[1. O-071-25 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING LOUISVILLE METRO CODE OF ORDINANCES CHAPTER 90 TO ADD AN EXEMPTION FOR CIGAR BARS. Action Required By: September 13, 2025 Sponsors: Anthony Piagentini (R-19) ]

AGENDA IS AGENDA ZERO. NO. LET'S SEE. 07125. MADAM CLERK, CAN YOU READ THE TITLE OF THE ORDINANCE? AN ORDINANCE AMENDING LOUISVILLE METRO CODE OF ORDINANCE CHAPTER 90 TO ADD AN EXEMPTION FOR CIGAR BARS AND FULL. SECOND. SO MOVED AND SECONDED. COUNCILMAN PIAGENTINI, WOULD YOU CARE TO SPEAK TO THIS? YES. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. SO I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S TIME TODAY AND WILLINGNESS TO CONSIDER THIS, THIS PIECE OF LEGISLATION AS A LITTLE BIT. I'LL BE QUITE QUICK IN EXPLAINING A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND GOING THROUGH THE CHANGES IN HERE, AND THEN GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LEGISLATION. SO FIRST OF ALL, BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, THE STATE HAS PROPOSED A STATEWIDE CIGAR BAR. LEGISLATION. IT IS CURRENTLY PENDING APPROVAL IN THE SENATE. IT'S PASSED THE HOUSE PASSED THE SENATE COMMITTEE PENDING IN THE SENATE.

WHILE WATCHING THAT PROCESS GO ON, WE WANTED TO DRAFT SOMETHING THAT AS CLOSELY MIRRORED THAT LEGISLATION AS POSSIBLE, BUT IS NOT CONTINGENT UPON THAT LEGISLATION. SO WE CAN CONSIDER SOMETHING SPECIFICALLY HERE IN LOUISVILLE. SO WHAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, DOES MIRROR WHAT'S REFERRED TO AS HOUSE BILL 211, WHICH WOULD BE A STATEWIDE PROGRAM. BUT I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE ADOPT IT HERE LOCALLY. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE DEBATED BEFORE IN METRO COUNCIL, MAYBE 3 OR 4 YEARS AGO NOW. AND FOR ME, THIS IS ALL ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR SMALL, LOCAL BUSINESSES ALIGNED WITH OURAMING INDUSTRIES TO HAVE THIS THIS OTHER BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY THAT, FRANKLY, ALL OF OUR SURROUNDING JURISDICTIONS AND COMPETITOR CITIES. RIGHT. NASHVILLE, SOUTHERN INDIANA, I COULD GO ON AND ON. HAVE. RIGHT. AND I ALSO WANT TO SAY, BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, BEFORE I JUMP INTO THIS, IN NO WAY, SHAPE OR FORM IS THIS INTENDED IN ANY WAY TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT OR OR SCRAP OR OR ATTACK IN ANY WAY. ARE ANTI-SMOKING ORDINANCE OKAY? THIS IS VERY FINELY CRAFTED. AS A MATTER OF FACT, BENCHMARKING THIS AGAINST OUR SURROUNDING STATES. THIS IS MORE RESTRICTIVE THAN ANYTHING THEY'VE PUT IN PLACE TO AUTHORIZE CIGAR BARS. AND THAT IS INTENTIONAL. AND AGAIN, I WOULD NOT SAY THERE IS ANY REASON THIS COULD BE CONSTRUED IN THAT WAY. I WOULD NO SOONER IN ANY WAY ADVOCATE FOR ANY MOVEMENT ON OUR ANTI-SMOKING ORDINANCE. BUT ALL OF THE JURISDICTIONS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AROUND LOUISVILLE AND NASHVILLE, SOUTHERN INDIANA, HAVE ANTI-SMOKING ORDINANCES AND ALLOW FOR CIGAR BARS, AND THEY DO SO IN AN EFFECTIVE WAY THAT DOESN'T HAVE ANY IMPACT ON PUBLIC HEALTH. SO LET ME GO THROUGH THE PROVISIONS HERE THAT WILL MODIFY OUR CURRENT CODE OF ORDINANCES, SECTION 1902, AS WELL AS 90.03. SO FIRST OF ALL, WE DEFINE A CIGAR BAR WITH A FEW PIECES HERE. NUMBER ONE, THEY HAVE TO HOLD A, QUOTE RETAIL DRINK LICENSE. SO THEY HAVE TO BE REGULATED BY ALCOHOL AND BEVERAGE CONTROL AS DEFINED IN THERS CHAPTER FOR ON PREMISES CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES. THEY MUST GENERATE AT LEAST 15% OF THEIR ANNUAL GROSS INCOME FROM ON SITE, ON SITE SALE OF CIGARS, PIPE TOBACCO, PARAPHERNALIA AND ACCESSORIES RELATED TO CIGARS AND PIPE TOBACCO, OR RENTAL OF HUMIDORS OR COMBINATION THEREOF. AN INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT PROVISION. THIS IS 50% HIGHER THAN TENNESSEE REQUIRES, HIGHER THAN

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ALMOST ANY OTHER STATE, -1 OR 2 THAT WE COULD FIND NATIONALLY. SO THIS IS A VERY HIGH PERCENTAGE, AND THIS IS ON SITE SALES. THEY DOES NOT KNOWINGLY. AND WE'LL GET INTO SOME OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE LAW, SELL PRODUCTS OR SERVICES OR PERMIT ENTRANCE TO ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 21 DOES NOT PERMIT THE USE. AND THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT PORTION OF ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES, VAPOR PRODUCTS OR SMOKING PRODUCTS OTHER THAN CIGARS AND PIPE TOBACCO. INSIDE THE INTERIOR SPACE OF THE CIGAR BAR. SO IT'S VERY SPECIFIC IN ITS LIMITATIONS, RIGHT? NO CIGARETTES CAN BE SMOKED, ETC. NO VAPE PRODUCTS. SO THEN IN SECTION 90.03 WE HAVE THE EXEMPTION, WHICH IS NUMBER FIVE, WHICH IS ADDED TO THE EXEMPTIONS CIGAR BARS. TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS EXEMPTION THEY MUST IN ADDITION TO HAVING THE RETAIL ALCOHOL LICENSE, THEY MUST HAVE A TOBACCO LICENSE PURSUANT TO OUR CODE OF ORDINANCES, SECTION 90.11 AND COMPLY WITH ALL PROVISIONS OF THAT CHAPTER AND ANY LOCAL, STATE OR FEDERAL LAW PERTAINING TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS. LOCAL LAW INCLUDES ANY PROVISION OF A CODE OF ORDINANCES AS WELL AS THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE. THERE ARE RESTRICTIONS WITHIN THAT. IT IS NOT A GIVEN THAT YOU WILL GET A TOBACCO LICENSE, FOR EXAMPLE. THEY MUST IMPLEMENT MEASURES TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN A MANNER TO ENSURE THAT SMOKE FROM THE CIGAR BAR DOES NOT PASS INTO INTERIOR OR ENCLOSED AIR SPACES OF ANY OTHER STRUCTURE. IF THE CIGAR BAR SHARES A PHYSICAL WALL OR ANY COMMON SPACE. IN OTHER WORDS, THERE'S ONLY REALLY TWO WAYS YOU CAN PULL THIS OFF. YOU HAVE TO BE A STANDALONE BUILDING. OR YOU COULD IMAGINE THEY HAVE SHARED WALLS BUT NOT SHARED VENTILATION, RIGHT? OR NOT SHARED DOORWAYS INTO OTHER SPACES THAT WOULD BE IN VIOLATION OF THE LAW. THEY MUST PROVIDE. AND AGAIN, THIS IS PART OF THE EXAMPLE OF THIS GOING FURTHER THAN MANY OTHER LEGISLATION THAT AUTHORIZED CIGAR BARS. THEY MUST PROVIDE A SMOKE FREE SPACE FOR THE DELIVERY OF SUPPLIES, MAIL AND OTHER ITEMS TO THE PREMISES BY PERSONS OTHER THAN EMPLOYEES AND PATRONS OF THE CIGAR BAR. THE IDEA BEING, IF YOU'RE PATRONIZING IT, OBVIOUSLY YOU'VE BEEN NOTIFIED AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN A SECOND. YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO BE EXPOSED TO. BUT THE UPS DRIVER, THE AMAZON DELIVERY PERSON, AND ANYONE ELSE THAT IS NOT THERE TO PATRONIZE, IT SHOULD HAVE A SEPARATE SPACE THAT IS SMOKE FREE THAT THEY CAN ENTER, DELIVER AND LEAVE. RIGHT. AND THEN THE LAST PROVISION THEY MUST PROVIDE NOTICE. RIGHT. SO THEY MUST PROVIDE NOTICE THAT AN INDIVIDUAL INDIVIDUAL ENTERING THE PREMISES WILL BE EXPOSED TO CIGAR AND PIPE TOBACCO SMOKE IN THE ESTABLISHMENT, AND THAT SMOKING OR VAPORIZING OF INHALANTS, OTHER THAN THOSE CIGARS OR PIPE TOBACCO IS PROHIBITED. NOTICE MUST BE PLACED IN A CONSPICUOUS PLACE AT EACH ENTRANCE TO THE CIGAR BAR, WHERE AN ENTRANT MAY BE EXPOSED TO CIGAR OR PIPE TOBACCO SMOKE. THOSE ARE ALL THE AMENDMENTS. I AM GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS OR OTHER OR OTHERS FROM METRO COUNCIL. THANK YOU. DOES ANYONE HAVE A WISH TO SPEAK? COUNCILMAN. OWEN, JUST LOOKING AT IT, I CAN I GET A LITTLE BIT MORE CLARIFICATION ON THE HOOKAH LOUNGE IS COMPLETELY SET ASIDE AND MUST FOLLOW THE CURRENT REQUIREMENTS FOR THAT. AND REALLY IS CARVED OUT OF THIS COMPLETELY. IS THAT MY. THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING. IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT. YES. THIS DOES NOT ADDRESS THAT. THEY HAVE A SEPARATE SET OF RULES AND REGS THAT WERE ADOPTED PRIOR TO THIS. YES. OKAY. THANKS.

