE START DISCUSSING LOUISVILLE FREE PUBLIC LIBRARIES $26.2 MILLION PROPOSED OPERATING BUDGET AND 1.2 MILLION CAPITAL BUDGET THAT THERE ARE SOME FINANCIAL SYSTEM CONVERSION ISSUES MAKING COMPARISONS BETWEEN THE PROJECTED FY 24 BUDGET AND FY 22 OR 23 UNRELIABLE. FY 22 INCLUDES FEDERAL GRANTS AND THE RESTRICTED RESTRICTED AREA, BUT FY 24 REVISED DOES NOT CONTAIN FEDERAL FUNDS AND ANY STATE FUND LISTED IS PROBABLY AGENCY FUNDS.WELCOME, DIRECTOR. BIRCHFIELD. LET ME START OFF BY ASKING THE QUESTION. EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT IS THE STATUS ON THE FOUR MAJOR CAPITAL PROJECTS? PORTLAND PARKLAND, BYRNE CREEK AND THE MAIN LIBRARY. WHEN WILL THEY BE COMPLETED AND ALL THE NEEDED FUNDS BEEN SECURED? SURE. THANK YOU, I'M VERY HAPPY TO BE. START WITH PARKLAND, WHICH IS THE FURTHEST ALONG OF THE FOUR PROJECTS CONSTRUCTION IS WELL UNDERWAY THERE, ABOUT ALL OF THE PROJECTS. I WILL SAY THAT WE ARE TRYING TO KEEP UPDATED PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE LIBRARY'S WEBSITE. IF YOU GO TO OUR WEBSITE AND CLICK ON THE LINK FOR LOCATIONS, IT TAKES YOU TO A PAGE THAT LISTS, LISTS EVERY LOCATION IN OUR SYSTEM. AND FOR THE PARKLAND PORTLAND, FERN CREEK AND MAIN LIBRARY LOCATIONS, WE WILL BE TRYING TO KEEP THE MOST UP TO DATE NEWS AND INFORMATION ABOUT THESE CAPITAL PROJECTS ON THERE. THANK YOU DOCTOR. I DON'T MEAN TO INTERRUPT, I SHOULD HAVE INTRODUCED YOU IF YOU COULD INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD, PLEASE. YES. THANK YOU.
I THOUGHT YOU KIND OF DID, BUT I'M LEE BIRCHFIELD. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE LOUISVILLE FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY. GREAT. THANK YOU. SO THE PARKLAND LIBRARY, THEY HAVE COMPLETED POURING AND LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR THE ADDITION. I'LL MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT, I THINK THAT WE WILL GET THE BUILDING FROM THEM SOMETIME AROUND THE END OF THE THIRD QUARTER OF THIS YEAR. SO SOMETIME AROUND OCTOBER OR NOVEMBER, IT WILL TAKE US 2 OR 3 MONTHS TO GET ALL OF THE FURNITURE INSTALLED, ALL OF THE TECHNOLOGY INSTALLED, ALL OF THE BOOKSHELVES. AND I'M ANTICIPATING A GRAND OPENING OF THAT LIBRARY SOMETIME AROUND FEBRUARY OF 2025. THE PORTLAND LIBRARY IS A LITTLE ABOUT THREE MONTHS BEHIND THAT SCHEDULE. WHILE THEY HAVE BEGUN CONSTRUCTION WORK ON SITE, THEY HAVE DUG THE FOUNDATION. THEY HAVE COMPLETED THE INTERIOR, THE, THE INTERIOR, THE. I CAN'T THINK OF THE WORD DEMOLITION. THANK YOU, THE INTERIOR DEMOLITION, TO PREPARE FOR THE INTERIOR RENOVATIONS, WE ARE LOOKING AT THAT CONSTRUCTION WORK COMPLETING SOMETIME IN THE SPRING OF NEXT YEAR, PROBABLY AROUND THE END OF THE FIRST
[00:05:05]
QUARTER. AND I AM HOPEFUL THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO OPEN THAT BRANCH BY THE TIME SUMMER READING STARTS ON JUNE FIRST OF NEXT YEAR. THE FERN CREEK LIBRARY. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS TOGETHER FOR, THE ARCHITECTS ARE WORKING ON THOSE.THEY'VE HAD THE COMPLETED AND FINALIZED SCOPE FOR ABOUT A MONTH. SO IT SHOULD BE MAYBE TWO MORE MONTHS BEFORE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS ARE READY. ONCE THOSE ARE COMPLETE, THEY'LL GO TO THE CONSTRUCTION MANAGER SO THAT THEY CAN BID THE PROJECT OUT TO SUBCONTRACTORS. AT THAT POINT, WE WILL HAVE A FIRM PRICE FOR THE PROJECT, AND WE WILL ALSO HAVE A BETTER TIMELINE FOR THE PROJECT. RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE ESTIMATING THAT IT WILL TAKE ABOUT 18 MONTHS FOR CONSTRUCTION. FOR THAT, IT'S A SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER PROJECT THAN THE OTHER TWO PROJECTS.
IT'S AN 18,000 SQUARE FOOT FREESTANDING LIBRARY BUILT FROM SCRATCH. SO THEY'RE SAYING 18 MONTHS. IF THEY WERE TO START SOMETIME EARLY FALL, THEN I THINK WE'RE LOOKING AT END OF FIRST QUARTER OF 2026 FOR US TO TAKE POSSESSION OF THE BUILDING AND THEN AGAIN 2 TO 3 MONTHS TO GET EVERYTHING READY FOR THERE. SO I THINK WE'RE LOOKING AT SUMMER OF 2026 FOR THE FERN CREEK LIBRARY, AND VERY EXCITED TO SEE WHAT, WHAT WE END UP WITH THERE BECAUSE WE ARE GETTING TO DESIGN IT FROM THE GROUND UP. AND THEN THE FOURTH PROJECT IS THE MAIN LIBRARY. WE HAVE COMPLETED DEFINITION OF THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT. WE HAVE FOUR DESIGN CHARRETTES COMING UP WITH THE ARCHITECTS STARTING THIS WEEK. ON THURSDAY OF THIS WEEK, WE'LL HAVE THE FIRST MEETING TO TALK ABOUT THE FIRST FLOOR PUBLIC AREAS AT THE MAIN LIBRARY. WE'LL COMPLETE THOSE DESIGN CHARETTES OVER THE NEXT 6 TO 8 WEEKS, AT WHICH POINT WE WILL HAVE FINALIZED THE SCOPE FOR THAT. AND THEY WILL START ON CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS FOR THAT. THE MAIN LIBRARY IS ALSO A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER PROJECTS BECAUSE, PARKLAND WAS ALREADY NOT OPEN AS A LIBRARY. PORTLAND, WE CLOSED FERN CREEK. WE'RE BUILDING FROM SCRATCH, BUT THE MAIN LIBRARY IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, AND WE ARE TRYING TO KEEP IT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC THROUGHOUT THIS WORK. SO WHEN THE WORK STARTS, WE WILL SELECT AN AREA WHERE THE WORK WILL START. WE WILL VACATE THAT AREA. WE'LL BEGIN THE RENOVATION THERE. WHEN THAT'S DONE, WE'LL MOVE PEOPLE BACK INTO THAT AREA TO FREE UP ANOTHER SPACE TO RENOVATE. AND WE'LL CONTINUE MOVING THROUGH THE BUILDING IN PHASES LIKE THAT. SO SO WE DON'T HAVE A TIMELINE YET FOR IT. IF I HAD TO SPECULATE ON ONE, I WOULD THINK IT WAS VERY SIMILAR TO THE FERN CREEK TIMELINE AND THAT EVERYTHING WOULD BE WRAPPED UP BY SUMMER OF 2026. BUT IT'S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT ONCE WE GET THE CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS DONE AND START SCHEDULING THE WORK, THAT IT WILL GO MUCH QUICKER THAN THAT. SO, IF YOU'LL BE PATIENT FOR JUST 2 OR 3 MORE MONTHS, WE SHOULD HAVE A BETTER IDEA ABOUT THAT AT THE SAME TIME, WE ARE ALSO GETTING READY TO START THE WORK AT THE MAIN LIBRARY. THE EARLIEST PHASES OF IT, WE'RE GETTING READY TO CLEAR OUT THE HISTORIC STACKS. BUILDING OF THE 1908 CARNEGIE BUILDING SO THAT THEY CAN START DEMOLITION IN THERE, AND SHOULD HAVE A LOT MORE INFORMATION FOR EVERYONE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS. OH, AND YOU ALSO ASKED ABOUT FUNDING. SO, AS OF TODAY, WE'RE STILL ESTIMATING THE TOTAL COST FOR ALL FOUR PROJECTS AT $44.3 MILLION, ALL COMMITMENTS CONSIDERED. AND, WE HAVE SECURED $41.9 MILLION OF THAT FUNDING. THAT IS A COMBINATION OF, LOCAL CAPITAL FUNDING OF ARP, FUNDING OF STATE BUDGET FUNDING, AS WELL AS A STATE CONSTRUCTION GRANT.
AND THAT INCLUDES A COMMITMENT OF $5 MILLION FROM THE LIBRARY FOUNDATION THAT THEY ARE RAISING FROM PUBLIC FUNDS. WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THAT IS THE 500,000 ADDITIONAL DOLLARS THAT ARE PROPOSED IN THIS YEAR'S THIS BUDGET. WE'RE HERE TO DISCUSS TODAY. IF YOU INCLUDE THAT, THEN WE'RE AT 42.3 MILLION OUT OF 44.3 MILLION. SO WE STILL NEED ABOUT $2 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO HAVE FUNDS. COMMITTEE TO COVER THE ENTIRE COST OF THE PROJECT. THANK YOU. RICK, I JOINED YOU. SORRY FOR BEING LATE, JUST A FOLLOW UP ON THAT. SO. BUT YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE THOSE FUNDS, RIGHT? RIGHT. THIS SECOND, ALL OF THOSE FUNDS. RIGHT? THIS SECOND IN ORDER TO CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD. THAT'S CORRECT. THE PROJECTS ARE ALL MOVING FORWARD, WE HAVE $41.9
[00:10:01]
MILLION ALREADY COMMITTED, AND A LOT OF THAT IS CASH ON HAND. SO WE ARE, DOING WORK AND PAYING BILLS AND REALLY HAVE UNTIL THE MIDDLE OF 2026 TO, TO FINISH BOTH ALL OF THE PROJECTS AND PAY FOR EVERYTHING ARE THE FOUNDATION FUNDS ARE THOSE IS THAT, ARE THEY ONE YEAR.COMMITMENTS OR ARE THEY OVER A PERIOD OF TIME? IT'S A RANGE OF DIFFERENT THINGS, DEPENDING ON WHO THE DONOR IS. SOME OF THEM ARE 2 OR 3 YEAR PLEDGES, BUT A LOT OF IT IS, IS CASH THAT THEY ALREADY HAVE IN HAND. SO YOU'RE THE FURTHEST PLEDGE YOU HAVE OUT. YES, AS FAR AS I KNOW, YES.
OKAY, AND COUNCILWOMAN, COUNCILWOMAN PARKER HAS JOINED US. COUNCILWOMAN RUY HAS JOINED US VIRTUALLY. AND SO HAS COUNCILWOMAN FOWLER. ALTHOUGH SHE'S NOT. YEAH, RIGHT, COUNCILWOMAN PIAGENTINI, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. SO, LEE, GOOD TO SEE YOU. FIRST OF ALL, LET ME JUST SAY THAT I CONTINUE TO BE JUST ECSTATIC ABOUT THE EVOLUTION OF THE LIBRARY OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. I KNOW, OUR RELATIONSHIP STARTED OUT, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE ROCKY WITH THE MIDDLETOWN CLOSURE, BUT NOT BECAUSE OF YOU. RIGHT BUT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS JUST A CONTENTIOUS TIME, AND WE HAD TO GET THROUGH THAT. BUT IT'S. I MEAN, EVERY TIME I SEE YOU, I THINK EVERY YEAR WE DO YOUR BUDGET, I JUST SEE IMPROVEMENT. AND I SEE POSITIVITY. AND IT'S ONE OF THE REALLY SHINING STARS IN THE OVERALL BUDGET. SO PLEASE CONTINUE THAT TRAJECTORY AND I'LL ADVOCATE WITH THE MAYOR TO CONTINUE ON THAT TRAJECTORY AS WELL. MY OPINION IS THAT IT'S ONE OF THE FEW AREAS, PARTICULARLY. AND I'LL TALK ABOUT YOUR FUTURE CAPITAL PLAN HERE IN A SECOND. THAT WE CONNECT CITY SERVICES AND TRULY VALUE ADDED CITY SERVICES, PARTICULARLY OUTSIDE OF DOWNTOWN , INTO AREAS ACROSS THE CITY, INCLUDING MIDDLETOWN, BECAUSE THE MIDDLETOWN LIBRARY. SO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING, WAGE INCREASES. SO WHERE ARE WE WITH EITHER YOUR EXISTING CONTRACTS AND WAGE STRUCTURE WITH THE LIBRARY, YOUR TURNOVER IS A LITTLE HIGH. I KNOW THE WAGES THAT WE'VE PAID. LIBRARY PERSONNEL HAVEN'T BEEN THE MOST THE BEST, I'M WONDERING WHERE WE ARE, WHERE THE CONTRACTS ARE. AND ARE ANY OF THOSE ADJUSTMENTS ACCOUNTED FOR IN THIS FISCAL BUDGET? SURE. SO WE HAVE AN EXISTING CONTRACT WITH AFSCME 3425. SO THE UNION THAT REPRESENTS LIBRARY EMPLOYEES IS ITS OWN LOCAL, WE NEGOTIATED A BUDGET, ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO. AND THAT CONTRACT, I'M SORRY, WE NEGOTIATED A CONTRACT ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO. AND THAT CONTRACT, DOESN'T EXPIRE UNTIL JUNE OF 2025. SO IT HAS ONE MORE FULL YEAR ON IT. AND TO THE THERE ARE A COUPLE OF CHANGES THAT WE ARE MAKING AHEAD OF CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS, ONE IS THAT, SOME OF OUR LIBRARIES, BUT NOT ALL ARE OPEN ON SUNDAYS. THE EMPLOYEES WHO WORK ON SUNDAYS, AT LEAST THE UNION EMPLOYEES WHO WORK ON SUNDAYS ARE SELECTED BECAUSE IT IS OVERTIME. THEY'RE SELECTED THROUGH A BID PROCESS. AND THEN ANY SLOTS, AT A LOCATION THAT NO ONE BIDS ON. WE DRAFT PEOPLE, USING THE SENIORITY LIST AS OUR DRAFTING ORDER, WE DRAFT PEOPLE TO FILL THOSE UNBID SLOTS, THAT HAS, FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS, PAID THAT TIME AND A HALF FOR THOSE SUNDAYS, SO SEVERAL YEARS AGO, MAYBE A DECADE AGO, THAT WAS ACTUALLY DOUBLE TIME. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE FOUND IS THAT WE ARE HAVING FEWER PEOPLE BID ON THOSE SUNDAYS. AND HAVING TO DRAFT MORE PEOPLE TO WORK THOSE SUNDAYS. AND THAT DOES, OF COURSE, CREATE, DISRUPTION FOR PEOPLE WHO HAD SOMETHING PLANNED. AND THEN THEY GET DRAFTED TO WORK ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON. SO WE'RE, IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING TOGETHER A, A SIDE AGREEMENT THAT WILL PUT SUNDAY HOURS BACK TO DOUBLE TIME. SO THERE ARE COST INCREASES FOR THAT THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET HERE. OKAY. AND WHAT'S THE CURRENT STARTING WAGE IN THE CONTRACT, THE LOWEST WAGE IN THE CONTRACT IS FOR A PART TIME PAGE. AND I HAVE IT WRITTEN DOWN HERE SOMEWHERE. I THINK IT'S $12.53. WHAT'S THE STARTING FOR, LIKE A FULL TIME, THOUGH? DO YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T HAVE A LIST OF THAT IN FRONT OF ME, BUT. IT IT VARIES. SO, SO THE PAGE POSITION IS I'LL JUST I'LL JUST BRIEFLY SAY THIS THE PAGE POSITION IS A POSITION THAT REQUIRES COMPLETION OF 10TH GRADE. IT DOES NOT REQUIRE A HIGH SCHOOL
[00:15:01]