COUNCILWOMAN MCCRANIE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. I WOULD LIKE TO ASK OUR COUNCILMAN IF THERE ARE NUMBERS OR SOME TYPE OF STATISTICS THAT HE COULD SHARE OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE ADVOCATED FOR THE CIGAR BARS. AND IF WE HAVE ANY TYPE OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATION FROM BAR OWNERS ADVOCATING FOR THIS AND WHAT THOSE NUMBERS LOOK LIKE FOR THEIR BUSINESSES. YEAH. GOOD QUESTION. THIS WAS THE ORIGINAL STATE LAW WAS ACTUALLY GENERATED BY A CONSTITUENT OF NOW STATE REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS LEWIS. SO THERE WAS ADVOCACY FROM HIM. THERE WAS ADVOCACY FROM OTHER CIGAR PURVEYORS ACROSS THE CITY, AS WELL AS OTHERS WHO HAD INTEREST IN POTENTIALLY OPENING A CIGAR BAR, AND REALLY FROM ALMOST EVERY COMMUNITY WITHIN LOUISVILLE, FRANKLY, SOUTHWEST, YOU KNOW, DOWNTOWN, SORT OF EVERYWHERE. WE GOT INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE VERY INTERESTED IN POTENTIALLY OPENING THIS TYPE OF BUSINESS ALL LOCAL, BY THE WAY, CITIZENS AND RESIDENTS OF THE COMMUNITY NOT TO. AND THAT IGNORES WHAT I WOULD CALL THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY, WHO MIGHT BE PEOPLE WHO WHO MIGHT FREQUENT A CIGAR BAR AND MIGHT GO TO AVAIL THEMSELVES OF THEIR

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SERVICES. AS FAR AS THE OTHER ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE, THERE ARE CIGAR PURVEYORS ALREADY IN THE CITY AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S ANOTHER BUSINESS IN SOUTHERN INDIANA CALLED MATCH. IT'S A CIGAR BAR. THE OWNER OF MATCH, WHO WAS A LOCAL LOUISVILLE CITIZEN, WANTED TO OPEN THAT BUSINESS IN LOUISVILLE WHEN HE FOUND OUT THAT HE COULDN'T, AND THERE WAS NO EXCEPTION TO DO SO. HE MOVED. HE OPENED THE BUSINESS IN SOUTHERN INDIANA, THE LOCAL CIGAR PURVEYORS THAT I HAVE SPOKEN TO HAVE HAD OVER AND OVER AGAIN, INSTANCES OF WHEN WE HAVE CONVENTIONS AND TOURISM AND DERBY AND ALL THESE INSTANCES, THEY'VE HAD PEOPLE COME AND SAY, OKAY, I'M GOING TO BUY A COUPLE CIGARS. AND THEN WHEN THEY SAY, OKAY, WHERE CAN I GO TO SMOKE THEM? AND THEY SAY, WELL, YOU CAN'T ENDORSE, AT LEAST IN LOUISVILLE. THEY, THEY WILL DROP THE CIGARS, GO TO INDIANA AND REPURCHASE THEM THERE AND SMOKE THEM THERE. SO IT'S IF YOUR QUESTION IS, DO I HAVE, YOU KNOW, STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. COUNCILWOMAN MCCRANIE, THE ANSWER IS ABSOLUTELY NO. I HAVE ANECDOTAL STORIES AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE REACHED OUT TO ME, THOUGH.

YES. THANK YOU. FOLLOW UP. YES, COUNCILWOMAN. THANK YOU. DO WE HAVE ANY CONSTITUENTS? RESIDENTS OF OUR DISTRICTS, WHO HAVE WRITTEN LETTERS OR WHO HAVE ADVOCATED FOR THIS, THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF INTEREST OTHER THAN WHAT YOU'RE SUGGESTING FOR THE TOURISM PART OF IT, BUT DO WE HAVE LOCAL CONSTITUENTS WHO HAVE WRITTEN US? I KNOW IN MY DISTRICT I'VE NOT RECEIVED ANYTHING ABOUT SUPPORTING A CIGAR BAR, BUT DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING FROM ANY OF THE CONSTITUENTS THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO KIND OF PUT IN THE EQUATION AS WE MAKE THIS DECISION? SURE. WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS IF YOU WANT LETTERS FROM CONSTITUENTS, I CAN ABSOLUTELY GET THEM. I HAVE NOT PUT OUT A PUBLIC STATEMENT SAYING, HEY, PLEASE WRITE TO US IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS. I HAVE HAD PEOPLE OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS, PARTICULARLY AFTER THE LAST TIME THIS CAME UP, ASK ABOUT IT. THERE WERE PEOPLE THAT WROTE DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME ADVOCATING FOR IT. I HAVE NOT BROUGHT IT UP OR SOLICITED ANY SUPPORT FOR THIS BECAUSE I KNOW IT EXISTS. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN OWEN. THANK YOU. CHAIR. SO I, I HAVE HAD A FEW PEOPLE REACH OUT TO ME ABOUT THIS SINCE I'VE BEEN IN OFFICE. AND IT WAS BOTH LOCAL BUSINESS PEOPLE WANTING TO OPEN BUSINESSES ALONG THESE LINES. BUT IT WAS ALSO PEOPLE THAT WERE TRYING TO DO WHAT COUNCILMAN PIAGENTINI IS TALKING ABOUT, WHICH IS PAIRING HORSE RACING WITH BOURBON WITH CIGARS. AND SO IN AFTER GETTING THOSE REQUESTS IN MY OFFICE AND HAVING ACTUALLY HAVING A LOCAL PERSON WHO HAS A CIGAR MANUFACTURING COMPANY COME IN AND TALK TO ME ABOUT IT. I STARTED DOING A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH AND STARTED LOOKING AT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OTHER CITIES. AND ONCE I LOOKED AT THAT, I WAS CONVINCED THAT IT'S AN ENORMOUS OPPORTUNITY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HERE IN LOUISVILLE, GIVEN WHAT WE ALREADY DO. AND SO I WENT OVER AND TALKED TO TOURISM ABOUT IT AND, AND TOLD THEM A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT I HAD FOUND. THERE ARE CIGAR WEEKS IN TAMPA WHERE, LIKE, LITERALLY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ATTEND THE CIGAR WEEKS AND FLOCK TO THE CITY, AND THEY DO ALL SORTS OF EVENTS AROUND CIGARS. SAME THING IN ATLANTA. SAME THING IN CHICAGO. THEY'RE THEY'RE ALL OVER THE PLACE. AND THEY ARE BIG, BIG BUSINESS. AND SO FOR ME, FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY HEALTH AND WELLNESS IS SUPER IMPORTANT, BUT IF WE CARVE OUT A SMALL PIECE OF OUR SMOKING ORDINANCE TO ALLOW FOR THIS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY AND THESE BUSINESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND PEOPLE THAT DECIDE TO ATTEND THESE LOCATIONS ARE DOING SO, YOU KNOW, KNOWING WHAT THEY'RE GETTING THEMSELVES INTO. TO ME, IT'S A IT'S A RISK IF YOU CALL IT THAT OR, YOU KNOW, IT'S PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR PEOPLE, REALLY. SO FOR ME, IT'S ENOUGH TO MAKE ME SAY THAT IT'S ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT, CONSIDERING HOW BIG THE OPPORTUNITY COULD BE. AND LISTEN, WE COULD ALWAYS SAY DRINKING ALCOHOL IS NOT HEALTHY, RIGHT? I MEAN, THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS. I MEAN, GAMBLING IS NOT NECESSARILY HEALTHY. THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF VICES THAT WE DO HERE IN LOUISVILLE, AND WE DO A LOT HERE. WE PICK AND CHOOSE WHICH ONES WE DECIDE ARE OKAY. SO FOR ME, SMOKING A CIGAR WITH OTHER PEOPLE WHO WANT TO SMOKE, SMOKE, SMOKE A CIGAR WITH A WITH A SMALL CARVE OUT IN OUR SMOKING ORDINANCE IS WORTH THE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY THAT EXISTS. SO I'LL

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BE VOTING IN SUPPORT OF THIS. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN LINENGER AND THEN COUNCILMAN HERNDON. I HAVE A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS. I ASSUME YOU'D RATHER DO THEM ONE AT A TIME THAN GIVE A LIST, AND WE WORK THROUGH IT. MY FIRST QUESTION IS THAT YOU SAID IN YOUR MOTIVATION ABOUT THAT, THERE WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, SPACES CARVED OUT FOR EMPLOYEES OF, SAY, UPS, AMAZON DELIVERING WHERE THEY WOULD NOT BE EXPOSED, AND IT WOULD ONLY BE PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTIVELY PURSUING THEIR ENJOYMENT OF CIGARS. WHAT ABOUT WORKERS OF THE ESTABLISHMENT, THE PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR THE CIGAR BAR? WOULD THEY STILL BE EXPOSED? YEAH, THIS IS AN AT WILL EMPLOYMENT STATE. SO, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE YOU, IF YOU GO TO WORK FOR LMPD, YOU ACCEPT THE RISKS OF HAVING TO WEAR A BULLETPROOF VEST AND OF PEOPLE THAT MAY NOT LIKE YOU VERY MUCH AND MAY, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH CRIME AND ALL THIS STUFF. THE RISKS INHERENT WITH ANY JOB ARE PART OF THE AT WILL EMPLOYMENT. SO YES, THERE OBVIOUSLY IF YOU'RE AN EMPLOYEE, YOU DO SO AT YOUR OWN WILL.

YOU'RE NOT FORCED TO WORK THERE SO THEY WOULD BE EXPOSED. SURE. ALTHOUGH I THINK THAT WILL IS IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION. BUT MY FOLLOW UP QUESTION THEN, WERE THERE ANY DISCUSSION WITH EXPERTS IN PUBLIC HEALTH? YOU KNOW, CANCER CENTERS, THE UNIVERSITY ABOUT THE EFFECTS THAT THE WORKERS WOULD BE EXPOSED TO AND WHETHER WE HAD ANY REGULATORY INTEREST IN PROTECTING THOSE WORKERS. IF I COULD NOTE THE PRESENCE OF DOCTOR CONNIE WENDELL FROM PUBLIC HEALTH. IF YOU WANT TO ADDRESS ANYTHING TO HER, SHE IS PRESENT. YEAH. ALL I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT THERE'S NO. BECAUSE, AGAIN, THEY ACCEPT THE RISK BY BY ASKING TO BE EMPLOYED THERE.

THEY APPLY FOR THE JOB. RIGHT? THEY KNOW WHAT THE RISKS ARE. AND NOBODY IS HIDING THE RISKS.

RIGHT. THE WHAT WE HAVE LOOKED AT IS ALL OF THE STUDIES RELATED TO SMOKING AS A GENERAL PUBLIC HEALTH RISK. LOOK AT SMOKING BROADLY. SMOKING CIGARETTES FOR EXAMPLE. IN ALL MY RESEARCH AND IN ANYTHING I'VE EVER HEARD, THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, HEART ASSOCIATION OR ANY ANYBODY ELSE BRING UP AS FAR AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN, IS HAS NEVER SINGLED OUT CIGAR SMOKING ITSELF OR EMPLOYMENT AT A CIGAR BAR AS NECESSARILY OR THERE BEING ANY DATA THAT SHOWS THERE IS AN INCREASED RISK FOR ANYTHING. RIGHT NOW, THERE'S ONE STUDY THAT WAS ABLE TO FIND THAT DID A META ANALYSIS OF OTHER DATA AND FOUND THAT IF SOMEBODY SMOKES TWO CIGARS A DAY, THERE WAS A MODERATE INCREASED RISK OF ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS. BUT I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY THAT SMOKES TWO CIGARS A DAY. I HAVEN'T SMOKED A CIGAR IN ABOUT 15 YEARS. I THINK IT WOULD BE TOTALLY INSANE TO SMOKE THAT MUCH. BUT NO, AS FAR AS EMPLOYEES ARE CONCERNED, IT'S AN AT WILL STATE THEY ACCEPT THE RISK BY GOING TO WORK THERE. THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORK THERE.

RIGHT. BUT AGAIN, THERE'S YOU KNOW, WE HAVE EMPLOYMENT AND THEN WE HAVE REGULATIONS THAT PROTECT WORKERS AND ALL SORTS OF INDUSTRIES. IN THERE IS A SECTION ABOUT PROTECTING ADJOINING BUSINESSES OR STRUCTURES FROM EXPOSURE TO THE SECONDHAND SMOKE. BUT WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING IN HERE. FROM MY READING ABOUT ANY VENTILATION REQUIREMENTS OR, YOU KNOW, CLEARING THE AIR AGAIN, SORT OF, YOU KNOW, PROTECTION FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE EMPLOYED. THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. THAT CAME UP A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WITH PUBLIC HEALTH, AND THEIR RESPONSE WAS, THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS ANY VENTILATION THAT DOESN'T HAS ANY SIGNIFICANT IMPACT. MOST, IF NOT ALL OF THE CIGAR BARS I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFETIME OR HEARD OF HAVE MORE ADVANCED FILTRATION TO, YOU KNOW, TO GET SMOKE OUT OF THE AREA. RIGHT. BUT WE WERE TOLD BY PUBLIC HEALTH, THERE'S NO POINT IN PUTTING DOWN STANDARDS, BECAUSE THERE'S NO POINT IN THE STANDARD. IN THEIR OPINION, THERE WAS NO POINT IN PUTTING STANDARDS DOWN. WE ACTUALLY EXPLORED IT, HAD LANGUAGE DRAFTED UP RELATED TO IT. BUT AGAIN, IF THERE WAS NO TECHNICAL REASON TO PUT IT IN THERE, WE DIDN'T PUT IT IN THERE. AND THEN MY FINAL QUESTION, AND OBVIOUSLY THIS IS PROMPTED BY THE HOUSE BILL THAT'S CURRENTLY SECOND READING IN THE SENATE. AND SO IT HAS WE'RE PAST THE PERIOD WHERE WE'VE HAD, YOU KNOW, DISCUSSION PREVIOUSLY IN THIS BODY ABOUT PREEMPTION FROM FRANKFORT. WE'RE NOW IN THE PERIOD WHERE THE GOVERNOR COULD VETO THAT BILL. HAS THERE BEEN ANY INDICATION ABOUT THE GOVERNOR'S DISPOSITION TOWARDS HB 2211? YEAH. GOOD QUESTION. SO NO IDEA. BUT THE REASON I'M BRINGING THIS UP IS AND I WANTED TO BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THAT IS NOT PASSED THE SENATE. IT MAY NOT EVER RIGHT. THEY MAY COME BACK FOR THE LAST TWO DAYS AND THEY MIGHT THEY MAY NOT TAKE IT UP. THAT'S THAT'S A VERY REAL POSSIBILITY, WHICH IS WHY I WANTED TO BE VERY CLEAR UP