EDUCATION. THESE ARE THE EMPLOYEES THAT CHECK THE BOOK, DROP IN AND PUT THE BOOKS BACK ON THE SHELVES AND HELP KEEP THE BRANCH TIDIED UP DURING THE DAY. THERE IS ANOTHER LOWER LEVEL OF UNION EMPLOYEE THAT IS A CLERK POSITION. THAT POSITION REQUIRES A, HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA, BUT DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY COLLEGE EDUCATION. AND THERE IS A THIRD LEVEL, WHICH IS A LIBRARY ASSISTANT. THESE PEOPLE WORK, ON THE FRONT LINE, PROVIDING INFORMATION SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY. SO AT A REFERENCE DESK, HELPING KIDS WITH THEIR HOMEWORK, HELPING ADULTS WITH COMPUTERS. THOSE POSITIONS REQUIRE A, A, A BACHELOR'S DEGREE. AND THEN WE HAVE SOME UNION LIBRARIANS POSITIONS THAT REQUIRE A MASTER'S DEGREE. SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT, THE, THE WAGE CHART AND THE CONTRACT, THERE IS, OF COURSE, A WIDE DISPARITY BETWEEN THOSE ENTRY LEVEL PAGE POSITIONS, WHICH REQUIRE A 10TH GRADE EDUCATION AND A LIBRARIAN POSITION, WHICH REQUIRES A MASTER'S DEGREE. WELL, I KNOW WHEN MY DAUGHTERS COMPLETE THE 10TH GRADE SOMEPLACE THEY CAN APPLY FOR A PART TIME JOB NOW, THANK YOU, AND I CAN EXCUSE THE IN ANGELA DUNN, CFO. I CAN ADD TO THAT. WE DID LOOK IT UP. IT LOOKS LIKE SOME OF THE PART TIME POSITIONS, THE NEXT HIGHEST PAYING FROM THE 1253 IS 1521. OKAY OKAY. GOOD. THANK YOU. AND THEN, ONE MORE QUESTION THEN JUST A, SOMETHING YOU FOLLOW UP WITH ME ON. BUT THE CAT YOUR FUTURE CAPITAL PROJECTS. SO PAST WHAT WE JUST DISCUSSED. YOU HAVE SHIVELY, PRP, SOUTHEAST HIGHLANDS, SHELBY PARK, MIDDLETOWN EXPANSION. PARDON ME, I KNOW WHAT THE MIDDLETOWN EXPANSION IS, WE'VE DISCUSSED THIS, AND JUST FOR THE PUBLIC'S SAKE, IT WOULD BE LITERALLY AN EXPANSION OF THE EXISTING BUILDING INTO A LARGER FOOTPRINT, WHICH WE HAD CONTEMPLATED EVEN WHEN WE LOOKED AT THAT BUILDING. BUT THE SHIVELY PRP, SOUTHEAST HIGHLANDS, SHELBY PARK, YOU SAY NEW HERE. I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY, BECAUSE, FOR EXAMPLE, ABOVE THIS WHERE IT SAYS MIDDLETOWN, NEW. YEAH, IT WAS NEW, BUT IT WAS, YOU KNOW, REPLACING SOMETHING THAT DID EXIST. RIGHT. ARE THE OTHER THREE SHIVELY PRP, SOUTHEAST HIGHLANDS PARK, ARE THEY NEW OR ARE THEY REPLACING EXISTING. WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT WHEN WE SAY NEW? SURE. SO THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION, I, I WISH THERE WERE A SIMPLER, MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD ANSWER, BUT I'M GOING TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, PROBABLY, IN MORE DEPTH THAN THAN YOU WOULD PROBABLY LIKE, SO WHAT FIRST, LET ME SAY THAT I THINK WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS THE AN EXCEL SPREADSHEET, A SINGLE PAGE TABLE THAT'S COLOR CODED OF PROJECTS. SO WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT THERE IS A, A, A SORT OF STOP GAP, IN EXTENSION OF THE 2008 LIBRARY. MASTER FACILITIES PLAN, WHICH WAS A 12 YEAR PLAN THAT RAN THROUGH 2020. SO TWICE DURING THE LATE 20 TEENS AND PERHAPS AS LATE AS 2021, IN SUPPORT OF A STATE CONSTRUCTION GRANT TO SUPPORT ONE OF OUR PROJECTS. WHAT WE HAD TO DO WAS DEMONSTRATE THAT WE HAD ON HAND A TEN YEAR PLAN TO CLOSE THE GAP BETWEEN THE CURRENT SQUARE FOOTAGE PER CAPITA OF OUR LIBRARY SYSTEM AND THE STATE MINIMUM STANDARD FOR SQUARE FOOTAGE PER CAPITA FOR OUR LIBRARY SYSTEM. SO WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT IS AN AUTHORITATIVE, VALID DOCUMENT THAT WAS PRODUCED AND APPROVED BY THE ADVISORY COMMISSION ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, MAKING SMALL CHANGES TO IT THAT ATTEMPTED TO LOOK BEYOND THAT.2008 MASTER PLAN. WHAT THAT WHAT THAT DOCUMENT ENVISIONED WAS BUILDING A NEW FREESTANDING LIBRARY TO REPLACE HIGHLAND SHELBY PARK, BUILDING A NEW FREESTANDING LIBRARY TO REPLACE THE SHIVELY LIBRARY, AND I DON'T HAVE IT DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME. WHAT WERE THE OTHER TWO, SOUTHEAST. OH ANGIE HAS JUST HANDED IT TO ME. YEAH, A NEW SOUTHEAST LIBRARY WOULD BE A LIBRARY, THAT WOULD SERVE WHAT I CALL THE SOUTHEAST EAST CRESCENT OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, WHICH IS AN AREA, SAY, OUT BEYOND GEORGETOWN AND EVEN WHERE WE'RE BUILDING FERN CREEK AND FURTHER EAST, WHERE THERE REALLY IS A BIG GEOGRAPHICAL AREA WITH NO LIBRARY SERVICE THERE. OKAY AND WHAT I WOULD SAY NOW IS THAT WE ARE A COUPLE OF MONTHS FROM FINALIZING A DRAFT OF A NEW MASTER FACILITIES PLAN THAT WILL THEN SUPPLEMENT OR REPLACE THIS DOCUMENT THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, SO I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT WAS ENVISIONED HERE, BUT I THINK IT'S GOING TO BECOME LESS SIGNIFICANT ONCE WE GET THAT NEW PLAN FINALIZED. AND REALLY, A LINE OF QUESTIONING WAS TO SAY, LET'S CONTINUE TO SEE THE CAPITAL REQUEST FOR THE FUTURE. YOU KNOW, I WANT TO SEE THIS IN THE BUDGET MOVING FORWARD. IT'S NOT AN IMMEDIATE, BUT IN THE FUTURE, LET'S KEEP
[00:20:02]
PUTTING THESE REQUESTS IN THERE, BECAUSE, AGAIN, I THINK CONTINUING TO EXECUTE ON THE PLAN, ONE OF THE FEW DEPARTMENTS WHERE WE HAVE A FUTURE STRATEGIC PLAN IS A GOOD THING. AND THEN MY REQUEST IS I HAVE THE CIRCULATION NUMBERS. I THINK YOU ALSO HAD, TRACK PERSONS WALKING IN AND OUT. IF YOU COULD SHARE THAT WITH US, WHENEVER YOU GET A SECOND, BY LOCATION, THAT WOULD BE AWESOME. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CHAIR. COUNCILMAN OWEN . THANK YOU. CHAIR, AS IS SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT ORIGINALLY THERE WITH COUNCILMAN PIAGENTINI, BUT AS IT RELATES TO EMPLOYEE, RETENTION AND SATISFACTION, MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE I CAME INTO THIS POSITION ON, I HAVE HAD INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES, BUT ALSO THE UNION AT ONE POINT REACH OUT ABOUT SECURITY CONCERNS, FOR THE PEOPLE WORKING IN THE SYSTEM. SO I KIND OF WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD TALK ABOUT THE APPROACH TO THAT CONCERN AMONG YOUR EMPLOYEES AND WHERE IN THE BUDGET IF THERE'S A PLACE IN THE BUDGET WHERE YOU'RE KIND OF ADDRESSING THAT, CONCERN FROM A FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE? SURE SO I WHAT I WOULD START BY SAYING IS THAT, THIS IS THE END OF MY FIFTH YEAR AS LIBRARY DIRECTOR. AND WHEN I BECAME LIBRARY DIRECTOR, THERE WAS PERHAPS ONE SECURITY CAMERA INSTALLED AT ANY OF OUR LIBRARY LOCATIONS, AND THAT WAS AT THE FAIRDALE BRANCH, WHICH PROBABLY, IS, DOESN'T MAKE SENSE UNTIL I TELL YOU THAT IT WAS INSTALLED BECAUSE, PEOPLE WERE PARKING IN THE PARKING LOT AND DOING THINGS THAT WERE CAUSING, THE RESIDENTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT. SO WE INSTALLED A SECURITY. THAT'S WHY THAT LOCATION WAS CHOSEN. I THINK WE'RE UP NOW TO SEVEN OF OUR LOCATIONS THAT HAVE SECURITY CAMERAS INSTALLED, BOTH INDOORS AND OUTDOORS, WHICH, MONITOR AND RECORD ACTIVITY ALL DAY LONG, WE HAVE IN THE PAST TWO YEARS, WE HAVE SWITCHED VENDORS FOR OUR SECURITY SERVICES TO A NEW FIRM WHO HAS BEEN MUCH MORE RESPONSIVE AND COLLABORATIVE WITH US, ALBEIT A GOOD BIT MORE EXPENSIVE. BUT BUT THAT HAS REALLY, DONE A LOT TO WORK WITH US TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR PERSONNEL ALL ARE PROPERLY TRAINED TO WALK THAT FINE LINE, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE PUBLIC LIBRARY. SO WE WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL WELCOME, BUT WE ALSO WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE RULES OF BEHAVIOR AND THAT, THAT WE CAN'T ALLOW PEOPLE TO DISRUPT OTHER PEOPLE'S USE OF THE LIBRARY BECAUSE THAT'S A LIBRARY THAT'S OF USE TO NO ONE, SO WE'VE MADE THAT CHANGE AS WELL, WE HAVE RECENTLY ALSO PUT IN A, PUT IN PLACE A CONTRACT WHERE NOW, AS CIRCUMSTANCES WARRANT ON AN AD HOC BASIS, WE HAVE ACCESS TO OFF DUTY SWORN OFFICERS THAT WE CAN HAVE COME TO A PARTICULAR LIBRARY BRANCH IF THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON IN A PARTICULAR AREA THAT IS CAUSING CONCERN AT THAT LOCATION, WE'VE DONE THIS A COUPLE OF TIMES OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS WHERE WE JUST BROUGHT AN OFFICER IN, AND THEY WERE JUST IN THEIR CAR IN THE PARKING LOT, AND HAVE FOUND IT TO BE VERY REASSURING TO BOTH THE STAFF AND VERY CALMING TO THE IMMEDIATE NEIGHBORHOOD AROUND THE BRANCH. SO, WE'RE WE'RE TAKING THOSE STEPS ALREADY. WE HAVE ALSO UPGRADED A POSITION WITHIN OUR SYSTEM, THERE'S A STAFF POSITION THAT HISTORICALLY WAS REALLY PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING THE CONTRACT WITH THE VENDOR THAT WAS PROVIDING SECURITY SERVICES. SO HANDLING INVOICES AND PAPERWORK AND MAKING SURE WE GOT CREDIT WHEN PEOPLE DIDN'T SHOW UP FOR SHIFTS. WE HAVE UPGRADED THAT POSITION TO A SAFETY AND SECURITY MANAGER POSITION, AND WE FILLED THAT POSITION. BUT IT WAS ONLY FILLED FOR ABOUT 3 TO 4 WEEKS. AND WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE LAST STAGES OF MAKING AN OFFER TO A NEW CANDIDATE TO FILL THAT POSITION. ONCE WE GET SOMEONE ON BOARD FOR THAT, THAT EMPLOYEE WILL TAKE A MUCH MORE COMPREHENSIVE VIEW TOWARD SAFETY AND SECURITY IN OUR LIBRARIES. THAT WILL ENCOMPASS EVERYTHING FROM MANAGING REQUESTS FROM LMPD OR OPEN RECORDS FOR VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM THE SECURITY CAMERAS TO MANAGING THE CONTRACT WITH THE SECURITY OFFICERS, OR ARRANGING SCHEDULING OF OFF DUTY OFFICERS, BUT ALSO REVIEWING SECURITY AND SAFETY PROCEDURES FOR WHEN THERE IS SOME SORT OF SECURITY INCIDENT, OR WHEN THERE IS A WEATHER EMERGENCY, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE GOOD FLOOR PLANS OF ALL OF OUR BUILDINGS AND EVEN LOOKING AT THE DESIGN OF OUR LIBRARIES AND WAYS THAT WE CAN MAKE CHANGES TO THE[00:25:03]
DESIGN TO IMPROVE SAFETY AND SECURITY. SO AS SOON AS WE CAN GET THAT POSITION FILLED, I WOULD EXPECT MORE CHANGES ON THE HORIZON THAT HAVE NOT BEEN DONE SO FAR. AND IT'S JUST A MATTER OF GETTING THOSE RESOURCES ON BOARD. THE TWO PLACES I THINK YOU WOULD SEE THAT REFLECTED IN THE BUDGET ARE THERE IS A LINE ITEM FOR SECURITY, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS THAT HAS GONE UP SIGNIFICANTLY. AND THEN ALSO IN TERMS OF CAPITAL FUNDS, WE WOULD USE CAPITAL FUNDS IN ORDER TO CONTINUE EXPANDING OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS. THAT DEPLOYMENT OF SECURITY CAMERAS, UNTIL WE HAVE THEM OUT AT EVERY LOCATION. THAT'S GREAT. I MEAN, IT'S CLEARLY SOMETHING THAT'S FRONT BURNER, A FRONT BURNER ISSUE ISSUE FOR YOU GUYS HAVE HAVE YOU GOTTEN FEEDBACK FROM FROM THE FROM YOUR LIBRARIANS AND THE PEOPLE THAT WORK IN THE LIBRARIES AND POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM THE STEPS YOU'RE TAKING SO FAR? I WOULD SAY THAT THE MOST IMMEDIATE, POSITIVE FEEDBACK THAT WE GOT WAS ON THE OCCASIONS WHERE WE HAD AN OFF DUTY OFFICER, SHOW UP, WHAT I CAN TELL YOU ANECDOTALLY IS THAT MANY OF THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE IN OUR LIBRARIES INVOLVE TEENS, AND IT'S A IT'S A REALLY DIFFICULT SITUATION THAT URBAN PUBLIC LIBRARIES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY ARE DEALING WITH, WHERE THERE IS JUST THIS, GAP IN HOW PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO RESPOND TO THOSE SITUATIONS. THERE'S NOT A LOT OF SECURITY GUARD CAN DO.THERE'S NOT A LOT LMPD CAN DO, BUT THE HAVING THAT PROACTIVE PRESENCE AS A DETERRENT, REALLY DID HAVE A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON, THE LEVEL OF SECURITY THAT OUR STAFF SEEMED TO FEEL AT THOSE TIMES WHEN, WHEN THAT PERSON WAS THERE ON SITE, THE OTHER THING THAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT THE FOOTAGE FROM THE SECURITY CAMERAS HAS BEEN EXTREMELY HELPFUL TO US IN HELPING US WORK WITH LNP TO IDENTIFY PEOPLE WHO ARE INVOLVED IN INCIDENTS, TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING ACCURATE INCIDENT REPORTS ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN OUR BRANCHES. THANK YOU, AND THEN I HAD A ANOTHER QUESTION JUST IT'S I'M, I'M ASSUMING THAT SOME OF THE WE'VE SPENT A LOT OF CAPITAL DONE A LOT OF CAPITAL PROJECTS OVER THE LAST NUMBER OF YEARS. AND I KNOW THAT THAT CERTAINLY HELPS KIND OF OVERALL WITH THE PORTFOLIO AND THE GENERAL CONDITION OF THE LIBRARIES. AND I THINK I SAW A NUMBER IN HERE, $700,000 MAYBE FOR GENERAL REPAIR. AND I JUST WANTED TO GET YOUR FEEDBACK ON FOR THE LIBRARIES THAT ARE NOT, SCHEDULED FOR A RENOVATION SOON, WHAT'S YOUR GENERAL FEELING FOR WHERE WE ARE IN TERMS OF OUR, OUR KIND OF ONGOING MAINTENANCE AND, AND CONDITION OF OUR OUR OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE? SURE. AND I THINK THIS IS, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TOPICS WHERE I WILL TALK ABOUT MY IDEAL AND THEN MY REALITY, RIGHT? THAT, IN, IN MY MIND'S EYE, EVERY LIBRARY WOULD BE IN PRISTINE MINT CONDITION ALL THE TIME. NO FLAWS WOULD EVER BE DIRTY. NO CARPETS WOULD EVER BE STAINED, THE REALITY IS, THERE'S SOME THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT THEY ARE NOT MAINTENANCE ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE DEALT WITH IN ORDER TO KEEP THEM FROM BECOMING MORE EXPENSIVE DOWN THE ROAD. SO IN TERMS OF MAINTAINING OUR FACILITIES, RS, BEING GOOD STEWARDS OF THAT RESOURCE THAT THAT BUILDING REPRESENTS, I THINK WE'RE IN REALLY GOOD SHAPE , WE HAVE SOME PROJECTS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SEEN US HAVE COMPLETED ALREADY. I THINK THE WINDOWS AT CRESCENT HILL IS PROBABLY AN EXAMPLE OF THAT, WHERE BECAUSE THESE FOUR NEW CAPITAL PROJECTS CAME ON, WE AREN'T AS FAR ALONG WITH THEM AS I WOULD LIKE FOR, FOR US TO BE. BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S A SITUATION OF US BEING IN NEED OF A LOT OF FUNDING FOR REPAIRS THAT WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO RIGHT NOW. SO I FEEL LIKE WE'RE DOING REALLY WELL WITH THAT. THERE ARE SOME LOCATIONS LIKE THE HIGHLAND SHELBY PARK LIBRARY WHERE, BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS, A SERIES OF INSTANCES WHERE WE THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE IMMINENT THAT WE WERE GOING TO LOCATE A NEW LOCATION TO RELOCATE THAT LIBRARY TO, THAT THERE WAS HESITANCY TO INVEST A LOT OF MONEY IN UPDATES OR RENOVATIONS.
AND SO THERE ARE SOME LIBRARIES THAT DON'T LOOK AS NICE AS WE WOULD LIKE FOR THEM TO LOOK, AND WE NEED TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO ADDRESS THAT. BUT I WOULD PUT THAT IN A DIFFERENT CATEGORY THAN SOMETHING LIKE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE OR REPAIR. LET'S NOT FORGET ABOUT THOSE CRESCENT HILL WINDOWS, BUT, NO I WE WILL NOT IMMINENT. THAT'S AN IMPORTANT LIBRARY, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, IT'S REFRESHING TO HEAR THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT.
POINT OUT THAT, COUNCILMAN SAM AND COUNCILWOMAN PURVIS HAVE JOINED US A WHILE BACK. ACTUALLY COUNCILWOMAN CHAPPELL. HELLO. HI CONGRATULATIONS ON ANOTHER VERY SUCCESSFUL HOW TO FEST. OH,
[00:30:04]
THANK YOU. I KNOW THAT YOU GUYS ARE BEST WEATHER YET FOR PROBABLY STILL RIDING THAT HIGH.YEAH, YEAH, IT WAS GREAT. NOW, ON THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT, I DON'T BELIEVE WE'VE RECEIVED AN ORGANIZATIONAL CHART, SO I'M GOING TO HAVE TO GIVE YOU ALL AN F FOR FAILURE TO COMPLETE.