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FRONT. THIS IS A LOUISVILLE BILL, RIGHT? I THINK WHAT THEY DRAFTED IS A VERY GOOD DRAFT. IT WAS BASED OFF OF STUFF THAT WE HAVE DEBATED FOR YEARS HERE. IT WAS BASED OFF OF RECOMMENDATIONS THAT HAVE COME OVER YEARS OF DISCUSSION ON THIS. SO I THOUGHT THE VERBIAGE WAS VERY, VERY GOOD AND I THINK WE SHOULD ADOPT IT. BUT I DID WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT THIS IS NOT LINKED IN ANY WAY TO HOUSE BILL 211 AND CONFIRMED WITH THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE THAT THE WAY THIS IS WRITTEN, THIS IS EITHER US SAYING YES OR US SAYING NO, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE STATE DOES. YEAH. AND THEN MY FINAL QUESTION AND I APOLOGIZE, I'M A I'M A GUEST OF THE COMMITTEE AND I'M TAKING UP A LOT OF SPACE HERE IN THE WHEREAS SECTION, WE TALK THERE'S A THE CLAUSE THAT THE POPULARITY OF CIGARS HAS DEVELOPED A STRONG CIGAR LOUNGE CULTURE AND ARE PERCEIVED AS LESS HARMFUL THAN OTHER TOBACCO PRODUCTS. AGAIN, I WONDER ABOUT THAT. THE WORD PERCEPTION VERSUS ACTUAL FACTS, AS YOU ESTABLISHED, THERE'S CERTAINLY LESS STUDY OF CIGARS AND SECONDHAND EXPOSURE THAN THERE IS TO CIGARETTE SMOKE. HOWEVER, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT A LOT OF THE PERCEIVED DIFFERENCE, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN THE HARM OF CIGARETTE SMOKING AND CIGAR SMOKING IS THE QUESTION OF VENTILATION. GENERALLY, CIGARS ARE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE SMOKED IN A VERY DIFFERENT MANNER. YOU'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, BREATHING IN, HOLDING IN. CORRECT. THE TOBACCO SMOKE. BUT THAT WOULD NOT APPLY TO SECONDHAND EXPOSURE, WHICH WE DO, I THINK AS A CITY RECOGNIZE AS A PUBLIC HEALTH RISK. AND WE DO RECOGNIZE, AS YOU KNOW, HAVING, YOU KNOW, PRETTY NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES. SO I AGAIN, I WONDER IF THERE WAS ANY IN TERMS OF THE THERE WAS WAS THERE ANY INPUT FROM PUBLIC HEALTH ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC CLAUSE, ABOUT THE RELATIVE HARM THAT THE EXPOSURE TO TOBACCO IN THE FORM OF CIGARS HAS? NO, I MEAN, NO, ALTHOUGH YES, OVER THE YEARS, NO. RELATED TO THIS SPECIFIC ONE BECAUSE I ESTIMATE, ALTHOUGH PUBLIC HEALTH HAS ADVOCATED FOR SMOKING OF MARIJUANA, FOR SOME REASON, THEY'VE BEEN AGAINST OTHER SMOKING. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, I KNOW WHAT THEIR POSITION IS ON SECONDHAND SMOKE. THEY'RE AGAINST IT. I FULLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, WHICH IS WHY WE SO SPECIFICALLY CARVED THIS OUT TO ENSURE NOBODY OTHER THAN THOSE AGREEING TO WORK IN AND OR PATRONIZING THE PLACE SHOULD BE IMPACTED BY THAT. BUT I'M QUITE FRANKLY, I DIDN'T. I'M IF YOU WANT TO AMEND THE WHEREAS CLAUSES, I'M FINE. I WAS MORE FOCUSED ON THE WELL I CAN'T MAKE A MOTION, BUT MAYBE I'LL CONSIDER IT ON THE FLOOR LATER. BUT AGAIN, OKAY, I'VE EXHAUSTED MY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU.

COUNCILMAN HERNDON. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. I JUST WANT TO SAY I ALSO AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN OWEN'S ASSESSMENT OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL HERE. AND AS A AS SOMEBODY WHO WAS A STRONG ADVOCATE BACK IN THE DAY OF THE SMOKING BAN AND STILL AM, I DO THINK, COUNCILMAN ANTHONY, YOU'VE TAKEN GREAT CARE TO TAKE CARE OF NON EMPLOYEE NON SMOKERS. AND I COMMEND THAT. AND I WILL VOTE YES. OKAY. ANYONE ELSE IN THE QUEUE. SEEING NONE. THIS IS AN ORDINANCE REQUIRING A ROLL CALL VOTE. COUNCIL MEMBER MCCRANEY. I NEED TO CLARIFY MY VOTE AND I HAD MY HAND UP. I'M SORRY YOU MISSED IT FOR MY COMMENTS. I'M SORRY. COUNCILWOMAN, THAT'S OKAY. BUT I LET ME JUST SAY THAT CIGAR SMOKE CONTAINS THE SAME TOXIC COMPOUNDS AS CHEMICALS THAT CAUSE CANCER, THAT ARE FOUND IN CIGARETTES. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, AND UNTIL I CAN READ WHERE HOW WE HAVE WRITTEN THIS ORDINANCE UP HAS LESS EFFECT ON PEOPLE GETTING CANCER. AND UNTIL I SEE HOW THE STATE IS GOING TO ACTUALLY VOTE, IF THEY INDEED DO VOTE, IF THEY CERTAINLY APPROVE CIGAR BARS, THEN LET THEM BE THAT PERSON TO BRING THAT THAT RISK OF HEALTH TO THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. BUT FOR THAT REASON, I AM GOING TO VOTE NO AT THE COMMITTEE LEVEL UNTIL IF IT GOES TO THE FULL FLOOR. AND THERE'S OTHER INFORMATION PROVIDED ME, THEN IT MAY CHANGE. BUT TODAY I'M VOTING NO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN, AND I APOLOGIZE FOR MISSING YOU EARLIER. MR. CHAIR, YOU HAVE SIX YES VOTES AND TWO NO VOTES. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THIS ITEM WILL BE SENT TO OLD BUSINESS. ALL RIGHT. THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS A PRESENTATION BY GLE,

[Special Discussion]

WHICH WOULD BE THE OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS, PERFORMANCE AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

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ROLE THAT THE GREATER LOUISVILLE INC. HERE TO SPEAK TO THAT IS CLARK WELCH. AND WHILE HE'S COMING, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR FOLKS FROM METRO FOR SHOWING UP.

THOUGH YOU WERE NOT NECESSARY, YOUR PRESENCE CONTINGENTLY WAS VERY IMPORTANT. SO, DOCTOR, DIRECTOR, THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. MR. WELCH, WILL YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD? YEP.

[00:30:01]

REGIONAL UMBRELLA. SO WE'VE DEVELOPED IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS A REGIONAL WEBSITE. SO IT'S DESIGNED TO HAVE DATA THAT IS PERTAINING TO EACH OF OUR COUNTY PARTNERS THAT WE HAVE ESTABLISHED AND A MEASURABLE, CONSISTENT WAY. AND THE REAL PURPOSE OF THAT IS SO THAT IF SOMEONE IS LOOKING AT OUR REGION AND THEY WANT TO LOOK AT DATA THAT RELATES TO SPECIFIC COMMUNITIES, WE'RE PROVIDING THAT INFORMATION IN A CONSISTENT WAY ACROSS EACH OF THE 15 COUNTIES. ONCE A YEAR, GLI CONDUCTS A REGIONAL FAMILIARIZATION TOUR. SO WE SORT OF FLIP THE COIN INSTEAD OF OUR TEAM GOING OUT AND ENGAGING WITH CONSULTANTS AND BUSINESSES OUT OF MARKET, WE ACTUALLY INVITE THOSE CONSULTANTS TO LOUISVILLE TO SPEND 2 OR 3 DAYS UNDERSTAND SOME OF OUR REGIONAL COMPETITIVE ASSETS, MEET A LOT OF THE LOCAL PARTNERS THAT WE CONVENE AND BRING TOGETHER, AND GIVE THEM A KIND OF A TASTE OF WHAT THE GREATER LOUISVILLE REGION HAS TO OFFER. AND OFTENTIMES IT'S PRETTY ENCOURAGING. YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE CONSULTANTS MAY NEVER HAVE BEEN TO LOUISVILLE BEFORE AND AFTER THEY FINISHED 2 OR 3 DAYS HERE, THEIR PERCEPTION IS DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT FROM BEFORE WHEN THEY CAME. AND SO THAT'S ALWAYS ENCOURAGING TO HAVE PEOPLE LEAVE LOUISVILLE WITH A TOTALLY DIFFERENT VIEWPOINT THAT THEY HAD PRIOR TO VISITING. SO IT ALLOWS US TO FOSTER THOSE RELATIONSHIPS, KEEP THOSE CLOSE TO CLOSE AT HAND AS WE'RE TRYING TO IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES. WE ALSO HAVE A NUMBER OF RESEARCH AND DATA TOOLS. SO WITHIN JEFFERSON COUNTY, WE WORK CLOSELY WITH LEAD ON PROVIDING DATA. ANY INFORMATION THAT WE CAN. WE DO THE SAME FOR OTHER REGIONAL PARTNERS. SO THERE MAY NOT BE THAT CAPABILITY WITHIN SOME OF THE COLLAR COUNTIES AROUND JEFFERSON. AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS TO THAT INFORMATION. AND I'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE CONFERENCES THAT WE ATTEND NATIONALLY ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO TRY TO FOSTER THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND BUILD THE LEADS FOR OUR PROJECT PIPELINE. I'LL TALK ABOUT IN A MINUTE.

BEAR WITH ME ON THIS SLIDE. THERE'S A LOT TO UNPACK HERE, BUT I THINK HOPEFULLY THIS IS HELPFUL IN EXPLAINING HOW GLI OPERATES IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT VERSUS SOME OF OUR LOCAL PARTNERS. SO YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING IN BLUE ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE SCREEN TALKS ABOUT WHERE THE REGIONAL SCOPE OF INFLUENCE EXISTS. SO THAT'S WHERE GLI OPERATES. SO IT'S EVERYTHING THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT ON REGIONAL MARKETING, REGIONAL CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE, TRYING TO GENERATE OPPORTUNITIES TO FEED THE TOP OF OUR SALES FUNNEL FOR PROSPECTIVE BUSINESSES THAT WANT TO EXPAND OR RELOCATE HERE. WE WORK WITH THEM THROUGH INITIAL INQUIRY, TRY TO DO EARLY LEVEL REAL ESTATE SEARCHES, AND THEN ULTIMATELY, ONCE THE PROSPECT OR THE BUSINESS IDENTIFIES WHERE IN THE REGION THEY'RE INTERESTED IN PUTTING BOOTS ON THE GROUND AND COMING FOR A SITE TOUR, WE BRING IN THE LOCAL PARTNER, WHOMEVER THAT MAY BE, TO CONDUCT A SITE TOUR AND THEN THIS. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION. GLI IS A NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION CANNOT ADMINISTER INCENTIVES. SO IF A BUSINESS GETS TO THE POINT WHERE THEY WANT TO TALK TO A PARTICULAR COMMUNITY AND TALK THROUGH EITHER LOCAL OR STATE INCENTIVES, THAT'S WHERE WE MAKE THAT CONNECTION TO THE LOCAL PARTNER. WE'RE NOT TRYING TO NEGOTIATE ON OUR LOCAL PARTNERS BEHALF. THAT'S THEIR JOB. SO EVERYTHING ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE SCREEN IS WHERE WE BRING IN THE LOCAL PARTNERS TO HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS. A QUICK SNAPSHOT OF WHERE OUR PIPELINE CURRENTLY STANDS. SO WE HAVE 62 PROJECTS IN OUR PIPELINE. THOSE ARE SPLIT. YOU CAN SEE ABOUT TWO THIRDS OF THOSE ARE IN THE ATTRACTION FIELD VERSUS 24 ARE BUSINESSES THAT ALREADY EXIST IN THE REGION AND ARE EXPANDING. AND YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A PRETTY DIVERSE OFFERING OF BUSINESSES IN TERMS OF WHICH INDUSTRY THEY'RE IN. SO NO SURPRISE, REALLY, THAT ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND LOGISTICS TAKE A NOTABLE SLICE OF THAT. BUT WE'VE SEEN RECENTLY UPTICKS IN HEALTH AND LIFE SCIENCES, MORE TRADITIONAL BUSINESS SERVICE END USERS, AND THAT'S ACTUALLY WORKED ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO SOME OF THE SUCCESSES THAT WE'VE HAD IN THE LAST 18 MONTHS OR SO.

I PUT THIS UP HERE. THIS IS A CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE. NOT EVERY PROJECT THAT WE ENGAGE WITH WILL GIVE US CAPITAL, INVESTMENT DOLLARS AND WAGE FIGURES, BUT FOR THOSE THAT DO, IF YOU ADD ALL THOSE UP, IT WOULD. AND IF ALL OF THOSE PROJECTS LANDED, WHICH THEY INEVITABLY WILL NOT.

BUT IF THEY DID, IT WOULD REPRESENT A LITTLE BIT OVER 4600 NEW JOBS AND AN ADDITIONAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT OF A LITTLE OVER $3.3 BILLION. THIS IS A SERIES. THIS IS JUST FOR FISCAL YEAR 24. SO JANUARY THROUGH DECEMBER. AND THESE ARE THE PROJECTS THAT GLI WORKED THAT LANDED ACROSS THE REGION. AND IF YOU ADD ALL THIS UP, IT EQUALS ABOUT $70 MILLION IN CAPITAL

[00:35:02]

INVESTMENT AND A LITTLE BIT OVER 550 NEW JOBS. YOU CAN SEE ON THE RIGHT HAND COLUMN THE LION'S SHARE OF THESE INVESTMENTS, NOT REALLY IN A SURPRISING WAY, BUT HAVE LANDED IN JEFFERSON COUNTY JUST BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE BULK OF THE POPULATION FOR OUR MSA IS. BUT WE'VE ALSO SEEN WINS FOR OTHER COUNTIES ACROSS THE REGION. AND THEN I WANTED TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE YEAR TO DATE.

IN FISCAL YEAR 2025, WE'VE HAD A TOTAL OF FOUR PROJECTS. ONE OF THEM WE LOST, YOU CAN SEE AT THE BOTTOM, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN THREE WINS RECENTLY FABRICATED METALS, CORNBREAD, HEMP, WHICH ANNOUNCED IN THE LAST WEEK AND A HALF OR SO, AND STEPTOE AND JOHNSON, WHICH IS GOING TO BE RELOCATING ITS OFFICE FROM EAST LOUISVILLE TO DOWNTOWN WITH PART OF THEIR GROWTH. SOMEWHAT RELATED BUT DIFFERENT. AND IT WAS INTERESTING TO LISTEN TO THE DISCUSSION EARLIER ABOUT THE ORDINANCE THAT WAS PROPOSED, TALKING ABOUT PEER SETS AND COMPARISONS TO PEER MARKETS WITH THE SUNSET OF THE GREATER LOUISVILLE PROJECT, WHICH WAS IN EXISTENCE FOR THE BETTER PART OF, I'M GOING TO SAY TEN YEARS, 12 YEARS, WE AT GLI FELT LIKE IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT THE BENCHMARKING AGAINST OUR PEER SET OF SISTER CITIES OR PEER CITIES WAS SOMETHING TO CARRY FORWARD. SO WHAT WE DID WAS WE DEVELOPED A SERIES OF DATA POINTS BASED IN FIVE MAIN CATEGORIES POPULATION, TALENT, ECONOMY, LABOR AND LIVABILITY. AND WE DID THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME LAST NOVEMBER. WE'RE GOING TO BE UPDATING IT WITH TREND ANALYSIS IN Q4 OF THIS YEAR. BUT REALLY WHAT WE WANTED TO SEE WAS WHERE DOES LOUISVILLE COMPARE? NOT SO MUCH TO ITSELF. AND THIS IS REGIONAL AGAIN, NOT JUST JEFFERSON COUNTY, BUT HOW DOES IT STACK UP AGAINST 16 OF ITS PEER CITIES. SO THAT INCLUDES SOME OF THE USUAL SUSPECTS. AND I'M NOT GOING TO GET THEM ALL.