AARON, DID YOU NOT SUBMIT OUR ORGANIZATION? ALL RIGHT. I WILL CERTAINLY GET THAT TO YOU TOMORROW MORNING. WE WILL ORGANIZATION SHALL GIVE YOU A REVISED GRADE. YEAH. SO KIND OF BUILDING OFF OF COUNCILMAN OWEN'S, QUESTION, HAVE ALL THE FISCAL YEAR 24 PROJECTS BEEN COMPLETED, AND IF NOT, WHEN ARE THEY EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED? AND WILL THEY BE WITHIN BUDGET, SO IF BY FISCAL YEAR 24, CAPITAL PROJECTS, YOU MEAN CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT ARE NOT THE FOUR LIBRARIES THAT WE'RE BUILDING, BUT OTHER CAPITAL PROJECTS, THERE ARE PROBABLY SOME OF THOSE THAT WILL NOT BE DONE BY THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, WHERE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE CRESCENT HILL WINDOWS, I'M SURE WERE ON THE CAPITAL PROJECTS CALENDAR FOR THIS YEAR, AND WILL NOT BE FINISHED UNTIL NEXT YEAR. I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY OF THOSE THAT ARE OVER BUDGET RIGHT NOW, AND I WILL BE HAPPY TO GET YOU. I DON'T HAVE I DON'T THINK I HAVE A PROJECT BY PROJECT STATUS WITH ME TONIGHT UNLESS ANGIE FINDS ONE, BUT I CAN CERTAINLY GET YOU THAT AND ITEMIZE THOSE AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT THE EXPECTED COMPLETION DATE IS. THANK YOU, YEAH. IT LOOKS LIKE FISCAL YEAR 24, THERE WAS ABOUT $447,000 WORTH OF PROJECTS. SO I WAS JUST WONDERING THE STATUS ON THOSE AND, YOU KNOW, IF ANY HOPEFULLY CAME UNDER BUDGET AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR US. BUT FEEL FREE TO GIVE ME THAT INFORMATION LATER, I WANT TO COMMEND THE AVID READERS AT SAINT MATTHEW'S NORTHEAST AND SOUTH CENTRAL LOCATION, FOR BEING THE TOP THREE LIBRARIES IN TERMS OF CIRCULATION, BUT WITH THAT SAID, IT LOOKS LIKE CIRCULATION AT ALL LIBRARIES, INCLUDING THOSE THREE, HAVE DECREASED. SINCE LAST YEAR. AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S STILL TWO MONTHS LEFT FOR, THOSE NUMBERS TO BE BEEFED UP A LITTLE, BUT I DON'T I DON'T THINK THAT THEY'RE GOING TO COME, CLOSE TO BEATING LAST YEAR'S NUMBER. SO I WAS JUST WONDERING, WHAT WOULD YOU ATTRIBUTE TO THAT DECREASE? AND THEN WHAT'S BEING DONE, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF PROGRAMING IN THIS BUDGET THAT'S GOING TO HOPEFULLY SEE THOSE INCREASE, THOSE NUMBERS INCREASE. SO SO I, I WOULD FIRST SAY THAT I FULLY EXPECT THAT BY THE END OF JUNE, OUR TOTAL CIRCULATION FOR THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR WILL EXCEED OUR TOTAL CIRCULATION FOR THE PREVIOUS FISCAL YEAR, WHICH IS NOT THE SAME AS DISPUTING YOUR READING OF THE CHART THAT INCLUDES CIRCULATION. IF THERE IS NOT A LINE ITEM ON THAT BRANCH BY BRANCH CHART OF CIRCULATION OVER THE PAST 4 OR 5 YEARS, THAT SHOWS IMMATERIAL CIRCULATION. IF THAT IS ON THERE, THEN I WOULD CERTAINLY SAY, OKAY, YES. SO WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IS THE E-BOOK CIRCULATION. SO WHEREAS AN ITEM CHECKED OUT AT THE BON AIR BRANCH GETS CREDITED TO BON AIR, AN E-BOOK THAT IS CHECKED OUT BY A PATRON ANYWHERE IN THE SYSTEM, REGARDLESS OF THE HOME BRANCH OF THE PATRON, DOESN'T GET CREDITED BACK TO THAT BRANCH. SO WHAT WE SEE NOW, SAY THIS YEAR, FOR EXAMPLE, 1.3 MILLION CIRCULATION OF EBOOKS COMPARED TO FISCAL YEAR 2019. LET'S GO BACK TO 2018, BECAUSE IT WAS LESS THAN HALF OF WHAT IT IS IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, TO DATE, WELL, ACTUALLY, THERE'S AN UPDATED VERSION OF THIS THAT'S NOT EVEN 20, 24, THERE'S A 20, 23, 24 CHART THAT WAS SENT OUT. I THINK I HAVE IT ON MY PHONE. I CAN PULL IT UP. SO WHEN YOU WHEN YOU INCORPORATE, THE E-BOOK CIRCULATION IN WITH THE PHYSICAL MATERIAL CIRCULATION, OUR TOTAL CIRCULATION WILL BE HIGHER. SO WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS INCREASING ADOPTION OF EBOOKS ACROSS THE SYSTEM. AND AS A RESULT, THE CIRCULATION TOTALS OF ITEMS THAT WERE CHECKED OUT AT THE BRANCH ARE LOWER THAN, THAN THEY WERE, SAY, LAST YEAR. BUT COMBINED WITH THE E-BOOK CIRCULATION, WE'RE STILL CHECKING OUT MORE BOOKS THIS YEAR THAN WE DID LAST YEAR. THANK YOU. AND THEN FINAL QUESTION WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE BOOKMOBILE THAT WAS FUNDED? I BELIEVE, LAST YEAR, AND HOW
[00:35:01]
HOW IS THAT GOING? BEING INTRODUCED INTO THE COMMUNITY? AND THEN WHAT WAS THE TOTAL COST FOR THAT BOOKMOBILE, SO I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A VERY GOOD BALLPARK TOTAL COST, FOR THE CHILDREN'S BOOKMOBILE, WHICH WE PURCHASED, HAVE RECEIVED AND WHICH IS IN PRODUCTION NOW, IT WAS $230,000 FOR THE VEHICLE BILL, AND THEN WE HAD TO BUY BOOKS FOR THE COLLECTION AND SOME TECHNOLOGY FOR IT, THAT BOOKMOBILE IS OUT, FIVE, SOMETIMES SIX DAYS A WEEK IN THE COMMUNITY, SERVING THE COMMUNITY. WE ALSO KEPT THE, BOOKMOBILE THAT WE HAD, THAT WAS MUCH SMALLER THAN THE NEW ONE. AND THAT HAS BEEN REPURPOSED NOW AND IS BEING USED AS OUR BOOK GIVEAWAY MOBILE. SO, WE HAVE, $100,000 WORTH OF BOOKS, THAT WE GOT GRANT FUNDING FOR THAT WE GIVE AWAY TO THE COMMUNITY SO THAT KIDS CAN HAVE BOOKS IN THEIR HOMES, BECAUSE THAT'S SO IMPORTANT. SO THE OLD BOOKMOBILE IS STILL IN SERVICE, GIVING AWAY BOOKS AROUND THE COMMUNITY. THE NEW BOOKMOBILE IS OUT, IT HAS BEEN VERY WELL RECEIVED. IT IS BIG. IT IS BEAUTIFUL. IT'S GOT GREAT ARTWORK ON IT. IT HAS A TV ON THE OUTSIDE OF IT SO THAT WE CAN SHOW VIDEOS AND DO PROGRAMING, IT HAS A WI-FI, ROUTER ON IT SO THAT WHEREVER IT IS, THERE IS INTERNET ACCESS THAT PEOPLE CAN CONNECT TO, AND IT HAS BEEN VERY WELL RECEIVED. AND, I'M LOOKING FORWARD IN THE UPCOMING YEAR, TO MAKING SURE THAT IT IS OUT IN PROMINENT PLACES WHERE YOU HISTORICALLY MAYBE HAVEN'T SEEN IT, LIKE I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE AT, SLUGGER FIELD AND I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE AT LYNN FAMILY STADIUM IN THE PARKING LOT WHERE PEOPLE CAN INTERACT WITH IT AND EXPERIENCE IT, SO THAT THAT'S KIND OF MY BRIEF UPDATE. IF THERE'S A SPECIFIC QUESTION I DIDN'T ADDRS, I'LL BE HAPPY TO TRY. COUNCILMAN REED, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. AND THANK YOU FOR THE GOOD WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING WITH THE LIBRARIES, HERE'S MY, I HAVE A QUESTION WITH REGARD TO PARKLAND, AND THAT'S ONE THAT I THINK WE ALL REALLY WANT TO SEE GET OPENED, HOW FAR AWAY DO YOU THINK, FROM A FUNDING STANDPOINT, WE ARE WITH IT? AND WHAT MORE DO YOU BELIEVE NEEDS TO BE DONE? SURE SURE. SO I, I WOULD I WOULD GO BACK TO IT BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT WE ARE AND PARTICULARLY THE WAY THE LIBRARY FOUNDATION IS FUNDRAISING FOR THESE PROJECTS WHERE THEY MAY GO TALK TO A DONOR AND THAT DONOR MAY SAY, I WANT TO DONATE $250,000 TOWARDS THIS SPECIFIC PROJECT. THERE IS FUNDING THAT WE HAVE THAT IS RESTRICTED FOR A SPECIFIC PROJECT. THERE IS FUNDING THAT WE HAVE THAT IS NOT RESTRICTED TOWARDS ANY SPECIFIC PROJECT. IN TERMS OF PARKLAND ITSELF, WE HAVE, $1.3 MILLION RESTRICTED FOR THAT. THE TOTAL COST IS 6.5 MILLION. WE CERTAINLY HAVE ON HAND THE $5.2 MILLION IN UNRESTRICTED FUNDS TO COMPLETE THE PARKLAND LIBRARY PROJECT. SO ANYTIME YOU TALK ABOUT THESE FOUR PROJECTS IN TERMS OF ONE SPECIFIC PROJECT, WE HAVE THE FUNDING TO COMPLETE THAT PROJECT. WE'RE $2 MILLION AWAY FROM HAVING THE FUNDING TO COMPLETE ALL $44 MILLION OF THAT PROJECT. SO THE LIBRARY FOUNDATION IS STILL FUNDRAISING PRIVATE DOLLARS. I THINK YOU'LL BE HEARING SOME NEWS SOON, ABOUT SOME ANNOUNCEMENTS WITH RESPECT TO THEIR CAPITAL CAMPAIGN. I WON'T MAKE THE ANNOUNCEMENT TONIGHT. I'LL JUST TEASE THAT THERE'S SOMETHING COMING UP. BUT $2 MILLION IS REALLY THE NUMBER THAT, IF WE GET TO THAT, WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH FUNDS ON HAND TO COMPLETE ALL FOUR OF THOSE PROJECTS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS IN THIS YEAR'S PROPOSED LIBRARY BUDGET IS FUNDING FOR THE STAFF FOR PARKLAND. AND RIGHT NOW, I WOULD SAY THAT THAT IS GOING TO BE THE CHALLENGE THAT I START FOCUSING ON HERE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS IS THIS IS A BRAND NEW LIBRARY TO OUR SYSTEM. WE HAVE STAFF THAT WERE WORKING AT PORTLAND. WE'VE SENT THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE. WE'LL BRING THEM BACK WHEN PORTLAND OPENS, BUT WE HAVE TO HIRE FROM SCRATCH A STAFF FROM PARKLAND, THE FUNDING IS IN THE BUDGET, TO START ON THAT THIS YEAR, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING THAT.THANK YOU. YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, SECURITY, BEING OF CONCERN FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES, IS THERE ANY IN THE BUDGET? IS THERE ANY ADDITIONAL SECURITY BAKED IN FOR SOME OF THESE, NEW, NEW, NEW DEVELOPMENTS? WE DID INCLUDE IN THE BUDGET INCREASES IN THE SUPPORT COSTS TO ACCOMMODATE THE EXPANDED SIZE OF PORTLAND AND THE OPENING OF PARKLAND DURING THIS FISCAL
[00:40:01]
YEAR, WE DIDN'T INCLUDE THOSE COSTS FOR FERN CREEK OR MAIN BECAUSE THEY WON'T BE IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET FOR FERN CREEK. IT'LL BE THE UPCOMING BUDGET YEAR WHERE WE'LL LOOK AT THOSE AND THEN WE AREN'T QUITE SURE WHAT THE TIMELINE ON MAIN IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE. AND WE HAVE A FAIRLY LARGE STAFF THERE, SO WE CAN WE CAN PROBABLY MANAGE THROUGH THIS FISCAL YEAR SHOULD SOME OF THOSE AREAS OPEN, SO WE DID INCLUDE ADDITIONAL CUSTODIAL COSTS, ADDITIONAL SECURITY COSTS, LANDSCAPING COSTS, THE PARKLAND AND PORTLAND LIARIES WILL INCLUDE SECURITY CAMERAS, AS PART OF THE CONSTRUCTION, WE WILL HAVE SECURITY GUARDS ON SITE AT BOTH LOCATIONS. AND, WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES WARRANT, WE'LL HAVE ACCESS TO THAT CONTRACT FOR OFF DUTY SWORN OFFICERS. OKAY. THANK U VERY MUCH, COUNCILWOMAN PARKER. LW PSHGH.GOOD AFTERNOON. I COULDN'T GET OFF MUTE. THANK YOU. I MY QUESTION IS AROUND THE SHABBY LIBRARY. BUT BEFORE THEN, I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR MASTER'S FACILITY PLAN ONE TO. I'M GETTING A LOT OF CALLS. MY TEAM HAS MET WITH YOUR TEAM AT THE WELL, THE STAFF AT THE LIBRARY, AND THEN THE MAYOR OF SHIVELY IS ALSO INTERESTED IN THE CITY COUNCIL. CITY COUNCIL TO HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE THAT. SHIVELY REVISED SHIVELY, LIBRARY BE A REALITY, THE, I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT THE SECURITY CAMERAS, AND WE AND THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING THAT ALL LIBRARIES ARE IMPORTANT AND BECAUSE THEY ALL ARE PILLARS TO THEIR COMMUNITY. AND SO DESIGN USAGE AND ALL THOSE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT AS YOU TALK ABOUT THE, YOU KNOW, CLOSING THE GAPS AND THE HEARING, THE UPDATES YOU'VE MADE FROM THE TEN YEAR PLAN. MY QUESTION IS AROUND AROUND. LET ME SEE. OH, YEAH. SO THINKING ABOUT THE FUNDING AND IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU SAID THAT BEYOND THAT 2 MILLION THAT THAT WOULD BE NEEDED BY 2026, ARE THERE ANY OTHER EXPECTED CUTS WITH THE PROPOSED BUDGET THAT WE SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT, OR ARE YOU DO YOU FEEL LIKE EVERYTHING IS IN A GOOD PLACE WITH THAT? JUST CONSIDERING THE PROPOSED BUDGET, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN ALL THE EXISTING PROGRAMING, OR WOULD YOU HAVE TO MAKE CUTS, SO OUR PLAN IS TO CONTINUE DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FISCAL YEAR AND MORE IN THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR. ONE OF THE THINGS, OF COURSE, THAT WILL ALLOW US TO DO THAT IS BRINGING A WHOLE NEW LIBRARY ONLINE, AND THE EXPANDED PORTLAND WILL ALSO BE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THAT LOCATION, WE'RE ALSO ADDING A FEW STAFF POSITIONS AT PORTLAND, PRIOR TO IT CLOSING FOR RENOVATION, IT WAS OPEN FEWER HOURS THAN ALMOST ALL OF OUR OTHER LIBRARIES. THERE ARE THREE LIBRARIES IN OUR SYSTEM, THE WESTERN BRANCH, THE FAIRDALE BRANCH, AND THE PORTLAND BRANCH THAT WERE OPEN, I THINK EIGHT FEWER HOURS PER WEEK THAN ALMOST ALL OF THE OTHER LIBRARIES. OUR REGIONALS ARE OPEN LONGER HOURS THAN ALL OF THE OTHER LIBRARIES, SO WE'LL SEE. EXTENDED HOURS AT PORTLAND.
WE'LL SEE PARKLAND OPEN, WHICH WILL GIVE US CAPACITY TO DO THINGS WE HAVEN'T BEEN DOING.
WHAT I WOULD THE ONLY CUT THAT I WOULD ANTICIPATE IS THAT ALL DEPARTMENTS HAVE BEEN ASKED TO LOOK FOR, A LINE ITEM OR LINE ITEMS IN THE BUDGET, THAT MAY HAVE AT ONE TIME BEEN REALLY CRITICAL TO THE OPERATION, BUT THAT MAY NOT BE AS CRITICAL AS THEY USED TO BE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT IS UTILIZATION OF OUR ONLINE RESEARCH DATABASES. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF THINGS RANGING FROM ACCESS TO ANCESTRY.COM, TO THE MORNING STAR MUTUAL FUND.