BUT IT'S CINCINNATI, INDIANAPOLIS, NASHVILLE, COLUMBUS, LOUISVILLE OBVIOUSLY OMAHA GREENSBORO, CHARLOTTE, OMAHA, OKLAHOMA CITY, TULSA AND SOME OTHERS. I'VE FORGOTTEN. BUT THE IDEA BEING THAT THIS YEAR WHEN WE LOOK AT THE DATA, THE SAME DATA SET, WE'LL BE ABLE TO DEVELOP A TREND. SO COMPARED TO THIS PAST YEAR, HAS LOUISVILLE INCREASED IN ITS STANDING COMPARED TO THOSE PEER MARKETS OR DECREASED? AND WHILE GLI IS NOT RESPONSIBLE AND DOESN'T PRETEND TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTROLLING ALL OF THESE, I THINK IT'S HELPFUL INFORMATION FOR THE COMMUNITY TO HAVE. SO IF WE SEE THINGS THAT WE LIKE, WE WANT TO LEAN MORE INTO THAT OR THINGS THAT UPSET US. AND THE DATA IS CONCERNING. HAVING THAT OBJECTIVE DATA IS AN IMPORTANT TOOL TO HAVE. A COUPLE OF OTHER THINGS, AND THEN I'LL OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS. GLI ALSO HAS A NUMBER OF WORKFORCE INITIATIVES, SO WE'VE DEVELOPED A PARTNERSHIP WITH LINKEDIN TALENT INSIGHTS AND REALLY TRYING TO FOCUS ON TALENT ATTRACTION FOR THE REGION. SO WE'VE AS AN INVESTOR MEMBER LED ORGANIZATION, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF BUSINESSES WITHIN OUR INVESTOR BASE THAT IN RECENT YEARS, LIKE A LOT OF PLACES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, HAVE HAD CHALLENGES IN RETAINING WORKFORCE. AND SO THERE HAVE BEEN OUR WE HAVE AN ENTIRE WORKFORCE AND TALENT TEAM AT GLI. AND I THINK ONE OF THE REALLY ENCOURAGING THINGS THAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE LAST 12 TO 18 MONTHS IS A NUMBER OF BUSINESSES HAVE REACHED OUT TO US AND WE DEVELOP EFFECTIVELY SEPARATE PRIVATE LABEL MARKETING CAMPAIGNS FOR THEM TO TARGET POSITIONS THAT THEY ARE SEEKING WITHIN THE REGION, FROM TALENT THAT EXISTS OUTSIDE OF THE REGION. SO GROWING THE POPULATION, GROWING THE WORKFORCE INSTEAD OF CANNIBALIZING FROM OTHER PEER ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN THE REGION. FINDING MARKETS WHERE THAT TALENT EXISTS IN A GREATER SUPPLY, THE COST OF LIVING IS ABOUT THE SAME, AND THEN WE'RE ABLE TO SERVE THEM TARGETED MARKETING ADS THAT THEN DIRECT TO A WEBSITE ON THE BACK END OF GLI'S WEBSITE, AND THEN SERVE THOSE BACK TO THE CLIENT. SO A MAJOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER IN LOUISVILLE WORKED WITH US LAST YEAR. THEY HAD 300 OPEN POSITIONS FOR REGISTERED NURSES. WE WERE ABLE TO DELIVER A LITTLE BIT OVER 850 APPLICANTS, AND THAT WAS SUCCESSFUL ENOUGH THAT THEY WANTED TO COME BACK AND DO SEVERAL MORE CAMPAIGNS. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT AS SORT OF A CREATIVE SOLUTION ON HOW DO YOU GROW THE REGIONAL ECONOMY FROM AN EXTERNAL SOURCE, AS OPPOSED TO CANNIBALIZING TALENT THAT ALREADY EXISTS WITHIN OUR 15 COUNTY REGION? LIV AND LOU IS A BRAND THAT GLI DEVELOPED AND OPERATES SINCE ABOUT 2017. IT'S REALLY TALENT ATTRACTION THROUGH RETENTION. SO I'M SURE A NUMBER OF YOU MAY BE AWARE OF IT, BUT IT'S TRYING TO SHOWCASE A LOT OF OUR QUALITY OF LIFE. IF THAT'S

[00:40:03]

THE CULINARY SCENE, IF IT'S OUR DISTINCT NEIGHBORHOODS OR PARK SYSTEM, ALL OF THOSE THINGS, WHEN ADDED TOGETHER, CREATE AN EXCITEMENT AMONG PEOPLE WHO ALREADY LIVE HERE, ENCOURAGING THEM TO STAY AND SUPPORT THE, YOU KNOW, THE REGIONAL ECONOMY AND THE QUALITY OF PLACE THAT EXISTS HERE. AND THEN JUST FINALLY, A FEW STATS I WANTED TO SHARE ABOUT LIV AND LOU AND THE GROWTH OF THAT SOCIAL MEDIA EFFORT. SO SINCE IT LAUNCHED IN 2017 OR 2018, WE HAVE OVER 22,000 FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS, 48,000 INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS. RECENTLY, WE'VE ENGAGED WITH LINKEDIN, HAVE A LITTLE BIT OVER 3000 FOLLOWERS THERE. JUST RECENTLY TIKTOK. BUT IF YOU ADD ALL THAT UP, IT'S A LITTLE BIT UNDER 75,000 FOLLOWERS ACROSS ALL PLATFORMS. SO I WILL STOP THERE AND TURN IT OVER TO YOU ALL IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME. THANK YOU. WELL, FIRST OFF, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE AND FOR PRESENTING THIS. IT'S REALLY INTERESTING STUFF. I KNOW THAT I HAVE SEVERAL THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS. I WILL START WITH A SHOUT OUT. AS A NERD AND FORMER GREATER LOUISVILLE PROJECT EXEC, THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO MAINTAIN, I THINK, WHAT IS A REALLY IMPORTANT WAY OF US UNDERSTANDING OUR CITY'S SUCCESS OR LACK THEREOF, WHICH IS BENCHMARKING US AGAINST THE OTHER CITIES THAT WE SEE AS OUR PEERS. SO THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT. I WILL HAND IT OVER TO COUNCILMAN BATSON. THANK YOU.

CHAIR. THANK YOU. CLARK, I JUST WANT TO TOUCH ON A COUPLE OF THINGS, AND I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION. I'VE WORKED WITH YOU ALL MANY TIMES, AND I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING, BUT MAYBE TO HELP SOME OF THE NEW FOLKS AND MAYBE TO GIVE US A LITTLE BIT BETTER UNDERSTANDING WHAT CAN OR HOW CAN GLI AND OR STATE OR CITY OR STATE OFFICIALS DO A BETTER JOB IN ATTRACTING AND KEEPING THE CORPORATION AND PROFESSIONAL TALENT THAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY OF LOUISVILLE? WELL, IN THE STATE AS WELL? YEAH, I THINK IN GENERAL, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT IN GENERAL RETENTION EFFORTS OR ATTRACTION AS WELL, OR BOTH? YEAH, I THINK WELL, FIRST LET ME START BY ACKNOWLEDGING AND APPRECIATING THAT METRO COUNCIL HAS AND METRO GOVERNMENT IS INVESTING IN GLI TO SUPPORT THIS EFFORT. SO ONE OF THE WAYS I THINK THAT WE ARE DOING THIS EFFECTIVELY IS WE HAVE PUBLIC SECTOR INVESTMENT IN DOING THE WORK, SO WE NEED TO BE ATTENDING THE CONFERENCES THAT I SPOKE ABOUT AND WE'VE NOW BEEN DOING FOR TWO YEARS AT GLI WITH PUBLIC SECTOR SUPPORT, BOTH FROM METRO COUNCIL AND THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES ACROSS OUR REGION. SO I THINK THAT'S A THAT'S A GOOD FIRST STEP THAT HAS HAPPENED. AND WE'VE BEEN ENCOURAGED BY THE ABILITY TO GO OUT AND SELL OURSELVES OUTSIDE OF THE REGION AND TAKE THE TIME AND MAKE THE TRAVEL AND MAKE THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT ARE GOING TO LEAD TO SOME OF THE ENGAGEMENT WITH CONSULTANTS. THAT WILL KEEP LOUISVILLE TOP OF MIND WHEN THEY'RE WORKING WITH PROSPECTS WHO COULD BE CONSIDERING OUR REGION AS A GOOD CANDIDATE. SO I THINK THAT'S A GOOD FIRST STEP.

AND THEN ON THE RETENTION PIECE, I THINK WE AT GLI AS THE REGIONAL ORGANIZATION, TREAT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ALL 15 COUNTIES THE SAME. SO RETENTION WORK IS TYPICALLY THE FUNCTION OF THE LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION. AND SO THAT'S BULLITT COUNTY AND MEADE COUNTY AND JEFFERSON COUNTY. AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO SUPPORT THOSE EFFORTS, OR THAT WE CATCH WIND OF A BUSINESS, THAT MAY BE A FLIGHT RISK, SO TO SPEAK, WE CERTAINLY MAKE OUR LOCAL PARTNER. IF IT'S JEFFERSON COUNTY, IF IT'S BULLITT COUNTY AWARE OF THAT.

YEAH. SO YUM BRANDS, FOR EXAMPLE, I'LL JUST I'LL JUST, YOU KNOW, JUST SAY IT LIKE HOW HOW COULD WE HAVE PREVENTED THAT IN A CASE OF THAT SITUATION OR MAGNITUDE? AND HOW COULD WE HAVE MAYBE EVEN ATTRACTED. THEY'RE GOING THEY'RE LEAVING LOUISVILLE, A LOUISVILLE BRAND STATE OF KENTUCKY BRAND A LOUISVILLE BRAND, KFC LEAVING THIS STATE, GOING TO TEXAS. HOW COULD WE HAVE ATTRACTED WHAT THEY HAVE IN TEXAS HERE AND DONE A BETTER JOB IN THAT, RATHER THAN LOSING THAT BRAND? IS A QUESTION, BUT PROBABLY A LOT LONGER THAN WHAT WE HAVE IN THIS MEETING TODAY. AND THEN IN SUPPORT OF INDUSTRY, OF MANUFACTURING AND THINGS LIKE THAT. I SEE WE'VE GOT FABRICATED METALS IN DISTRICT 25. HUGE SHOUT OUT. I THINK THEY'RE DOING BIG THINGS. BUT ASIDE FROM THAT TYPE OF INDUSTRY, HOW DO WE ATTRACT. I LET ME REPHRASE THAT.