RESEARCH DOCUMENTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO ANYONE WITH A LIBRARY CARD, SOME OF THOSE ARE UTILIZED MUCH MORE HEAVILY THAN OTHERS. ANCESTRY IS WILDLY POPULAR. THE COURIER JOURNAL IS WILDLY POPULAR. THERE ARE SOME OF THOSE THAT ARE A LITTLE MORE, ESOTERIC, MAYBE. AND SO WE ARE GOING TO BE LOOKING FOR WAYS THAT WE CAN, ELIMINATE SOME COSTS THAT WILL NOT HAVE A VERY LARGE IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, I'M NOT ANTICIPATING STOPPING ANYTHING THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING SO FAR. THANK YOU. AND MY LAST QUESTION, MR. CHAIR. DO YOU HAVE A DETAILED PLAN FOR THE IMPR A SMALL LIBRARY. IT'S USED A
[00:45:06]
GREAT DEAL, AND THERE'S OTHER LIBRARIES, AND I KNOW THAT EVEN THOUGH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A MASTER PLAN COMING DOWN THE ROAD FOR IMPROVEMENT, FOR, YOU KNOW, OTHER ISSUES, JUST THINKING AROUND, LIKE, DEFERRED MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENTS ARE. DO YOU HAVE A DETAILED LIST OF WHAT THOSE IMPROVEMENTS WOULD BE? SO, SO WHAT I HAVE SO EARLIER, COUNCILMAN PIAGENTINI WAS REFERENCED A ONE PAGE SUMMARY DOCUMENT THAT YOU ALL HAVE. I HAVE SOME SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS THAT GO ALONG WITH THAT, WHICH ARE PROJECTIONS FOR, IF WE BUILD A NEW SHIVELY LIBRARY, HOW BIG WOULD IT BE, OR IF WE EXPAND MIDDLETOWN, HOW MUCH WOULD WE EXPAND IT? THOSE DETAILS WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE PACKET THAT WE SENT TO YOU. AND I WILL BE HAPPY TO. IT'S A SPREADSHEET WITH JUST DIFFERENT COLUMNS THAT WE'VE BRAINSTORMED AND PLANNED INTO, SO I COULD CERTAINLY SEND YOU THAT, BUT I THINK ALL OF THAT WILL BE SORT OF CAUGHT UP INTO THE NEW MASTER FACILITIES PLAN, WHICH WILL CERTAINLY HAVE MUCH MORE SPECIFIC LIKE GUIDELINES FOR WHAT WE THINK IS NEEDED AT ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT PLACES. AND THE ONE THING THAT I WANT TO MAKE SURE I EMPHASIZE IS, DURING MY TIME HERE, IS THAT ONE THING IS MORE CLEAR THAN ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT LIBRARY FACILITIES BEYOND THE FOUR CURRENT CAPITAL PROJECTS, AND THAT IS THAT THERE ARE NO TWO PROJECTS THAT ARE MORE URGENT THAN FINDING A SOLUTION FOR THE HIGHLAND SHELBY PARK LIBRARY, BECAUSE OF THE UNCERTAINTY AND INADEQUACY OF MID CITY MALL AND FINDING A SOLUTION FOR THE SHIVELY LIBRARY, BECAUSE FOR ITS LEVEL OF UTILIZATION, THE POPULATION IT SERVES AND THE NEEDS THERE, IT IS FAR FROM WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THERE. THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN PURVIS. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. MR. BIRCHFIELD, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. I WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU COULD GIVE US AN UPDATE ON PORTLAND LIBRARY, WHAT IS OUR ANTICIPATED COMPLETION DATE? ALL RIGHT, SO CAN I JUST SUGGEST, CAN YOU JUST MAKE IT VERY QUICK SINCE YOU'VE ALREADY BEEN THROUGH. SO THE PORTLAND LIBRARY, WE, WE EXPECT THEM TO COMPLETE CONSTRUCTION IN ABOUT MARCH OF NEXT YEAR. SO MARCH OF 2025. AND I'M HOPING TO HAVE IT OPEN IN TIME FOR SUMMER READING ON JUNE 1ST. AND WE WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED IF THAT TIMELINE SHOULD CHANGE. AND IF IT DOES, HOPEFULLY IT WILL BECOME SOONER AND NOT LATER. THANK YOU. AND ONE MORE QUESTION, PLEASE. WHAT, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT SECURITY AT SHAWNEE? SO I, I ADDRESSED THIS IN SOME DETAIL A LITTLE EARLIER, AT SHAWNEE, WE HAVE INSTALLED THE SECURITY CAMERAS. WE'VE INCREASED THE SECURITY, GUARDS THAT WE HAVE THERE, AND WE NOW HAVE IN PLACE A CONTRACT FOR OFF DUTY SWORN POLICE OFFICERS THAT WE CAN HAVE BE AT A BRANCH WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES WARRANT IT, AND I'M PREPARED TO DO THAT AS OFTEN OR AS LITTLE AS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT THE STAFF AND PATRONS OF THE SHAWNEE LIBRARY FEEL SAFE WHILE THEY'RE THERE. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN RENO WEBER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALL OF THE AMAZING WORK THAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM DO, YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS A LITTLE BIT, BUT I'D LOVE TO HEAR YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE PROCESS FOR AS WE FINISH THESE ALL VERY IMPORTANT PROJECTS, AT SOME POINT THERE IS A COMMON UNDERSTANDING THAT, COUNCILWOMAN CHAPPELL AND I ARE GOING TO BOTH WANT OUR LIBRARIES SOMEWHERE ELSE, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE MASTER PLANNING PROCESS THAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT, OR HOW WE UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE MEDIUM TERM? SURE, SURE. SO WE'VE BEEN ENGAGED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW IN A PLANNING PROCESS THAT'S BEING LED BY A COMPANY CALLED GROUP FOR ARCHITECTURE, THEY ARE BASED IN THE BAY AREA OF CALIFORNIA, AND THIS IS SORT OF ONE OF THEIR SPECIALTIES. THEY RECENTLY DID A MASTER FACILITIES PLAN FOR THE LEXINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF MEETINGS WITH LIBRARY STAFF AND STAKEHOLDERS. THEY CAME TO TOWN. WE VISITED OUR ALL OF OUR LIBRARY BRANCHES, WE ARE ALSO RELYING HEAVILY ON, IN A LOT OF THE DATA GATHERING WORK THAT WENT INTO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2040, RATHER THAN REDO THAT WORK, WE'RE TAKING THAT DOCUMENT SERIOUSLY AND ASSUMING THAT'S A FAIRLY ACCURATE PICTURE OF WHAT THE COMMUNITY WILL LOOK LIKE IN 2040, AND ASKING THE QUESTION, WHAT WILL THE COMMUNITY'S LIBRARY SYSTEM NEED TO LOOK LIKE TO SUPPORT THAT COMMUNITY, SO WE HAVE HAD MEETINGS WITH STAKEHOLDERS THAT INCLUDE THE[00:50:03]
LIBRARY ADVISORY COMMISSION, THE LIBRARY FOUNDATION BOARD, THE STAFF OF THE LIBRARY FOUNDATION, WE DID A STAFF SURVEY OF OUR LIBRARY STAFF AND GAVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO JUST SEND IN FREE TEXT, PRAISE OR COMPLAINTS ABOUT VARIOUS ASPECTS OF OUR CURRENT LIBRARIES, AND PARTICULARLY THE ONES WE'VE DESIGNED AND BUILT RECENTLY, BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO REPEAT RECENT MISTAKES AND WE WANT TO SOLVE LONG STANDING PROBLEMS, I AM CURRENTLY IN POSSESSION OF A DRAFT OF THAT DOCUMENT THAT I WAS SENT BY THE LEAD ARCHITECT WORKING ON IT. I GOT THAT ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF, SUPPLEMENTING THE WORK THAT THEY HAVE DONE WITH OUR INITIAL COST ESTIMATES FOR WHAT IT WILL COST TO CONSTRUCT AND OPERATE THE EXPANDED LIBRARY SYSTEM. THAT'S DEFINED IN THAT DOCUMENT, ONCE WE HAVE FILLED ALL THE BLANKS IN AND HAVE A COMPLETED DRAFT DOCUMENT THAT, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M LOOKING TO DO IS TO SET UP MEETINGS WITH KEY FOLKS FROM EITHER METRO COUNCIL OR THE CAUCUSES, OR PERHAPS A COMMITTEE TO REVIEW THAT DRAFT WITH YOU ALL AT THE SAME TIME. I'M ALREADY ACTIVELY OUT TALKING TO PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, TOMORROW EVENING I'LL GO AND SPEAK WITH THE FRIENDS OF THE MIDDLETOWN LIBRARY TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT WHAT I'M ANTICIPATING BEING, IN THAT IN TERMS OF A PROPOSAL FOR MIDDLETOWN, AND SO WE WILL, OVER THE COMING WEEKS, CONTINUE TO HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THAT, TO LET THEM KNOW THE DIRECTION THAT WE'RE HEADED. GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I KNOW WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO BEING A PART OF THAT CONVERSATION. AND HIGHLANDS PEEPS, THAT IN NO WAY MEANS I'VE GOT ANY MORE INFORMATION ABOUT MID CITY MALL COUNCILWOMAN PARKER. YES, THANK YOU DIRECTOR, MY QUESTION WAS IN REGARDS TO THE DIFFERENT LIBRARY PROGRAMING, WHEN WE DO OUR EXTERNAL AGENCY FUNDS, ONE OF THE BIG QUESTIONS THAT WE ALWAYS ASK IS FOR THEM TO PROVIDE, OUR EMS OR MEASURABLE OUTCOMES. AND I THINK YOU ALL WERE ASKED IN YOUR PACKET TO PROVIDE THOSE, AND THEY WEREN'T SEEN. SO IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN PROVIDE TO US OR WAS IT JUST MISSED OR, IF IT WAS ASKED FOR IT WAS. SO I WAS ASSIGNED CERTAIN SECTIONS AND THAT WAS NOT ONE OF THE SECTIONS I WAS ASSIGNED. I WILL GO BACK AND LOOK AT THAT, AND I WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE GET YOU, A SUITABLE RESPONSE TO THAT. OKAY THAT WOULD BE APPRECIATED. COUNCIL.THANK YOU SO MUCH. COUNCILWOMAN FOWLER. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR, HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY? GLAD TO HAVE YOU BEFORE US. I'VE GOT A QUESTION ABOUT UPKEEP AND THE FOR THE GROUNDS IN OUR EXISTING, LIBRARIES. YOU KNOW, THE ONES THAT ARE NOT BEING RENOVATED AND HAVE A LANDSCAPING PLAN, SOUTHWEST LIBRARY IS JUST JUST BARE DIRT. THERE'S NO LANDSCAPING, THERE'S NO MULCH, THERE'S NOTHING. AND I, I JUST WONDERED, IS THAT PUBLIC WORKS? IS THAT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR BRIGHT SIDE? HOW DO WE, NORMALLY MAINTAIN AND UPKEEP, OUR OUR BEDS AT THE EXISTING LIBRARIES? YES. SO I, I WOULD SAY NOT. WELL, I, I HAVE SEEN A FORMER MAYOR, GET OUT AT A BRANCH AND STOP AND PULL WEEDS BEFORE HE WENT INTO THE LIBRARY FOR A PROGRAM, I TAKE THAT VERY PERSONALLY AND VERY SERIOUSLY, WE HAVE SOME BEAUTIFUL LIBRARY BUILDINGS, AND I WOULD INCLUDE IN THAT, THE MAIN LIBRARY AND PARTICULARLY THE CARNEGIE LIBRARY ON YORK STREET. AND HISTORICALLY, OUR LIBRARY HAS NOT HAD THE FUNDS THAT WE NEED TO MAINTAIN THE GROUNDS AT THE LEVEL THAT THEY NEED TO BE MAINTAINED, I WOULD NOT SAY THAT IT IS THE FAULT OF PUBLIC WORKS.
THE LIBRARY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE UPKEEP OF OUR OUR, BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS. AND WE HAVE A LINE ITEM FOR LANDSCAPING. AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT IT PRIMARILY GOES TO COVER THE COSTS OF LAWN MOWING AND THE PUTTING OUT OF MULCH, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH TREES LOUISVILLE TO, TO LEVERAGE THEIR, ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LIBRARY TO BE ABLE TO PLANT TREES AT A LOT OF OUR LIBRARIES.
BUT THERE IS A LONG TERM NEED FOR ME TO DEVELOP A STRATEGY FOR HOW WE ARE GOING TO, SET A NEW
[00:55:02]
STANDARD AND BUILD A NEW TRADITION IN, IN OUR LIBRARY SYSTEM OF HAVING GROUNDS THAT ARE AS BEAUTIFUL AS THE LIBRARIES WE HAVE. ONE OF THE KEY PLACES THAT I WILL BE GOING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN IS THE LIBRARY FOUNDATION , BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THAT I FEEL LIKE, SPENDING LAVISHLY ON GROUNDS AND GARDENS AT OUR LIBRARIES IS, A SUITABLE THING, A SUITABLE PRIORITY FOR A LIBRARY DIRECTOR WHO IS WELL AWARE BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION OF OUR LIBRARIES, OF SOME OF THE CHALLENGES, SOME OF OUR COMMUNITIES ARE FACING. SO WHAT I AM LOOKING TO DO IS FIND A WAY TO BUILD COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND PERHAPS CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP FOR ADOPTING, A SPECIFIC LIBRARY, HAVING VOLUNTEERS WHO WILL COME OUT AND DO SOME OF THE WORK, BUT ALSO WHO WILL DONATE FUNDING SO THAT WE CAN DRAMATICALLY RAISE THE STANDARD OF HOW OUR LIBRARIES LOOK, OUTSIDE THE DOORS OF THE BUILDING. I APPRECIATE THAT, I SO YOU HAVE YOUR OWN GROUNDSKEEPING CREW? WELL, WE DO NOT HAVE A CREW. WE HAVE A CONTRACT WITH A VENDOR WHO COMES IN AND MOWS THE LAWN AND SPREADS MULCH. AND LIKE MANY VENDOR RELATIONSHIPS IN METRO GOVERNMENT, SOMETIMES THEY DON'T MOW AS OFTEN AS WE THINK THEY SHOULD BE. AND SOMETIMES THEY DON'T SPREAD MULCH UNTIL WE CALL AND COMPLAIN ABOUT IT. SO WE ARE OR WE ARE WORKING WITH THAT VENDOR TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND OUR EXPECTATIONS AND THAT WE'RE GETTING EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE PAYING FOR OFF THAT CONTRACT AT THE SAME TIME, THOSE CONTRACTS DO NOT PROVIDE FOR SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK THE COMMUNITY WOULD LIKE TO SEE US DOING AT BRANCHES, LIKE MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE FLOWER BEDS THAT HAVE, FLOWERS THAT ARE ARE DESIGNED FOR DIFFERENT SEASONS OF THE YEAR AND MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT TREES PLANTED, TO REALLY HIGHLIGHT THE BUILDING. SO I'M LOOKING BEYOND THAT JUST BECAUSE OF THE BUDGET REALITIES THAT WE DEAL WITH. I'M I'M LOOKING FOR SOME PRIVATE MONEY SOLUTIONS TO COME INTO THAT. OKAY I APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN NO MULCH IN FRONT OF THE SOUTHWEST LIBRARY FOR PROBABLY 3 OR 4 YEARS, BUT, YOU KNOW, I'D BE HAPPY TO WORK WITH WHOMEVER TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN, BECAUSE IT'S REALLY NOT A WHOLE LOT OF EXPENSE, TO DO THAT. AND I'M SURE THERE'S SEVERAL OF THE, MEMBERS FROM OUT IN THE SOUTHWEST AREA THAT WOULD BE HAPPY TO, GIVE YOU SOME MDF FUNDS TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. ALL RIGHT. AND I WILL SPECIFICALLY CHECK ON SOUTHWEST BECAUSE PART OF WHAT I'M SAYING ABOUT MULCH IS WE ARE ALREADY PAYING SOMEONE TO PUT MULCH OUT. AND SO IF THEY'RE NOT DOING IT, WE NEED TO FIND OUT WHY THAT'S NOT HAPPENING AND GET THAT DONE. THERE'S NOTHING TO MULCH. THAT'S THE PROBLEM. THERE IS NO LANDSCAPING. SO I WILL TALK TO CINDY SOLOMON AND SEE IF WE CAN GET A COUPLE OF FLOWERING TREES OR SOMETHING. FOR THOSE BEDS AND GET BACK WITH YOU. ALL RIGHT. COUNCILMAN CHAPPELL. I RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT DOLLY PARTON, BLESS HER SWEET SOUL, ONLY COVERS THE ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS FOR AN IMAGINATION LIBRARY. AND EACH PROGRAM IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SOURCING, FUNDING FOR BOOKS AND POSTAGE, THIS YEAR, DOLLY PARTON'S IMAGINATION LIBRARY OF LOUISVILLE HAD AN ASK OF $150,000, TO SUPPORT THEIR PROGRAMING IN JEFFERSON COUNTY FOR THE MAYOR'S BUDGET. HOWEVER, IT WAS OMITTED. SO GIVEN THAT THEY SERVE NEARLY 14,000 STUDENTS OR CHILDREN, IN JEFFERSON COUNTY AND YOUR MISSIONS ALIGN, IS THERE ANY WAY THAT MONEY CAN BE SPENT WITHIN YOUR BUDGET TO FUND THIS VERY IMPORTANT PROGRAM? WELL, I'M CERTAINLY OPEN TO THE IDEA. I KNOW THAT THERE ARE PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN THE STATE, WHO ARE FOR THEIR COUNTY. THE OFFICIAL PARTNER OF THE DOLLY PARTON IMAGINATION LIBRARY. I KNOW HERE LOCALLY, THERE'S A SEPARATE 500 AND 1C3 THAT'S BEEN CREATED. I'VE BEEN IN CONVERSATION WITH MARIA GORAN ABOUT THAT AND THE ROLE THAT WE HAVE BEEN FILLING SO FAR IS THAT WE ARE MAKING SURE THAT OUR STAFF, HAVE READY ACCESS TO ALL THE INFORMATION ABOUT WHICH AREAS OF OUR, CITY ARE ELIGIBLE AND ARE DOING WHAT THEY CAN TO MAKE SURE AS MANY KIDS AS POSSIBLE SIGN UP. I'M HAPPY TO INITIATE A CONVERSATION , WITH THE LIBRARY FOUNDATION, WITH DEPUTY MAYOR. GEORGE AND WITH OMB ABOUT WHAT IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE FOR US TO DO IN TERMS OF, PROVIDING FUNDING TO SUPPORT THAT, AT THE SAME TIME, I'M ALSO[01:00:03]
AWARE THAT OUR OWN BOOK BUDGET IS BARELY ADEQUATE FOR US TO BUY THE MATERIALS THAT WE NEED TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY, SO I, I THINK WE WOULD WANT TO THINK CREATIVELY ABOUT WHERE THAT FUNDING MIGHT COME FROM, BUT I, I THINK IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM, CHILDREN HAVING BOOKS IN THEIR HOMES IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF STATE MONEY AVAILABLE, AND I DON'T KNOW, HOW NOW, THE MONEY NOT IN THE CITY BUDGET WILL MIGHT IMPACT THEIR THE LOCAL DOLLY PARTON IMAGINATION LIBRARIANS ABILITY TO LEVERAGE THAT MONEY. BUT I'M HAPPY TO TALK WITH BOTH THE STATE COORDINATOR, HE IS A COLLEAGUE OF MINE WHO USED TO BE A LIBRARY DIRECTOR, AT A COUNTY LIBRARY HERE. AND HAPPY TO WORK WITH MARIA, DEPUTY MAYOR GEORGE AND OMB. SO. THANK. GOOD. WE HAVE NO OTHER SPEAKERS. SO PRETTY CLOSE TO ON TIME. WE'RE FINISHED. THANK YOU SO MUCH.YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR. WE WILL MOVE ON TO, OCEAN AND COME ON DOWN. AS SOON AS WE HAVE THE TRANSITION, WE'LL GET STARTED. THANK YOU. IT'S SO HARD TO FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.