HOW MUCH OF THAT INDUSTRY IS JLR DOING IN THE SOUTH END OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL INDUSTRIES? IF SO,

[00:45:03]

LET ME I'M GOING TO ASK A CLARIFYING. SO IS THE IS THE QUESTION WHAT WE'RE DOING TO SUPPORT MANUFACTURING OR HOW WE'RE TRYING TO DIVERSIFY INDUSTRY OUTREACH, DIVERSIFY A COUPLE OF THINGS. I THINK THIS IS WHERE MY DEPARTMENT WITHIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BLEEDS A BIT OVER INTO ADVOCACY. SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE TOOLS THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE AS IT RELATES TO INCENTIVIZING BUSINESSES, THERE IS STATE OF THE STATE. A LOT OF THE STATE INCENTIVES THAT WE WORK WITH AND OUR PARTNERS WORK WITH. THERE IS A REQUIREMENT TO REACH A CERTAIN CAPITAL INVESTMENT THRESHOLD. SO INCENTIVES ARE BASED ON HOW MUCH CAPITAL INVESTMENT YOU'RE MAKING AND THE TOTAL NUMBER OF JOBS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT INVESTMENT. ASSUMING THAT THOSE ARE MEETING THE MEDIAN WAGE TARGETS THAT WE WANT. SO WE'RE NOT ATTRACTING WE DON'T WANT $10 AN HOUR JOBS. WE WANT JOBS THAT ARE GOING TO BE LIFTING THE OVERALL INCOME FOR THE REGION.

AND THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT REQUIREMENT IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE BEEN ADVOCATING FOR AT THE STATE LEVEL FOR CHANGES TO THAT, BECAUSE A LOT OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICE FIRMS DON'T INCUR THE SAME LEVEL OF CAPITAL EXPENDITURES THAT PERHAPS A MANUFACTURING OR A LOGISTICS FIRM MIGHT, BUT THE WAGES ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE PROFESSIONAL SERVICE FIRMS ARE TYPICALLY MUCH HIGHER. SO IF THERE'S A WAY TO AMEND THE STATE INCENTIVE LEGISLATION THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR MORE ELIGIBLE COSTS TO BE APPLIED TOWARDS THAT CAPITAL INVESTMENT THRESHOLD, I THINK IT COULD GO A LONG WAY TOWARD INCREASING OUR ABILITY TO HAVE A MORE COMPETITIVE INCENTIVE STRUCTURE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CHAIR. SO OF ALL, I ALWAYS HEAR THAT WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, WE HAVE CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE IN BOTH GROWING AND ATTRACTING BUSINESSES. I ALWAYS HEAR THAT WORKFORCE TALENT IS THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE IN THAT CALCULUS IN THAT CALCULATION. IS THAT IS THAT TRUE OR IS IT JUST A COMBINATION OF THINGS? IT'S A COMBINATION OF THINGS. IT DEPENDS ON THE PROSPECT YOU'RE TALKING TO. SO IN SOME INDUSTRIES OR SUBINDUSTRIES, WORKFORCE REMAINS INCREDIBLY TIGHT. AND THAT'S NOT UNIQUE TO LOUISVILLE. I MEAN, IT'S A LOT OF PLACES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. AND SO IN SOME CASES, IT'S ACCESS TO QUALIFIED WORKFORCE.

IN SOME CASES, INCENTIVES PLAY INTO THAT. IN SOME CASE, OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE. AND ACCESS THROUGH DIRECT AIR SERVICE FROM YOUR REGIONAL AIRPORT. I MEAN, ALL OF THOSE THINGS, PLUS OTHERS. IT IT'S NOT A THIS OR THAT. IT'S SORT OF A WHAT'S THE WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO THE DECISION MAKERS WITHIN A PARTICULAR BUSINESS OR A PARTICULAR INDUSTRY. WELL, WE RECENTLY SPOKE ABOUT YOUR KIND OF TALENT IDENTIFICATION PROGRAM THAT YOU DID THROUGH LINKEDIN FOR THE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY HERE. AND I THINK THAT'S A FANTASTIC MODEL TO BE THAT TARGETED AND THAT SPECIFIC, AND WOULD ENCOURAGE AN EXPANSION OF THAT PROGRAM, BECAUSE I THINK THAT CAN HELP US OVERCOME SOME OF WHAT I WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT FROM A WORKFORCE AND TALENT PERSPECTIVE. YOU GUYS DON'T HAVE PARTICULAR INCENTIVES TO PROVIDE. YOU HAVE TO PARTNER WITH LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT IN ORDER TO CREATE INCENTIVE PACKAGES FOR PEOPLE THAT YOU'RE TALKING TO. THAT'S CORRECT, THAT'S CORRECT. AND THAT'S TYPICAL OF REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. SO BECAUSE WE CROSS COUNTY LINES, WHEN WE FIND OPPORTUNITIES, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE SALES FUNNEL, WE'RE SORT OF TOWARDS THE TOP. AND THEN ONCE THOSE PROSPECTS SELF-SELECT ON WHICH COMMUNITIES THEY WANT TO FOCUS ON FOR A FURTHER SEARCHING OF REAL ESTATE AND SORT OF BOOTS ON THE GROUND DOING SITE TOURS, I VERY INTENTIONALLY TRY NOT TO TALK ABOUT SPECIFICS OF INCENTIVES. I CAN EDUCATE THEM ABOUT THE OVERALL STRUCTURE AND WHAT'S AVAILABLE, BUT I DON'T WANT TO NEGOTIATE ON OUR LOCAL PARTNERS BEHALF. SURE. AND THEN ANOTHER QUESTION THAT I HAD WAS, I THINK A BIG COMPONENT. I SAID THIS IN AN INTERVIEW RECENTLY ABOUT KFC LEAVING. I THINK WE DO HAVE SOME DISTINCT ADVANTAGES HERE, ONE BEING COST OF LIVING, TWO BEING QUALITY OF LIFE. AND YOU HAD A SLIDE THAT TALKED ABOUT QUALITY OF LIFE. I THINK BEING ONE OF THE FIVE COMPONENTS, AND I WAS WONDERING ABOUT HOW YOU COME UP WITH WHAT GOES INTO TO COMING UP WITH THE NUMBER THAT YOU CAME UP WITH TO COMPARE US TO OUR COMPETITOR CITIES. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT? I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD FOCUS MORE ON, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I DO THINK IN TERMS OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE, IT'S EASY TO LIVE HERE, IT'S COMFORTABLE TO LIVE HERE. AND THAT IS AN ADVANTAGE THAT WE HAVE OVER A

[00:50:03]

LOT OF PLACES. SO HOW DO YOU DETERMINE HOW WE RANK AS A QUALITY OF LIFE ON A QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE COMPARED TO OUR COMPETITORS? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. WE HAD A LOT OF INTERNAL DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT LIVABILITY, WHICH IS HOW WE'VE LABELED IT, BUT IT'S THAT'S EFFECTIVELY QUALITY OF LIFE IS HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH A DATA POINT THAT IS OBJECTIVE. AND SO AND THAT YOU CAN FIND DATA ON FOR ALL OF THE 17 OTHER MARKETS YOU'RE TRYING TO IDENTIFY. SO WE TALK ABOUT THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE. AND I DON'T DISAGREE. BUT TRYING TO FIND A AN AGREED UPON DATA POINT OR MULTIPLE DATA POINTS THAT SPEAK TO THAT IS THE CHALLENGE. AND SO WHERE WE LANDED WAS DATA THAT'S EITHER PROVIDED AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL THROUGH CENSUS INFORMATION OR THROUGH THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY, WHERE WE TRACKED THE MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME, VIOLENT CRIMES PER 1000 PEOPLE, PROPERTY CRIMES PER 1000 PEOPLE, AND THE NUMBER OF VETERANS. THIS IS THE I MEAN, I'LL JUST THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR WE'VE DONE THIS. SO I'M NOT PRETENDING THAT IT'S PERFECT IN YEAR ONE. IF THERE ARE IDEAS AND CONSIDERATIONS OF HOW WE CAN IMPROVE THE SET OF DATA, CERTAINLY WILLING TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. CONNECTED TO THAT, ABOUT WITH JOHNSON TOO MUCH BROADER THAN JUST HEALTH. BUT THERE'S A GOOD INDEX, PROBABLY, THAT COULD BE MADE OUT OF THAT.

AND SOMEONE ELSE IS DOING ALL THE WORK. COUNCILMAN BENSON, I'LL BE QUICK. YOU KNOW, IN IN MY WORLD, IN I USED TO BE A VOCATIONAL TEACHER. AND MOST PEOPLE I KNOW, I, I MENTIONED VOCATIONAL EDUCATION. ALL WE NEED IT AND I'LL SAY IS, ANYBODY IN YOUR FAMILY GO TO VOCATIONAL EDUCATION? OH, NO, THEY'RE GOING TO HARVARD. THEY'RE GOING TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF STUFF. AND IN 1984, THERE WAS A COMPANY CALLED UNITED AIRLINES. THEY WANTED TO BUILD A MAINTENANCE HUB HERE IN LOUISVILLE. THEY NEEDED 100 MACHINISTS. YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED? THEY DIDN'T COME BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE 100 MACHINISTS. THEY WENT TO INDIANAPOLIS. AND IF YOU KNOW A LITTLE BIT IN THE WORLD, YOU KNOW, I'M A TOOL DIE MAKER. SOME PEOPLE, THEY THEY'VE HEARD THAT THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT I DO OR WHAT I CAN DO, BECAUSE WHAT I DO IS IN BEHIND DOORS. AND, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY CAN SEE A MECHANIC. THEY CAN ELECTRICIAN OR A MECHANIC, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF DIFFERENT JOBS, BUT NOBODY EVER SEES WHAT A WHAT A TOOLMAKER DOES. AND OTHER THAN SEE THE PRODUCT, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, I CAN MAKE AN INJECTION MOLD BUILD THIS. I MEAN, LOOK AROUND HERE, ALMOST EVERYTHING.

GENERAL ELECTRIC SPENT A LOT OF MONEY TO TRAIN ME BACK IN THE 60S. AND SO MY QUESTION WOULD BE, WHAT DO WE NEED WHERE, YOU KNOW, MY DAUGHTER'S. I MADE MY DAUGHTER'S TAKE MY MACHINE SHOP CLASS. THEY WANTED TO FLY. AND I SAID, ALL AIRPLANES ARE MADE IN MACHINE SHOP. SO YOU HAVE TO TAKE MY MACHINE SHOP CLASS AND ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE SAYS YOU, YOU'RE RUINING YOUR DAUGHTER.

THAT DON'T LOOK GOOD. ON A TRANSCRIPT I SAID, YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT ECONOMICS. WITHOUT A PRODUCT, YOU HAVE NOTHING, RIGHT? EVERYBODY'S GOT TO SELL SOMETHING TO SOMEBODY TO MAKE OUR ECONOMY GO. AND I ALWAYS WONDER, WHY DON'T WE HAVE SOMEBODY FIGURE OUT WHAT WHAT JOBS DO WE NEED? AND CAN'T WE TRY TO TRY TO PROVIDE THEM? TO ME, IN OUR COMMUNITY, WE'VE GOT AS MUCH TALENT AS ANYBODY. BUT IF YOU DON'T TRAIN THEM, THEY'RE NOT WORTH ANYTHING. EVERYBODY'S PAID BASED ON WHAT YOU CAN DO. SO THAT'S A WONDERFUL QUESTION. AND I THERE'S A PARTNERSHIP THAT GLI HAS WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS THAT I THINK SPEAKS TO WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, COUNCILMAN. AND THAT IS I ASSUME YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE JCPS ACADEMIES OF LOUISVILLE. YEAH. AND SO THE OPPORTUNITY OF PUBLIC SCHOOL FOR 28 YEARS. SO THEN YOU ARE DEFINITELY SO THE ABILITY FOR MORE HANDS ON TRAINING TO OCCUR OCCUR WITHIN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. AND SO GLI HAS PARTNERED WITH KENTUCKIANA WORKS TO DEDICATE A STAFF PERSON. THIS IS ABOUT ABOUT 8 OR 12 MONTHS IN PLAY RIGHT NOW WHERE GLI IS THE VOICE OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY.

SO WE HAVE A WEALTH OF RELATIONSHIPS AND CONNECTIONS WITHIN THE BUSINESS WORLD. AND SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS GET THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY ENGAGED IN THE WORK THAT THE ACADEMIES OF LOUISVILLE IS DOING. AND SO THAT DOES TWO THINGS. IT CREATES EXPOSURE SO THAT THEY'RE AWARE THAT JCPS IS PERFORMING THIS WORK, BUT IT ALSO ALLOWS FOR CHANGES IN IN CURRICULUM THAT CAN HELP CREATE THE PIPELINE OF THE TALENT OF THE FUTURE. SO IF THE BUSINESS

[00:55:03]

COMMUNITY BECOMES MORE ENGAGED IN THE IN THE WORK THAT THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM IS DOING, IT CAN HELP FOSTER CHANGES IN THE TYPES OF TALENT THAT YOU'RE CREATING, THAT THEN FILLS THAT NEED. THERE'S SOMETHING THAT HAS TO CHANGE. IT'S CALLED ATTITUDE. AND YOU TALK TO PEOPLE IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. MOST OF THE BUSINESS PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, I PUT OVER 500 KIDS IN JOBS. I FEEL PRETTY GOOD BECAUSE A LOT OF THE KIDS WERE HAPPY THAT I HELPED THEM OUT. THEY HELPED ME BECAUSE I FELT GOOD ABOUT DOING WHAT I DID. BUT YOU ASK A BUSINESS PERSON, THEY DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH JEFFERSON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL SET. FOR ONE THING, COLLEGE. AND THEY DON'T LISTEN AND THEY DON'T REALLY THINK, WELL, THAT'S OKAY, WE'LL TEACH YOU HOW TO DO SOMETHING. BUT WE KNOW THAT THE BIG BUCKS IS AND, YOU KNOW, COLLEGE GRADUATES. WELL, I'M NOT, BUT I'VE DONE AS WELL. I HAVE, YOU KNOW, AND YOU JUST HAVE A WE HAVE A HARD TIME AND SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE SOMETIME IS GOING TO HAVE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS I RAN FOR 22 YEARS AGO. SOMEBODY SAID, WHY ARE YOU RUNNING? I SAID, YOU GOT TO HAVE A REASON.

I WANT TO HELP PEOPLE NAVIGATE GOVERNMENT, BECAUSE IF YOU'VE HAD DEALINGS WITH A GOVERNMENT THAT TURNS OUT GOOD, I THINK YOU'RE LUCKY. MOST PEOPLE FEEL THAT GOVERNMENT SCREWED OVER THEM. BUT THE OTHER THING WAS TRY TO CREATE JOBS AND NOBODY, YOU KNOW, APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS. YOU KNOW, YOU WANT TO HOLD ON TO SOMEBODY WHEN YOU HAVE AN APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM FOR FOUR YEARS. AND EVERYBODY, EVERY COMPANY CAN HAVE APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM BECAUSE EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY LEARNS ON A JOB AND YOU HAVE SOME KIND OF CURRICULUM. AND WHEN THEY AFTER FOUR YEARS, THEY GET SOME KIND OF CERTIFICATE THAT THEY GRADUATE FROM, I MEAN, THAT HAD A LOT TO DO FOR ME. GRADUATING FROM GE TO AN APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM. ONE OF THE THINGS BEING ON IT, I DIDN'T HAVE TO GO TO VIETNAM. I HAD AN OCCUPATIONAL DEFERMENT. ANYBODY WHO WAS A TOOLMAKER DIDN'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, YOU HAD OCCUPATIONAL DEFERMENT BECAUSE SAY, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW. THEY DON'T THEY DON'T DRAFT FARMERS OR TOOLMAKERS YOU GOT TO HAVE FOOD. YOU GOT TO HAVE BULLETS, COUNCILMAN, WE GOT TO VACATE THE ROOM HERE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING. I WILL FLAG ON THE WAY OUT THAT I WAS VERY PLEASED TO SEE HOW MUCH OF THE WORK THAT YOU ARE DOING IS AROUND EXPANSION AS WELL AS ATTRACTION. I THINK THAT'S A STORY THAT WE NEED TO TELL. AND HOW MUCH OF THIS IS ABOUT MAKING THINGS, MOVING THINGS AND ENTERTAINING PEOPLE, WHICH IS WHAT I BELIEVE THAT OUR CITY AND STATE SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.

[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.]

APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.

Pending Legislation

1. O-071-25 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING LOUISVILLE METRO CODE OF ORDINANCES CHAPTER 90 TO ADD AN EXEMPTION FOR CIGAR BARS. Action Required By: September 13, 2025 Sponsors: Anthony Piagentini (R-19)

Mar 18, 2025 Labor and Economic Development Committee (trimmed)

Pending Legislation

1. O-071-25 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING LOUISVILLE METRO CODE OF ORDINANCES CHAPTER 90 TO ADD AN EXEMPTION FOR CIGAR BARS. Action Required By: September 13, 2025 Sponsors: Anthony Piagentini (R-19)

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