WHAT? SOMEBODY ASKS FOR IT. IT'S LIKE, I KNOW IT'S IN HERE. I KNOW IT'S IN HERE.
SO. THAT COULD BE, I GUESS IT WAS JUST A COPY. MARY, HERE'S A COPY OF WHAT YOU ALL SUBMITTED.
OKAY. YEAH WHAT'S THE PERCENTAGE OF OUR BUDGET? YOU KNOW, IS IT, LIKE, THREE, 2? I DON'T KNOW IF I ASKED THAT I HAVE A DOLLAR AMOUNT. I WAS JUST CURIOUS.
THAT'S 2 MILLION. YEAH, I HAVE THE DOLLAR AMOUNT, BUT THE LAST TIME, THE OTHER DAY LAST YEAR, I WAS PERCENT. SO SOMEWHERE AROUND 2. I GOT AN EXTRA. OH, NO, I DON'T HAVE AN EXTRA CHAIR. NO.
WHAT. ONE OF THESE. THAT'S RIGHT. I JUST ESTIMATE, WHAT, 22. I THINK. HEY.
YOU READY? YEP. OKAY. WELCOME BACK. I'M RICK BLACKWELL, CHAIR OF BUDGET COMMITTEE, AND JOINED.
I'M NOT JOINED BY MY VICE CHAIR, KEVIN KRAMER. I'M SURE HE'LL BE HERE IN A SECOND, AND ALSO, COMMITTEE MEMBERS, SHAMIKA PARISH, RIGHT, IS VIRTUAL, PAULA . TRINI, COUNCILWOMAN MCCRANEY IS IN CHAMBERS. COUNCILMAN RENO WEBBER IS IN CHAMBERS. COUNCILMAN OWEN IS IN CHAMBERS.
[01:05:03]
COUNCILWOMAN FOWLER IS VIRTUAL. COUNCILWOMAN PARKER IS VIRTUAL. COUNCILWOMAN PIAGENTINI WAS HERE A MINUTE AGO. HE'LL BE BACK, I'M SURE. AND COUNCILMAN. COUNCILWOMAN RUIZ AND, IS VIRTUAL. AND COUNCILWOMAN HAWKINS IS HERE AS A REMINDER OF THE DEPARTMENTS WON'T BE MAKING[ ID 24-0278 Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods]
OPENING COMMENTS. WE'LL BEGIN IMMEDIATELY WITH THE QUESTION. AND I WANT TO REMIND YOU BEFORE WE START, THAT THE 6.7 MILLION OPERATING BUDGET, THERE ARE SOME SYSTEM CONVERSION ISSUES. AGAIN FOR THIS, MAKING COMPARISONS BETWEEN THE LAST THREE YEARS UNRELIABLE BETWEEN AGENCY AND STATE AND FEDERAL GRANTS. ADDITIONALLY, OCEAN MANAGES SEVERAL MILLIONS OF ART PROJECTS WHICH ARE NOT CONTAINED IN THE FISCAL YEAR 25 BUDGET DOCUMENT. WELCOME, DIRECTOR, LET ME START OFF BY ASKING ABOUT THE FEDERAL GRANT. THIS, I'M NOT SURE HOW YOU, IF YOU CALL IT AS THIS SAM H.S.A, DO YOU. YEAH. DOES IT HAVE A PET NAME OR DO I JUST SAY SAM, HHS CALL IT SAMHSA, SAMHSA.ALL RIGHT, JUST CURIOUS, YOU KNOW, ABOUT. SO WE'VE BEEN GETTING ABOUT $1 MILLION A YEAR FOR THAT PROJECT, AND JUST SO CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR WITH THAT. AND THEN WHAT'S THE WHAT'S THE PROJECTED, FOCUS FOR THIS YEAR FOR THAT, FOR THOSE, FOR THAT GRANT MONEY.
YEAH. GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIRMAN BLACKWELL AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. YEAH, OUR SAMHSA GRANT IS FUNDS, A LARGE PART OF OUR TRAUMA RESILIENT COMMUNITIES DIVISION, AND THAT'S A DIVISION THAT FOCUSES ON MENTAL HEALTH SPECIFICALLY WITH AN EMPHASIS ON TRAUMA RELATED TO EXPOSURE TO GANG VIOLENCE, GUN VIOLENCE, OR GANG VIOLENCE OR RACIAL TRAUMA, EXPOSURE RELATED TO RACISM AND, AND OTHER ISSUES THAT THAT THAT PLAGUE A LOT OF OUR COMMUNITIES, WE'VE BEEN FORTUNATE IN HAVING A GOOD PARTNER WITH SAMHSA. WE ORIGINALLY GOT A $5 MILLION GRANT THAT DATES ALL THE WAY BACK TO 2018, EACH YEAR, FUNDING US AT $1 MILLION, FOR THAT PROGRAM. THE FIRST ROUND OF FUNDING REALLY WENT TO BUILDING CAPACITY. SO WE FUNDED A LARGE NUMBER OF PROGRAMS THAT TRAINED COUNSELORS IN A WIDE VARIETY OF DIFFERENT MEASURES, DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROGRAMS THAT COULD ADDRESS, TRAUMA, WE CERTIFIED A LOT OF DIFFERENT PROGRAMS AND BROUGHT NEW PROGRAMS IN THAT ADDRESSED TRAUMA. THIS YEAR, WE APPLIED AGAIN, WE RECEIVED ANOTHER $4 MILLION. SO IN ADDITION TO THE ORIGINAL FIVE, WE RECEIVED ANOTHER $4 MILLION. 1 MILLION FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, THIS YEAR, WE'RE LOOKING AT BUILDING CAPACITY OF REALLY GETTING DIRECTLY INTO DIRECT TRAUMA COUNSELING. SO WE'RE FUNDING A LARGE NUMBER OF PROGRAMS IN, SPANISH SPEAKING COMMUNITIES OR TYPICALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES RIGHT NOW. SO, A LOT OF THAT GOES TO DIRECT SERVICES RELATED TO COMMUNITY. I DON'T HAVE ANYONE IN QUEUE, SO I GUESS YOU'RE FINISHED. OH, THERE'S JENNIFER CHAPEL, COUNCILWOMAN CHAPEL, IS IT? WELL, I'LL LET, SHAMIKA GO FIRST SO I CAN DIGEST MY POP TART. THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN CHAPEL, THANKS FOR BEING HERE. I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU ALL DO. AND I'M IN FULL SUPPORT, WITH THE YOU ALL YOUR DEPARTMENT AND OTHERS WERE ASKED ABOUT THIS 1% CUT. I JUST WANT TO SEE. DO YOU WHAT WOULD ANY CUTS WHAT KIND OF DAMAGE WOULD THAT CAUSE TO YOUR EVERYDAY PROGRAMING. AND THEN THE SECOND PART OF SECOND QUESTION, WHICH IS NOT A PART OF THAT QUESTION, IS DO YOU HAVE, COMMUNITY? SPEAKING OF OUR INTERNATIONAL IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES, LIKE THE SOMALI COMMUNITY THAT ARE DOING A LOT OF GREAT ANTI-VIOLENCE WORK, THAT IS ALSO REDUCING HARM AND REDUCING VIOLENCE? AND THEY'VE HAD, DIFFERENT ACTS AND DIFFERENT WAYS TO BE SUPPORTED. HAVE YOU HAD ANY, BEEN ABLE TO SUPPORT THEM WITH ANY OF YOUR PROGRAMING? YEAH. SO, AGAIN, GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. I DON'T THINK I STATED MY NAME, PAUL COWAN. I'M THE DIRECTOR FOR THE OFFICE FOR SAFE AND HEALTHY NEIGHBORHOODS, TWO QUESTIONS IN THAT STATEMENT. ONE IS THE IMPACT, WE WERE ASKED TO TAKE A $2 MILLION REDUCTION AND OUR CONTRACTUAL SERVICES, CONTRACTUAL SERVICES IS PRIMARILY WHEN WE CONTRACT OUT WITH COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH GRANT AGREEMENTS OR, ORGANIZATIONS OR VENDORS RELATED TO CONTRACTUAL SERVICES, SUPPLIES AND STUFF. SO A $2 MILLION CUT, ROUGHLY IN OUR CONTRACTUAL SERVICES DOES TRANSLATE INTO ALMOST A 60% CUT INTO WHAT WE'RE FUNDING. IN COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS. I WANT TO STATE, THOUGH, THAT I DO SUPPORT THE MAYOR'S BUDGET AS PROPOSED, AND HERE'S WHY I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S A CHALLENGE WITHIN OUR CITY THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS, AND WE HAVE A LOT OF
[01:10:01]
ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE CITY THAT HAVE NEEDS THAT HAVE, POSITIONS THAT NEED TO BE FILLED. AND OUR AGENCY IS A DISCRETIONARY FUNDING AGENCY, WHICH MEANS WE'RE NOT MANDATED BY ANY ORDINANCE TO PROVIDE DIRECT SERVICES, WE'VE ENJOYED A LARGE BENEFIT AND INFLUX OF ARP DOLLARS FROM THE COUNCIL. $25 MILLION WORTH, I, I SUPPORT THE MAYOR'S BUDGET. AND THE FACT THAT I TRUST THE ADMINISTRATION LOOKS AT ALL THE CHALLENGES ACROSS THE ENTIRE CITY AND PREPARED A BUDGET THAT THEY FELT MOST REASONABLE. NOW, THE FACT THAT I SUPPORT THE MAYOR'S BUDGET, DOES THAT MEAN THAT I AGREE WITH ALL OF IT? NO I DON'T, DOES THAT MEAN THAT I AGREE WITH THE IMPACTS THAT IT'S GOING TO HAVE ON OUR ORGANIZATION? NOT REALLY, BUT I THINK WE'VE COME UP WITH EFFORTS THAT ARE GOING TO MEDIATE SOME OF THOSE SOME OF THOSE IMPACTS THAT WE'RE SEEING AT A 60% REDUCTION. WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR PROGRAMS THAT WE FUND, THROUGH GENERAL FUNDS. WE PRIMARILY FUND FOUR AREAS IN OUR GENERAL FUNDS. ONE IS OUR COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION, THESE ARE THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE DIRECTLY OUT AND INTERVENING WITH INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN GUN VIOLENCE IN A DAILY BASIS, THE CUTS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT FOR THAT PROGRAM ARE ROUGHLY $700,000, HOWEVER, WE FEEL THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO OFFSET THOSE CUTS BECAUSE WE DID BRING IN ADDITIONAL DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE GRANTS. SO WE HAVE ANOTHER $500,000 THAT WE BROUGHT IN TO THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE THAT WILL BE REALLOCATING TO THE CVI PROGRAM. SO THERE IS THERE IS AN OFFSET IN THAT AREA IN THE YOUTH PROGRAMS, OUR DIVISION, THESE ARE PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT, YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IN THE COMMUNITY. WE ARE LOOKING AT $1.1 MILLION CUT, TO PROGRAMS ACROSS THE CITY, AGAIN, THAT IS A 69% CUT IN OUR YOUTH PROGRAMS. HOWEVER THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I WANT TO POINT OUT. YOUTH PROGRAMS THAT WE FUND FUND A LARGE VARIETY OF TYPES OF PROGRAMS, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, JOB PROGRAMS, MENTORING TYPE PROGRAMS. BUT THE BUDGET THAT'S PROPOSED BY THE MAYOR, FOR EXAMPLE, INCREASES MONEY TO KENTUCKIANA WORKS, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, JOB PROGRAMS FOR TEENAGERS AND YOUNG ADULTS. THAT'S ALMOST LIKE A DUPLICATION OF WHAT WE DO WITH A LOT OF OUR FUNDING. SO WHILE WE MAY BE REDUCING FUNDING, THERE IS MONEY COMING IN THROUGH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE CITY THAT CAN MAKE UP FOR THESE LOSS OF SERVICES, THERE'S ALSO AN ADDITIONAL $150,000 ADDED TO THE EIFS, WHICH PRIMARILY GO TO YOUTH PROGRAMS AS WELL, TOO. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT OUR ARP SPEND RATE. WE'RE LOOKING AT PROGRAMS UNDER ARP RIGHT NOW, AND HOW OUR AGENCIES AND OUR PARTNERS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH ARE SPENDING THOSE DOLLARS AND ANY UNUSED DOLLARS, AND WE FEEL PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT WE CAN TRANSFER A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY, OVER FROM ARP TO COVER SOME OF THESE EXPENDITURES. SO WE'RE HOPING TO GET THESE EXPENDITURES DOWN ROUGHLY TO ABOUT 50, 50% CUT IN THIS AREA. THE OTHER TWO AREAS THAT WE FUND ARE COMMUNITY BASED PROGRAMING, THIS IS WHERE WE GIVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO DEVELOP THEIR OWN IDEAS ABOUT HOW THEY WANT TO FUND, ADDRESS GUN VIOLENCE IN THE COMMUNITY. LAST YEAR, WE FUNDED, ROUGHLY ABOUT $300,000.WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT $200,000 CUT IN THAT AREA, AND THEN THE FOURTH PROGRAM, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, COUNCILWOMAN, IS, THIS YEAR, WE TOOK A SPECIAL APPROACH. I'M REALLY LOOKING AT THE NEWCOMER COMMUNITIES IN OUR IN OUR COMMUNITY, NOT JUST THE SPANISH SPEAKING COMMUNITIES, BUT ALL THE VARIETY OF REFUGEE SPEAKING COMMUNITIES. AND WE ALLOCATED, ROUGHLY ABOUT $370,000 TO A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS, INCLUDING THE SOMALI COMMUNITY AND OTHERS, OF THAT, WE ANTICIPATE ABOUT A $237,000 CUT, IN THAT AREA, ROUGHLY ABOUT A 63% CUT. SO I WANT TO, THOUGH, PUT THINGS IN INTO PERSPECTIVE. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE OVERALL FUNDING OF OUR AGENCY, WE KIND OF HAVE A HODGEPODGE OF FUNDING SOURCES. WE HAVE ARP FUNDS THAT COME IN. THE COUNCIL AWARDED US $25 MILLION IN ARP FUNDS ONLY TWO YEARS AGO. WE'RE HALFWAY THROUGH ON THOSE FOUR YEAR PROJECTS, IN ADDITION, WE DO GET THE 600 AND NOW $750,000 FROM THE EIFS THAT WE DON'T DETERMINE WHERE IT GOES TO. THERE'S A PROCESS FOR THAT. BUT WE HANDLE THOSE DOLLARS. LAST YEAR, WE BROUGHT IN $1 MILLION, COUNCILMAN, YOU MENTIONED THE SAMHSA GRANT. WE BROUGHT IN $1 MILLION A YEAR, WE ALSO LAST YEAR IT WASN'T REPORTED IN THE BUDGET, IS THAT WE BROUGHT IN AN ADDITIONAL ABOUT $6 MILLION. WE BROUGHT IN A TOTAL $7 MILLION IN FEDERAL GRANTS LAST YEAR. THAT WILL BE APPLIED TO THIS FY 24 AND FY 25 AS WELL, TOO. SO WE BROUGHT IN A DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE GRANT FOR $1.8 MILLION THAT LOOKS AT COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION AND A NEIGHBORHOOD APPROACH TO VIOLENCE IN THE NEWBURGH NEIGHBORHOOD. WE BROUGHT IN $250,000 IN THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE GRANTS FOR YOUTH PREVENTION, LOOKING AT SECONDARY PREVENTION EFFORTS, WE BROUGHT IN, ROUGHLY $100,000 FROM THE BLOOMBERG FOUNDATION TO LOOK AT, SORT OF FIXING UP, 18 ALLEYWAYS IN THE SHAWNEE NEIGHBORHOOD. SO WE BROUGHT IN A FAIR AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT I THINK IS GOING TO OFFSET SOME OF THE REDUCTIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN ASKED TO MAKE. SO IN REALITY, LAST YEAR, WE ESTIMATED THAT WE ALLOCATED ABOUT $5.1 MILLION TO COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS
[01:15:05]
UNDER THE PROPOSED CUTS. THIS YEAR, WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT 3,000,000.7 THAT THAT WILL BE GIVING OUT, TO COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS. SO REALLY THE TOTAL REDUCTION GOES FROM 2 MILLION TO ABOUT $1.4 MILLION. BUT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT OTHER AVENUES TO PICK PICK UP ON THAT.SO WE ARE LOOKING AT GOING AFTER MORE AGGRESSIVELY FEDERAL GRANTS. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT SIX DIFFERENT FEDERAL GRANTS RIGHT NOW THIS YEAR BASED ON OUR TRACK RECORD, WE'VE BEEN DOING FAIRLY WELL. WE ANTICIPATE WE'LL GET SOME OF THOSE GRANTS WILL BE APPLIED TOWARDS NEXT YEAR'S FUNDING AS WELL, TOO, AGAIN, WE ARE CONSISTENTLY LOOKING THROUGH OUR ARP FUNDS THAT ARE AVAILABLE. WE'RE LOOKING AT ORGANIZATIONS PERHAPS THAT ARE NOT SPENDING THEIR DOLLARS, ARE NOT GOING TO SPEND THEIR DOLLARS AND REMOVING THOSE DOLLARS AND GIVING THEM MAYBE TO GENERAL FUND ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE THAT ARE DOING GOOD WORK. IN ADDITION , WE ALREADY LOOKED THROUGH OUR OPERATIONAL BUDGET. WE CUT A LARGE MONEY FROM THAT, LOOKING AT THE BUDGET AGAIN, WE'RE OPTIMISTIC. WE FEEL COMFORTABLE WE CAN CUT ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, $100,000 OR SOMETHING FROM OUR INTERNAL OPERATIONAL, BUDGET THAT'S GOING ON. AND IN ADDITION, WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS, A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE FORGET THAT YOU KNOW, MY PREDECESSOR AT OCEAN WORKED WITH OTHERS AND SET UP THE HEALING FUND THROUGH THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, WHICH IS A CONSORTIUM OF NONPROFIT AND ORGANIZATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY, PHILANTHROPISTS, THAT CONTRIBUTE MONEY THERE, CONTRIBUTE TO RAISING $12 MILLION. SO EACH YEAR THEY'RE GIVING ROUGHLY ABOUT $1 MILLION AWAY TO PREVENTION PROGRAMS AS WELL, TOO. SO I SAY ALL THAT BECAUSE OUR GOAL IS REALITY IS TO GET DOWN THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CUTS TO COMMUNITY BASED PROGRAMS, LESS THAN $1 MILLION. AND IF WE CAN GET THERE AND WE FEEL CONFIDENT THAT WE CAN DO THAT, WE CAN ABSORB THAT CUT. BECAUSE LAST YEAR WE TERMINATED TWO CONTRACTS FROM OUR FROM OUR, LIST OF PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH . ONE CONTRACT WAS FOR 575,000. THE OTHER CONTRACT WAS FOR 325,000. THOSE TWO CONTRACTS ALONE ACCOUNT FOR $900,000. SO THE REALITY IS, WHILE THE CUTS ARE STEEP AND THEY'RE THEY'RE DIFFICULT, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS WE THINK WE CAN MAINTAIN THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT'S GOING BACK OUT TO THE COMMUNITY. FOR THE MOST PART, THAT WON'T HAVE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT, WHAT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT ON DOING ON THIS IS, IS ALSO IT ALLOWS US AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY TO BEGIN LOOKING AT OUR PROGRAMS. AND WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE OFFICE FOR SAFE AND HEALTHY NEIGHBORHOODS? AND, AND I THINK THE PURPOSE OF OUR ORGANIZATION GOT LOST, WHEN WE GOT ARP FUNDS. AND I WAS GRATEFUL FOR THE ARP FUNDS THAT WE RECEIVED, BUT WE RECEIVED ALMOST $25 MILLION, AND WE WERE GIVEN DIRECTIVES THAT YOU GOT TO GET RID OF THIS MONEY, YOU GOT TO PUT IT OUT IN THE COMMUNITY QUICKLY. AND WE DID. SO WE BECAME KNOWN AS REALLY A FUNDING AGENCY. WE FUNDED A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY, THAT'S GOING OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY. IN FACT, I THINK WE HAVE $13 MILLION IN ARP FUNDS THAT ARE SET TO EXPIRE IN DECEMBER OF THIS YEAR WHEN REALITY, OUR OFFICE IS SIMILAR TO ANY OTHER CITY'S OFFICE, OFFICE SAFE AND HEALTHY NEIGHBORHOODS. WE SERVE THREE PURPOSES, REALLY. IN THE FIRST PURPOSE IS WELL. THE PRIMARY GOAL OF OUR OFFICE IS TO BUILD AN EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT AND A SUSTAINABLE GUN VIOLENCE REDUCTION FRAMEWORK. AND WE CAN'T DO THAT IF WE'RE JUST CONSTANTLY GIVING OUT DOLLARS. SO WE HAVE TO LOOK AT HOW DO WE WORK BETTER AS A CITY. SO WE HAVE TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE SILOS OF JUST OCEAN GETTING DOLLARS AND LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, HOW WE'RE JUDGING VIOLENCE PREVENTION OR VIOLENCE INTERVENTION BASED ON THE DOLLARS THAT OCEAN IS GETTING, BUT RATHER LOOK AT THE ENTIRE CITY, THE WHOLE GOVERNMENT, WHERE MONEY IS GOING. SO WE LOOK AT VIOLENCE REDUCTION. IT'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, IT'S HOUSING, IT'S EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS THAT ARE SPREAD OUT THROUGH THE ENTIRE BUDGET WITHIN WITHIN THE METRO GOVERNMENT RIGHT NOW. AND THEN WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT A WHOLE CITY. AS I MENTIONED, IT'S NOT JUST THE CITY'S RESPONSIBILITY, BUT IT'S THE COMMUNITIES AS WELL, TOO.
AND I TALKED ABOUT COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE COMING TOGETHER, PHILANTHROPIC ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE COMING TOGETHER AND POOLING MONEY AND ASSISTING AGENCIES. SO WE SERVE BASICALLY THREE PURPOSES. ONE IS WE BUILD PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN AGENCIES WITHIN METRO GOVERNMENT AND WITHIN THE COMMUNITY ITSELF. HOW DO WE DO BETTER AT WHAT WE'RE DOING? HOW DO WE PREVENT DUPLICATION? HOW DO WE SHARE RESOURCES? THAT'S WHERE WE SEE THE BIGGEST BANG FOR OUR BUCK. THE SECOND IS WE DO STAND AS ADVOCATES TO ENSURE THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS A VOICE AND ENGAGEMENT IN WHAT WE'RE DOING AS A CITY TO ADDRESS VIOLENCE THAT DOES NOT NECESSARILY TRANSLATE INTO WE'RE FUNDING SOURCE, AND OUR JOB IS JUST TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE COMMUNITY. ARE THERE AS WE BUILD CAPACITY AMONGST COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS, WE GIVE THEM AVENUES AND PLATFORMS TO COME UP WITH THEIR OWN SOLUTIONS. AND THEN THE FINAL THING THAT WE DO AS AN AGENCY IS REALLY MOST IMPORTANT IS THAT A SERVICE, THE BACKBONE AGENCY TO THE CITY'S ENTIRE GUN VIOLENCE REDUCTION FRAMEWORK. THAT MEANS IN OUR CITY RIGHT NOW, WE LOOK AT VIOLENCE FROM TEN DIFFERENT AREAS, AND THAT INVOLVES HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE CITY. AND I THINK OUR JOB MAIN RESPONSIBILITY OFFICE FOR SAFE AND HEALTHY NEIGHBORHOODS IS LOOKING AT THAT LARGER FRAMEWORK AND FIGURING OUT HOW WE AS A CITY ARE WORKING TOGETHER IN THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT WAY
[01:20:05]
. MR. CHAIR, I HAD A LAST PART. HE HAD THE MOST DETAILED, EXCELLENT ANSWER. I JUST HAD ONE PART OF THIS. I APPRECIATE THAT, AND UNLIKE SOME OF THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS HERE IN HOW YOU RELATE TO THE MAYOR'S BUDGET, TO YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL WORK AND IMPACT WAS REALLY GREAT, AND I APPRECIATE THAT DETAIL. I DO WANT TO SAY, THOUGH, THAT FOR A LONG TIME, A LOT OF THESE SMALLER GROUPS THAT YOU ARE, YOU'RE WAY MORE THAN A FUNDING ORGANIZATION. THAT IS VERY TRUE.BUT YOU HAVE BEEN A CONNECTOR TO VERY VITAL SERVICES AND SUPPORT TO SO MANY GROUPS WHO WOULD NEVER HAVE THAT KIND OF ACCESS BECAUSE OF YOUR LOW BARRIER FUNDING. SO TO ME, THAT IS PROMISING BECAUSE I'VE SEEN THE WORK ON THE GROUND AND I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO COMMUNITY. I WOULD SAY THOUGH, AS YOU MOVE AND AS YOU ACCEPT THESE CUTS AND CHANGES, THAT YOU STILL BE THAT CONNECTOR TO OTHER AVENUES OF FUNDING FOR THESE SMALLER GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS WHO WILL NOT ALWAYS KNOW WHAT'S COMING DOWN THE PIKE, ALWAYS KNOW OR HAVE THE ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITY TO APPLY FOR FEDERAL FUNDING, BECAUSE THAT IS A BIG NEED, IS PEOPLE HAVING THE ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITY TO BE ABLE TO DO THE WORK. WE KNOW THE WORK IS HAPPENING. WE SEE THE CHANGES AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU'RE YOU'RE DOING. I DO WANT TO SEE A COMMITMENT TO CONTINUING TO BE A CONNECTOR FOR THOSE MANY GROUPS THAT ARE DOING THE WORK, AND THANK YOU FOR THAT VERY DETAILED ANSWER, COUNCILWOMAN CHAPEL, YOU BACK IN? YES. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH, I WANT TO START OFF BY SAYING CODES AND REGULATIONS IS THE ONE TO BEAT. WHEN IT CAME TO AN ORGANIZATIONAL CHART, I THINK I GAVE THEM AN A. I THINK I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU ALL AN A PLUS.
SO I WANT TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS. THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL ORGANIZATIONAL CHART REPRESENTS EVERYONE. IT HAS CLEAR STRUCTURE AND IT'S COLOR CODED. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. I ALSO WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ACKNOWLEDGING THE REDUNDANCIES AMONG LOUISVILLE METRO AGENCIES AND PARTNERS, THAT LED TO THE REDUCTION IN YOUR BUDGET. I THINK OFTEN WE HEAR ABOUT HOW MANY DEPARTMENTS AND ORGANIZATIONS ARE SILOED, AND WE DON'T COMMUNICATE. AND I THINK THAT THERE'S A LOT OF GATEKEEPING GOING ON, AND SO FOR YOUR DEPARTMENT TO SAY, HEY, WE CAN TAKE A REDUCTION, BECAUSE OTHERS ARE DOING THIS WORK AND WE WANT TO HELP UPLIFT THAT, I THINK THAT'S REALLY WONDERFUL. AND I HOPE OTHER PEOPLE CAN, ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AS WELL, TO MY QUESTION, I WAS YOU STARTED TO TALK ABOUT PURPOSE AND HOW A LOT OF IT WAS LOST DURING THE PANDEMIC. AND YOU FEEL LIKE A LOT OF YOUR RESPONSIBILITY IS NOW LOOKING AT THE LARGER FRAMEWORK OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN LOUISVILLE. AND I WAS JUST WONDERING, WOULD YOU SAY THAT YOUR MAIN PURPOSE IS MORE TO PREVENT GUN VIOLEN OR SERVE THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY IT, OROMHI CPLELY DIFFERENT? I THINK IT'S BOTH AND IT'S ALL. AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS IF YOU LOOK AT A CITYWIDE, FRAMEWORK, WE'RE LOOKING AT A NUMBER OF PROJECTS ACROSS THE CITY THAT ADDRESS GUN VIOLENCE, AND YOU ADDRESS GUN VIOLENCE IN THREE DIFFERENT WAYS ACROSS THE SPECTRUM. YOU WANT TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEMS IN THE PAST, WHAT GOT US HERE TODAY, WHAT ARE THE ROOT CAUSES OF VIOLENCE? WE WANT TO DEAL WITH THE VIOLENCE TODAY. HOW DO WE STOP THE SHOOTING? OR A LOT OF PEOPLE REFER TO THAT AS HOW DO WE STOP THE BLEED RIGHT NOW? THAT'S THE DIRECT INTERVENTION. AND THE THIRD COMPONENT OF THAT IS HOW DO WE BUILD A SUSTAINABLE FRAMEWORK IN THE FUTURE, AND THAT'S A CONSTANT DATA EVALUATION LOOKING AT WHAT'S EFFECTIVE, WHAT'S NOT CONSTANTLY CHANGING HOW WE DO THAT AT OCEAN. WE DO, THREE DIFFERENT THINGS. WE LOOK AT GUN VIOLENCE, IN THREE DIFFERENT WAYS. WE LOOK AT THE MICRO LEVEL, AT THE MICRO LEVEL, THAT IS WE LOOK AT WHO SPECIFICALLY IS DRIVING THE VIOLENCE, WHO ARE THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN GUN VIOLENCE, AND WHAT PROGRAMS CAN WE GET TO THEM, THE MICRO LEVEL, WE'RE LOOKING AT THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY GUN VIOLENCE. AND HOW DO WE SERVE THEM? I SEE THAT RIGHT NOW AS ONE OF OUR PRIMARY FUNCTIONS IS STOPPING THE BLEED.
RIGHT NOW, A LOT OF TIMES WE GET PULLED IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. WE HAVE MISSION CREEP. WE'RE PULLED IN A DIRECTION TO SOLVE ALL THE ISSUES THAT WERE IN THE PAST, WHEN IN FACT WE HAVE A SOLID BUDGET PRESENTED IN FRONT OF US BY THE MAYOR'S OFFICE THAT DEALS WITH ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE, THAT DEALS WITH HEALTH INEQUITY, DEALS WITH HOUSING INEQUITY. I DON'T THINK OCEAN SHOULD BE CALLED UPON TO USE OUR FUNDS TO DEAL WITH THOSE PROGRAMS. SO REALISTICALLY, A LOT OF WHAT DROVE US AND GOT US HERE TODAY IS BEING COVERED BY OTHER AGENCIES. SO WE LOOK AT THE STOP THE BLEED. NOW, THE SECOND THING THAT WE LOOK AT IS BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS. WE LOOK AT THE MESO LEVEL LIKE THE MEDIUM, MEDIUM LEVEL. WE GO INTO COMMUNITIES, WE LOOK AT NEIGHBORHOODS AS A WHOLE, AND WE SAY, HOW DO WE BUILD RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THOSE PEOPLE DOING THE WORK AND THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE IMPACTED BY THE VIOLENCE? SO THE ENTIRE NEWBERG GRANT THAT WE GOT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE WAS A CREATIVE IDEA THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FELT NEEDED TO BE FUNDED WAS HOW DO WE INVEST OUR TIME AND EFFORT ON BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS AND BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP TYPE MODEL WITHIN NEWBERG ITSELF? IN A SMALLER NEIGHBORHOOD AREA? AND THEN, OF COURSE, I THINK OUR NUMBER ONE JOB IS OCEAN IS LOOKING AT THAT OVERALL FRAMEWORK AND SOMEBODY HAS TO BE HELD. I MEAN, SOMEHOW AS A CITY, WE HAVE TO HOLD OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE. IF WE AS COLLECTIVELY AS A WHOLE
[01:25:03]
GOVERNMENT OR WHOLE CITY IS LOOKING AT REDUCING VIOLENCE AND ALL THIS WORK IS HAPPENING IN TEN DIFFERENT AREAS AND THERE'S HUNDREDS OF PROGRAMS GOING ON, HOW DO WE AS A CITY, HOLD OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO BE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT, AND WE'RE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION? AND I SEE THAT AS THE ROLE OF OCEAN. SO I PRESENTED TO YOU GUYS, TO, TO ORGANIZATIONAL CHARTS, ONE WAS WHERE WE STAND TODAY. ONE IS WHERE WE SEE OURSELVES IN A FEW MONTHS. WE MADE SOME CHANGES INTERNALLY WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION. WE DID NOT ASK FOR ADDITIONAL DOLLARS. WE MOVED STAFF AROUND ON HOW WE'RE GOING TO MANAGE THAT WHOLE OF CITY FRAMEWORK. A LOT OF THAT IS BUILDING. WE EDITED DIVISION, WHICH IS REALLY POLICY AND ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION, WHICH IS REALLY GOING TO BE LOOKING AND DIGGING INTO NOT JUST WHAT WE'RE DOING, BUT WHAT THE WHOLE CITY IS DOING ON A REGULAR BASIS, THIS PAST YEAR, WE CAME UP WITH A GUN DASHBOARD. WE WORKED WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE TRANSPARENT DATA ON GUN CRIME. WE CAN BREAK IT DOWN BY NEIGHBORHOOD, BY BLOCK. IT ALLOWS US TO DO A LOT WITH THAT. WE KIND OF FORESEEING THE FUTURE, THROUGH OUR OUR, DATA TEAM AND OUR FOLKS AND OUR EVALUATION TEAM WORKING WITH THE DATA FOLKS AND EVALUATION PEOPLE FROM OTHER CITY GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND BUILDING A DASHBOARD, A COLLECTIVE DASHBOARD THAT MEASURES HOW WE AS A CITY ARE DOING TO ADDRESS GUN VIOLENCE, ON HOW WE'RE ADDRESSING THE EQUITY ISSUES OR THE PAST ISSUES, HOW WE'RE STOPPING THE BLEED NOW AND THEN, HOW WE'RE ENSURING WE'RE MOVING FORWARD. COUNCILMAN RANDALL WEBER, FIRST OFF, THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE WONDERFUL WORK THAT YOU DO AND ALL OF THE AGENCIES THAT YOU HAVE FUNDED AND HELPED COORDINATE. I KNOW THIS IS REALLY A VITALLY IMPORTANT PIECE OF WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN OUR COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW. AND CERTAINLY THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE I HEAR FROM MY CONSTITUENTS, SECOND OFF, THANK YOU FOR THE THOROUGHNESS OF YOUR BUDGET PRESENTATION AND YOUR OBVIOUS EFFORTS TO LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING, THE BUDGET REALITIES, AND DO THE BEST THAT YOU CAN TO CONTINUE THIS WORK, BUT REALLY THOROUGH ANALYSIS. AND I JUST REALLY APPRECIATE IT. TAQ, TAKE NOTE. THAT IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, SO THAT, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, THE IT LOOKS LIKE SO MUCH OF YOUR FUNDING HAS BEEN TRADITIONALLY PASSED THROUGH TO THESE AGENCIES, AS YOU REFERENCED. I'M NOT SEEING ANYWHERE IN HERE A LIST OF YOUR PLANS FOR WHAT IS GOING TO GET FUNDED IN THIS NEXT CYCLE. I JUST SEE IT AS SORT OF AN OVERALL. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHERE WE CAN GET THAT OR BRING THAT BACK TO US? YEAH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE CAREFULLY GOING THROUGH WHERE OUR CUTS OR THE REDUCTIONS ARE GOING TO BE, AND IT'S A LITTLE PREMATURE. I KNOW WE'RE GETTING TOWARDS THE END OF THE YEAR. WE KNOW A LOT OF OUR PARTNERS ARE CONCERNED, BUT WE FEEL CONFIDENT, AS I SAID EARLIER, THAT WE THINK WE CAN COVER A LOT OF THESE PROGRAMS BY JUST BEING, CAUTIOUS AND REALIGNING SOME OF OUR EXISTING FUNDING AND STUFF. SO, OUR PRIORITY AND FUNDING IS GOING TO GO TO STOPPING THE BLEED NOW, WHICH IS OUR COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION PROGRAMS. RIGHT SO THOSE PROGRAMS ARE PROBABLY GOING TO SAVE THE BULK OF OUR PROGRAMS, PROBABLY WHAT'S GOING TO GET CUT A LOT IS, NOT A LOT, BUT BUT TAKE THE BIGGEST HIT IS, IS OUR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMING. SO I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, A FEW YEARS BACK, THE COUNCIL PASSED A, ORDINANCE. IT WAS LIKE $1 MILLION FOR LOCAL YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES NETWORK. AND IT WAS REALLY LOOKING AT HOW DO WE BETTER COLLECTIVELY AS A CITY ADDRESS THOSE KIDS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT ARE 16 TO 24 THAT ARE NOT IN SCHOOL, THAT DON'T HAVE A JOB, BUT THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY IN TROUBLE WITH THE LAW, THAT WAS PASSED AND THAT WAS THAT PROGRAM WAS DEVELOPED THROUGH RCS AT THE TIME, AND WE INHERITED AS A TRANSFER OVER TO US ABOUT A YEAR AGO, THOSE PROGRAMS, THREE ORGANIZATIONS HAS RECEIVED 300 AND SOME THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR. THAT'S A MILLION DOLLAR PROGRAM. EVERY YEAR THAT IT GETS JUST GETS FUNDED, WE RECENTLY ARE LOOKING AT EVALUATING THAT PROGRAM ON ITS EFFECTIVENESS. NOW, I DO WANT TO SAY THAT ORGANIZATIONS, AT LEAST TWO OF THE ORGANIZATIONS IS ONE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT THAT WE CUT WAS ONE OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS. WE TERMINATED THEIR CONTRACT, ONE OF THE THREE THAT WAS GETTING MONEY, BUT THE OTHER TWO DO FAIR AMOUNT OF WORK. THEY SERVE A LOT OF KIDS, AND THEY'RE GOOD PROGRAMS. BUT THAT WAS NOT THE POINT OF THE ORDINANCE THAT WAS PASSED. THE POINT OF THE ORDINANCE THAT WAS PASSED WAS, HOW DO WE, AS A CITY, DO A BETTER JOB IN EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY ENSURING THAT THES THESE, THESE, THESE KIDS ARE GETTING THE SERVICES THAT THEY NEED? IT WASN'T JUST SUPPOSED TO BE A DIRECT SERVICE PROVIDER TO THOSE ORGANIZATIONS. SO THOSE ARE THE TYPE OF THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW OF MOVING AWAY FROM, SO PROBABLY SOME CUTS IN THOSE AREAS. CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW, SO MUCH OF THE THIS WORK, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT MOVING UPSTREAM, TO THE PIECES THAT ARE CAUSING THIS ARE MENTAL HEALTH RELATED. COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH FOCUS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE HAD? WELL, I'LL TELL YOU, WE, OUR ENTIRE TRAUMA RESILIENT COMMUNITY DIVISION IS GRANT FUNDED. WE DON'T SPEND ANY, ANY, DOLLARS GENERAL DOLLARS ON, ON THAT AREA. WE PRIMARILY BECAUSE WE BROUGHT IN THE, THE AMOUNT OF[01:30:04]
MONEY FROM THE SAMHSA GRANT, WHICH IS LIKE I SAID, $1 MILLION A YEAR THAT WE'RE FUNDING, THROUGH AARP. WE'RE ALSO FUNDING PROJECTS THAT LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF INDIVIDUALS MENTAL HEALTH ON EXPOSURE TO GUN VIOLENCE. AND WE'VE PILOTED A COUPLE OF PROJECTS. AND LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT I'M LOOKING AT ON THAT. WE PILOT A PROJECT CALLED THE COMMUNITY SANCTUARY PROJECT, AND THAT'S A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN FAITH BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND MENTAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS THAT RESPOND TO COMMUNITIES THAT ARE SUFFERING A LARGE AMOUNT OF SHOOTINGS OR CRITICAL INCIDENT. AND THE IDEA IS TO PROVIDE SPIRITUAL OR EMOTIONAL ASSISTANCE TO THOSE PEOPLE, NOT NECESSARILY THE DIRECT VICTIMS, BUT THOSE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT ARE CONSISTENTLY, CONSISTENTLY EXPOSED TO GUN VIOLENCE. WE'VE DONE ABOUT 30 ACTIVATIONS. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE OVER 5000 PEOPLE SHOW UP AT THESE ACTIVATE. WE'RE AVERAGED ABOUT 200 PLUS PEOPLE AT OUR ACTIVATIONS. THEY COME OUT, THEY WANT TO JUST HANG OUT WITH FOLKS. WE EDUCATE THEM ON EXPOSURE TO GUN VIOLENCE. WE PROVIDE COUNSELING. IT'S MORE OF A TRIAGE. WE DON'T HAVE A PROGRAM SET UP YET WHERE WE CAN CONNECT THEM TO FULL TIME. BUT I JUST WANTED TO THROW THAT OUT THERE BECAUSE THE NEED IS THERE. AND WHEN WE THINK ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE, WE LOOK AT THE VICTIM NUMBERS, RIGHT? THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE VICTIMIZED DIRECTLY VICTIMIZED BY GUN VIOLENCE. AND SOMETIMES WE TEND TO FORGET ABOUT THE SILENT VICTIMS, THAT ARE MOSTLY IMPACTED LARGELY IMPACTED BY GUN VIOLENCE. WE'VE HAD MOMS, SINGLE MOMS COME TO US CRYING THAT THEY LIVE IN APARTMENT COMPLEXES, AND THEY FEEL LIKE BAD PARENTS BECAUSE THEY CAN'T ALLOW THEIR KIDS TO PLAY OUTSIDE, BECAUSE THE AMOUNT OF GUN GUNFIRE THAT GOES ON, OR WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO FEEL THAT THEY'RE NOT GOOD CHILDREN BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS OR THEIR ELDERLY GRANDPARENTS LIVE IN A PLACE THAT'S SURROUNDED BY GUN VIOLENCE AND THEY CAN'T LEAVE. WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT INVESTED THEIR LIFE SAVINGS IN HOMES TO PURCHASE HOMES IN COMMUNITIES THAT ARE NOW JUST BEING, YOU KNOW, FOR WHATEVER REASON, THAT BLOCK IS, IS EXPERIENCING A LOT OF GUN VIOLENCE. AND THEY CAN'T LEAVE. SO THERE IS A LOT OF FRUSTRATION AND STRESS, RELATED TO GUN VIOLENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OUT THERE. LAST THING. AND THEN I'LL GET BACK IN THE QUEUE. I WOULDN'T BE ME IF I DID NOT ASK WHETHER YOU HAVE EXPLORED THE POSSIBILITY OF BILLING MEDICAID FOR SOME OF THE SERVICES THAT YOU ARE PROVIDING, THAT WOULD SEEM TO BE ALIGNED WITH WITH, REIMBURSABLE CODES, WE DO, A LOT OF OUR PROGRAMS THAT WE FUND LIKE FOR MENTAL HEALTH, ESTABLISHED MENTAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS. WE TEND TO THAT'S WHY WE BUILD THEIR CAPACITY TO DO BETTER, TO PROVIDE BETTER PROGRAMING, BECAUSE WE EXPECT THEM TO BUILD FOR A LOT OF SERVICES. BUT THIS YEAR, WE DID AN EXPERIMENT, THROUGH AARP FUNDS, I THINK WE FUND, I THINK IT'S AROUND 11 LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY WHERE WE PROVIDE FREE COUNSELING. PEOPLE COME ALL DAY LONG. WE HAVE, 11 LOCATIONS THAT PEOPLE ARE FEELING STRESSED, ANGRY. THEY CAN COME, NOW, THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THAT IS PROBABLY MUST BE REAL. YOU KNOW, IT'S SERVING HIS PURPOSE RIGHT NOW. BUT I DON'T THINK WE CAN CONTINUOUSLY KEEP DOING THAT. WE'VE BEEN MEETING WITH THOSE ORGANIZATIONS EXACTLY ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. MAYBE A HYBRID APPROACH WHERE WE KEEP A SMALL AMOUNT OF FUNDING FOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT JUST ABSOLUTELY HAVE NO INSURANCE OR CAN'T BE BILLED INSURANCE, AND THEN THOSE THAT DO HAVE INSURANCE CAN BE BUILT. SO WE ARE LOOKING AT THAT. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN OWEN. THANK YOU. CHAIR, I JUST TRYING TO GET A LITTLE CLARIFICATION, OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS SINCE I'VE BEEN I'VE BEEN ON COUNCIL. I'VE HAD A NUMEROUS CONVERSATIONS WITH TED NIXON, WHO'S A CONSTITUENT AND WHO'S INVOLVED IN NO MORE RED DOTS AND WHICH I THINK IS A CDI PROGRAM, WHICH SEEMS LIKE A PROGRAM THAT IT JUST THAT YOU MENTIONED, YOU WANT TO PRIORITIZE THAT TYPE OF CBI PROGRAM, I THOUGHT I HEARD YOU SAY WHEN YOU WERE KIND OF TALKING EARLIER, THAT THERE WERE TWO GRANTS OR TWO LINE ITEMS THAT YOU REDUCED. ONE WAS 350 AND ONE WAS 500, AND THAT WAS $900,000. AND I THOUGHT, THOUGH YOU SAID THOSE WERE CVI PROGRAMS THAT I MISS, I UNDERSTAND THAT. ONE ABOUT 575 TO 700,000 OR OUR CBI TYPE PROGRAM. SO I GUESS I WAS A LITTLE CONFUSED BECAUSE YOU ELIMINATED THOSE TWO PROGRAMS. AND THEN WHEN COUNCILWOMAN RENA WEBBER ASKED YOU WHAT YOU WOULD PRIORITIZE, YOU SAID CBI PROGRAMS. SO I'M TRYING TO KIND OF SQUARE THAT. YEAH. I MEAN, OUR CBI PROGRAMS. SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE UMBRELLA, WHAT WE FUND UNDER CBI, WE WERE FUNDING, FIVE OF COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION SITES, FOR WHICH WERE FUNDED UNDER ARP ONE, WHICH IS FUNDED UNDER GENERAL FUNDS. THE GENERAL FUNDS CONTRACT. THIS YEAR, WE TERMINATED, WE TERMINATED FOR JUST CAUSE, WE FELT THAT ALTHOUGH THE AGENCY WAS DOING A LARGE AMOUNT OF WORK, IT WASN'T DOING THE WORK THAT WAS EXPECTED UNDER THE CONTRACT, WHICH WAS VIOLENCE INTERRUPTION. SO THAT WOULD HAVE REDUCED US DOWN TO, FOUR SITES. BUT BECAUSE WE GOT THE NEWBURGH GRANT THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE GRANT WERE ABLE TO KICK OFF A NEW, SITE IN THE NEWBURGH NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WILL BRING US UP, UP TO THE FIVE. BUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CBI, WE'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT[01:35:03]
HOSPITAL VIOLENCE INTERVENTION PROGRAM. RIGHT. SO WE FUND, STAFF AT UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE HOSPITAL. UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL THAT IT'S A HOSPITAL VIOLENCE INTERVENTION PROGRAM THAT, INTERVENES WITH ALL INDIVIDUALS THAT SHOW UP AT THEIR EMERGENCY ROOM FOR GUNSHOTS AND STAB WOUNDS AND HOPE TO WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE ABOUT A 48 HOUR PERIOD WHEN SOMEONE SHOT OR STABBED TO HELP CHANGE THEIR MIND OR ACCEPT SERVICES. SO, A LOT OF STUDIES SHOW IT'S EFFECTIVE TO PUT THOSE, THOSE PROGRAMS AT THE HOSPITAL. SO WE FUND FUND PROGRAMS THERE AS WELL, TOO. WE FUND, OTHER PROGRAMS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT, AT A SMALLER SCALE, THAT PROVIDE SUPPORT SERVICES AS WELL TO THE HIGH RISK PEOPLE. SO OUR COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION IS LARGER THAN JUST THOSE FIVE SITES. BUT, WE WERE HOPING TO EXPAND THE SIX SITES BECAUSE WE HAD FIVE. WE WANTED TO ADD ONE, BUT, WE TERMINATED ONE SITE, BECAUSE OF CONTRACTUAL ISSUES, AND BECAUSE WE TERMINATED THAT, WE FELT THAT WAS NECESSARY TO CUT RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, I'M TRYING TO BALANCE MY BUDGET ACROSS THE AREAS, NOT JUST I PRIORITIZE CVI, I DON'T I'M ALREADY PULLING A LOT OF MONEY FROM YOUTH DEVELOPMENT. SO WE'RE TRYING TO BE FAIR. YEAH.NO. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT. AND I THINK TED'S OPTIMISTIC. AND I'M OPTIMISTIC THAT NO MORE RED DOTS IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO FIND FUNDING ELSEWHERE, AND THEY'RE STILL GOING TO BE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS, TO THIS FIGHT, SO THE OTHER THING THAT I JUST ONE OF THE FIRST EVENTS THAT I WENT TO WHEN I WAS ON COUNCIL WAS, GREATER LOUISVILLE PROJECT BROUGHT US OVER TO THE ALI MUSEUM, AND THERE WAS A CHART, A GRAPH THAT THEY PRESENTED THAT IS JUST SEARED INTO MY BRAIN. AND IT WAS SHOWING THE YOUTH ENGAGEMENT, WHICH I UNDERSTAND IS A VERY BROAD. IT'S A VERY BROAD DEFINITION. BUT THEY WERE SHOWING WHEN WE HAD TO MAKE BUDGET CUTS AS A METRO GOVERNMENT IN 2019, OUR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT, BUDGET CUTS WENT LIKE THIS. AND THE CHART SHOWED THAT AS OUR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT BUDGET DID THIS, OUR VIOLENCE WAS ALMOST IT WAS ALMOST EXACTLY THE DIRECT OPPOSITE THAT OUR GUN VIOLENCE WENT UP. SO I JUST WANT TO SAY OUT LOUD AS WE'RE SITTING HERE, THAT AS WE LOOK FOR ADDITIONAL FEDERAL MONEY, AS WE LOOK FOR HOW WE'RE GOING TO PRIORITIZE THE AF SPENDING THAT THAT YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS, THOSE PROGRAMS ARE NOT, ARE NOT FORGOTTEN BECAUSE THAT GRAPH IS SEARED INTO MY BRAIN AND I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING TO IT, AGAIN, IT'S A VERY BROAD DEFINITION OF WHAT YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IS, BUT I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT OUT LOUD. THANKS COUNCILWOMAN MCCRANEY, MR. CHAIRMAN, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. OPTION. I'D LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU COULD WALK US THROUGH HOW YOU MONITOR THE ORGANIZATION THAT YOU FUND. AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? IF THEY ARE NOT REACHING THEIR GOALS OR EVEN DOING HALF THE WORK OR RETURNING REPORTS AS REQUIRED? YEAH. THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN. IT'S A GOOD QUESTION. AND OFTEN THAT'S MISUNDERSTOOD. I'VE HEARD COMMENTS, FROM FOLKS THAT SAYS OCWEN'S NOT MONITORING CONTRACTS. OCEAN'S NOT DOING THIS. AND I'LL SAY THAT'S THAT'S FALSE. THAT'S THAT'S ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE. IT'S KIND OF A RIDICULOUS STATEMENT FOR, FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE TO MAKE SOMETIMES, WE'RE REQUIRED TO, TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY, EVERY CENT THAT WE GIVE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY IS ACCOUNTED FOR. WE HAVE DIFFERENT, FUNDING SOURCES. SO LET'S JUST START AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, WHETHER IT'S A OR P, LET'S JUST LOOK THERE. ALL OF THE $25 MILLION THAT WE GOT ARP, THERE'S TWO LEVELS OF MANAGING THAT, RIGHT. OCEAN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROGRAMMATIC SIDE, WHICH MEANS WE GIVE THEM A CONTRACT. IT'S CLEARLY SPELLS OUT WHAT THEY NEED TO DO. WE SPELL OUT KPIS OR KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS THAT THEY HAVE TO MEET AT THE END OF THAT CONTRACT. EVERY QUARTER THEY SUBMIT QUARTERLY REPORTS THAT SHOW WHERE THEIR WHERE THEIR MOVING TOWARDS PROGRESSION TO THAT. AND WE MONITOR THAT, AND LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS. THE FISCAL SIDE OF ARP IS MANAGED BY THE ARP TEAM. RIGHT. THERE'S CITY FISCAL RULES. THERE'S FEDERAL FISCAL RULES THAT ARE MANAGED. SO IT'S ALMOST A CHECKS AND BALANCE SYSTEM. WE HAVE TO ENSURE THAT THEY'RE FOLLOWING ANY KIND OF EXPENDITURE FROM ANY OF THESE SITES, ARE ALLOWABLE AND REASONABLE UNDER STATE AND FEDERAL OR LOCAL FISCAL RULES. OUR OFFICE DOES THAT, FOR ALL OF OUR GENERAL FUND PROGRAMS. ARP DOES THAT FOR ALL THE ARP FOR PROGRAMS. OUR OFFICE DOES THAT FOR ALL OUTSIDE FEDERAL GRANTS. WE GET. SO EVERY CONTRACT WE GIVE GETS FISCAL MONITORING AND PROGRAMMATIC MONITORING PLUS SITE VISITS. NOW WE ON AVERAGE GIVE ABOUT 100, 150 CONTRACTS OUT A YEAR. SO IT WOULD I DON'T HAVE THE STAFF TO MONITOR EVERY DAY WHAT'S GOING ON WITH A LOT OF THESE PROJECTS. SO WE DO HAVE BASELINES THAT WE LOOK AT. IF IT'S IF IT'S A PROJECT, IT'S UNDER $10,000, THEY PROBABLY REPORT TO US TWICE OR MAYBE ONCE AT THE END OF THE PROJECT. WE DO
[01:40:01]
DO SITE VISITS ON THOSE. WE DO CHECK IN ON THOSE. THE HIGHER AMOUNT. WE HAVE CONTRACTS TO CBI SITES. COUNCILMAN MENTIONED THE CBI SITES, THOSE THOSE THOSE THOSE CONTRACTS ARE ABOUT $1.3 MILLION A YEAR, $1.2 MILLION A YEAR. WE HAVE AN INTENSIVE LEVEL OF OVERSIGHT. SO THOSE PROGRAMS THAT HAVE HIGHER LEVEL, CONTRACT AMOUNTS, WE ACTUALLY BROUGHT IN EXTRA MANAGERS. IF YOU LOOK AT OUR ORGANIZATIONAL CHART, YOUR FIRST GLANCE, YOU'RE GOING TO LOOK AT AND YOU'RE GOING TO SAY, WOW, OCEAN'S GOT A LOT OF MANAGERS, THE REASON WHY WE HAVE MANAGERS WITH THE BULK OF THEM, ALMOST 70, 80% OF THOSE ARE GRANT FUNDED IS BECAUSE THE AMOUNT OF GRANT FUNDS THAT WE GIVE OUT IN THE FISCAL REQUIREMENTS THAT WE HAVE TO MANAGE WITH THOSE. SO WE TEMPORARILY BROUGHT ON MANAGERS TO HELP US MANAGE THOSE FUNDS. SO WE LOOK AT THESE CONTRACTS ON A REGULAR BASIS. IT'S NOT PERFECT, BUT WE DO THE BEST WE CAN. SURE. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT. CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT IT REALLY LOOKS LIKE WHEN YOU MAKE A SITE VISIT AND WHAT YOU DO WHEN THEY DON'T MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF REPORTING? YEAH SO THE ON, ON THE, PROGRAMMATIC SIDE, IF THEY'RE NOT MEETING WE, WE CONSTANTLY MEET WITH THEM AND SEE WHERE THEY'RE AT. ON THE PROGRAMMATIC SIDE, IF THEY'RE NOT, MAKING THE CHANGES OR DOING WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING, WE PROVIDE, SUGGESTIONS TO THEM. WE PROVIDE TRAINING TO THEM, WE PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO THEM. WE REMIND THEM, HERE'S THE CONTRACT. YOU HAVE TO MOVE FORWARD. YOU HAVE TO DO THIS. YOU HAVE TO DO A, B, AND C A LOT OF CONTRACTS. SOMETIMES WE GET MISSION MISSION DRIFT, WHICH MEANS THEY'RE CONTRACTED TO DO A, B AND C, AND THEN THEY START SHIFTING DOING D AND F. AND WE HAVE TO CONSTANTLY REMIND THEM TO BRING THEM BACK AND SAY, NO, THESE THESE THESE PROGRAMS ARE NICE, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU'RE BEING FUNDED TO DO. SO WE'RE CONSTANTLY REMINDING THEM ON THAT AND MEETING WITH THEM ON THAT, ON THE PROGRAMMATIC SIDE, ON THE FISCAL SIDE, EVERY QUARTER, FOR THE MOST PART, THEY'RE SENDING IN EVERY EXPENSE THAT THEY HAVE.THEY HAVE TO RECONCILE FISCAL REPORTS. WE GO THROUGH EVERY EXPENSE, AND WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE THEY'RE ALLOWABLE AND REASONABLE. IF THEY'RE NOT, WE EXPLAIN TO THEM WHY, AND WE EXPECT THAT WE'RE NOT WE'RE NOT GOING TO SEE ERRORS OR MISTAKES THAT ARE COMING IN IN THE FUTURE. SO IT'S MULTIPLE PEOPLE IN OUR ORGANIZATION, MULTIPLE PEOPLE IN THE CITY, THROUGH ARP, AND OTHER POSITIONS, THAT ARE INTEGRATING OR INTERACTING WITH THESE COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS, ON SITE VISITS, WE TYPICALLY SITE VISITS ARE GOING OUT REALLY JUST TO SEE DO YOU MAINTAIN RECORDS? DO YOU IF YOU'RE IF YOU'RE WORKING WITH CLIENTS AND YOU'RE REQUIRED TO KEEP RECORDS, WE DON'T LOOK AT ALL THE RECORDS, BUT WE DO MAINTAIN THOSE RECORDS. WHERE ARE THEY STORED? DO YOU HAVE WHATEVER YOU'RE SPENDING? IF YOU'RE SPENDING MONEY ON EQUIPMENT, DO YOU HAVE THAT EQUIPMENT? CAN YOU SHOW US WHERE IT'S AT, THAT YOU PURCHASED THESE DOLLARS? YOU KNOW, USE CITY DOLLARS OR FEDERAL DOLLARS TO PURCHASE. SO IT'S A WIDE VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES. AND LASTLY, WHERE DO YOU REPORT BACK WHEN YOU FIND THESE DISCREPANCIES? BECAUSE I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH GETTING THOSE REPORTS. BUT DO YOU MAINTAIN THEM WHERE IF I WERE TO SAY I WANT TO CHECK WITH ON XYZ ORGANIZATION THAT WE FUNDED $1 MILLION TO, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO GIVE ME A LIST OF HOW WHEN YOU DOUBLE CHECK WITH THEM, WHEN THEY DID NOT TURN IN THE FILE OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS, WHEN THEY DIDN'T MEET THEIR GOALS, WHEN YOU HAD TO WORK WITH THEM, WHEN YOU GAVE THEM TRAINING, ETC. YEAH, FOR THE MOST PART, FOR MOST OF THE CONTRACTS. YES. I THINK, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I'M A FISCAL STUFF. THEY'RE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT REPORTS ON A ON A QUARTERLY BASIS. WE CAN TELL YOU WHEN WE GOT THOSE REPORTS, WE CAN TELL YOU WHEN WE RECONCILED THOSE REPORTS. WE CAN CHECK THROUGH EMAILS OF THE ONGOING BACK AND FORTH CONSTANTLY ABOUT, HEY, THIS IS ALLOWABLE. THIS IS NOT ALLOWABLE. YOU SHOULDN'T BE DOING THIS. YOU SHOULDN'T BE DOING THIS ON THE PROGRAMMATIC SIDE, THOSE MANAGERS THAT ARE MANAGING THE PROJECTS AND THE PROGRAMMATIC SIDE COULD PROVIDE YOU DATES AND EMAILS AND, AND OPPORTUNITIES OF WHEN THEY INTERCEDED WITH THESE ORGANIZATIONS AND SAID, HEY, YOU NEED TO FIX THIS. YOU NEED TO FIX THAT. WE'RE NOT REALLY REPORTED TO REQUIRE TO REPORT OUT, BECAUSE A LOT OF THIS WORK WE DO IS MEDIATION. IT'S REMEDIATION WORK. WE DO ON A REGULAR BASIS. RIGHT? A LOT OF THE ORGANIZATIONS WE WORK WITH ARE COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND 95% OF THEM FIX THE ERRORS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH. WE AS I SAID, WE'VE HAD TWO CONTRACTS THIS YEAR THAT WE CANCELED OUT OF OVER 100. SOMETHING TO THAT WE JUST TERMINATED. ONE WAS FOR FISCAL REASONS, FISCAL MISMANAGEMENT AND THE OTHER WAS JUST WHEN WE WOULD ALLEGE IT WAS PROBABLY MISSION CREEP, WHERE, AS I SAID, THEY WERE PROVIDING SERVICES, BUT IT WASN'T THE SERVICES THAT THEY WERE ASKED TO BE AND PROVIDED. COUNCILMAN KRAMER, THANK YOU. DIRECTOR, SO IS YOUTH AMBASSADORS LEADING LOUISVILLE? IS THAT UNDER YOUR.
WE HAVE AN AMBASSADOR PROGRAM? I'M NOT SURE. IT'S A YOUTH AMBASSADOR PROGRAM. WE HAVE AN AMBASSADOR PROGRAM WHERE WE, PROVIDE AN ACADEMY, SIX TIMES A YEAR WHERE RESIDENTS IN THE COMMUNITY CAN COME OUT AND LEARN HOW TO BE INVOLVED IN GUN VIOLENCE REDUCTION EFFORTS. SO OTHER THAN THAT, THAT'S I KNOW THERE IS SOME OTHER YOUTH AMBASSADOR PROGRAMS, BUT OUR PROGRAM IS NOT REALLY OUR AMBASSADOR PROGRAM'S NOT REALLY FOR YOUTH. IT'S KLUGE YOUTH, BUT IT'S ALSO FOR ADULTS. OKAY, SO THAT'S NOT INCLUDED IN YOUR YOUTH PROGRAM THAT, I DON'T I DON'T BELIEVE SO. OKAY. NO, THAT'S THE I THINK THAT'S THE MAYOR'S PROJECT. GREAT. OKAY.
[01:45:04]
THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN PIACENTINI . THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR, YOU MENTIONED EARLIER HOW MUCH ARP FUNDING YOU HAVE GOING THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT, AND I THINK, IN SOME OF THE Q&A THAT'S GONE BACK AND FORTH, THERE'S. YOU EVEN MENTIONED THAT CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE STAFF ARE FUNDED BY SOME OF THESE PROGRAMS. AND ALL THIS, BUT THE BUDGET REALLY DOESN'T REFLECT THAT. AND I THINK FOR TRANSPARENCY SAKE, I'M WONDERING HOW WE CAN IF WE AND I DON'T WANT TO SCREW UP OMB HERE. SO I DON'T KNOW IF MODIFYING THE EXISTING DOCUMENT IS THE WAY TO GO ABOUT IT. THAT MIGHT BE TOO MUCH, BUT MAYBE THERE'S AN AMENDED DOCUMENT OR SOMETHING ELSE SEPARATELY THAT WE COULD GET AND THAT WE COULD POST PUBLICLY TO TALK ABOUT THAT WOULD JUST BE MORE TRANSPARENT ON, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IT LOOKS LIKE THE BUDGET IS SMALL. IT'S NOT REALLY SMALL WHEN YOU ADD IN ALL OF THE ARP DOLLARS THAT ARE FLOWING THROUGH. SO BUT THAT'S NOT CLEAR TO THE PUBLIC. IS THERE A WAY THAT WE CAN RECTIFY THAT? YEAH. I MEAN, WE COULD PUT TOGETHER ANY REPORT THAT'S REQUESTED, YOU KNOW, ON THAT, THE FISCAL REPORTING AND EVERYTHING IS, IS MAINTAINED BY AARP. I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT IT'S NOT EASILY ACCESSIBLE. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR US, WE HAVE, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE SEVEN ARP POSITIONS OUT OF ALL OF OUR POSITIONS.ONLY SEVEN OF THEM ARE ARP POSITIONS. RIGHT NOW, WE DON'T FUND A WHOLE LOT. WE MOVED A LOT. WE WERE AT 15, 16. WE MOVED A LOT OFF OF ARP, SO WE CAN CREATE A SEPARATE REPORT. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN A SPECIFIC REPORT, THE PROBLEMS WITH SOME OF THE REPORTING THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT, WE LOOK AT IS WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT ARP DOLLARS AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT WHAT'S ENCUMBERED VERSUS WHAT'S NOT ENCUMBERED, FOR EXAMPLE, SALARIES CAN'T BE ENCUMBERED IN THAT. THERE ARE OTHER PROJECTS THAT WE'RE FUNDING THROUGH ARP. RIGHT NOW THAT ARE 100 TO $200,000 THAT WE'RE SPENDING ON NEIGHBORHOOD YOUTH BOARDS, WHERE A LOT OF THAT WORKS, LIKE WE'RE PURCHASING STUFF THAT CAN'T BE ENCUMBERED. SO IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S DOLLARS NOT BEING USED WHEN THE REALITY IT IS. SO I THINK WE COULD PUT TOGETHER A FULL REPORT OF ALL OF OUR PROJECTS WE ARE WORKING ON A TWO YEAR REPORT FOR OCEAN THAT WILL BE RELEASED THIS WEEK TO EVERY COUNCIL PERSON IN THAT REPORT, WE CAN ADD CLEARLY DETAILED, UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE ALL THOSE DOLLARS ARE GOING IN ARP, EARLIER TODAY WE SENT OUT A LIST OF ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE FOR THE LATENESS OF THAT, BUT WE DID SEND IT OUT TODAY THAT TALKS ABOUT WHERE ALL, 200 CONTRACTS WENT FROM, WHERE ALL THE ARP CONTRACTS ARE. SO IT BREAKS IT DOWN BY FUNDING SOURCE AS WELL, TOO. SO EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER GOT A COPY OF THAT. THANK YOU. ANGELA, I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT WE DO PROVIDE THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN REPORT QUARTERLY TO, TO METRO COUNCIL, AND THAT DOES INCLUDE ALL, AARP FUNDED PROJECTS. OCEANS PROJECTS WOULD BE INCLUDED IN THAT REPORT. AND I BELIEVE THAT THAT REPORT, ONCE IT'S SUBMITTED, IS ALSO POSTED ON THE LOUISVILLE ACCELERATOR TEAM WEBSITE. SO THAT IS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC WHERE THEY COULD LOOK AT THOSE. NOW, WHAT YOU DON'T GET IN THAT IS OBVIOUSLY THE DETAILED OF THE VARIOUS PARTNERS THAT ARE GETTING MONEY. BUT THIS REPORT DOES INCLUDE ENCUMBRANCES. SO IT WOULD SHOW YOU WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY FUNDED, WHAT'S BEEN SPENT TODAY, WHAT'S BEEN ENCUMBERED, AND THE BUDGET THAT'S REMAINING. YEAH. LET ME BE MORE CLEAR ABOUT THE GENESIS OF THE ASK. AND THEN YOU CAN THINK ABOUT HOW TO DO THIS. YOU KNOW, AS YOU'RE WALKING AWAY. BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GOING TO ACCOMPLISH THIS TODAY. BUT IN THE PAST, THERE HAVE BEEN IN THE BUDGET DOCUMENT THAT WE HAVE SEEN DOLLARS FROM FEDERAL, AND IT EXISTS IN THIS ONE. WE SEE FEDERAL AND STATE DOLLARS FLOWING THROUGH THE BUDGET. SO IT'S IN THE BUDGET. YOU CAN SEE WHICH DEPARTMENT IS GETTING IT, HOW THEY'RE GETTING IT, HOW THEY'RE USING IT. THAT'S NOT HAPPENING HERE. SO I'M NOT SAYING THAT, WE'RE NOT BEING TRANSPARENT AS FAR AS DOING OUR REPORTING. I KNOW WE ARE AND I KNOW WHAT WEBSITE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, BUT RATHER BEING CONSISTENT IN SHOWING HOW THESE DOLLARS ARE MOVED IN THE BUDGET IN THE WAY THAT WE'VE DONE IT FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS WHERE WE GET LARGE GRANTS FROM, OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES LIKE THE FEDERAL OR STATE. RIGHT. SO, SO ANYWAY, AGAIN, WE CAN THINK ABOUT AND I'LL DEFER TO OMB. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, HOW TO DO THIS, RIGHT? AND YOU GOT A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE ON YOUR STAFF. SO YOU KNOW, HOWEVER, YOU CAN GET THAT INFORMATION TO US AND TO LATANYA AND BETH, THAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL. SO THANK YOU. SURE. AND WE CERTAINLY CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THOSE, I THINK INFORMATION THAT'S IN THE BUDGET DOCUMENT, IT'S STILL A HOLDOVER OF THAT NEW SYSTEM, AND THERE'S SORT OF ONGOING SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT THAT HAS TO HAPPEN. SO WE ROLLED OUT THE NEW SYSTEM. WE HAVEN'T STOPPED LOOKING AT WAYS TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE OUR REPORTING. IT JUST TAKES A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THAT SYSTEM OUT, TO INCLUDE SOME OF THOSE THINGS. SO DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND, THE, THE DESIRE TO WANT TO SEE FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDING MORE CLEARLY IN THE BUDGET DOCUMENT. SO THOSE ARE THINGS WE'LL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT. SO LAST SPEAKER, I HAVE IN THE QUEUE. THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU . FOR OFF TOMORROW AND PICK UP WEDNESDAY. FOR WHAT THESE ARE
[01:50:20]
FOR YOU ACTUALLY. RECOMMENDED EXECUTIVE. RIGHT. WE DO HAVE WE DO HAVE WEDNESDAY. YES. WE WILL PICK UP, WEDNESDAY AT 4:00 WITH FACILITIES AND FLEET MANAGEMENT. BY METRO TV. WE ARE ADJOURNED.[Adjournment Note: Agendas are followed at the discretion of the Chair. While an item may be listed, it does not mean all items will be heard and/or acted upon by the Committee.]
THANK YOU* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.