Jun 16, 2025 Budget Committee - THIS IS CONSIDERED A SPECIAL MEETING

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METRO TV WILL START IN 30S.

[Call to Order]

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[Roll Call]

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[1. ID 25-0331     PUBLIC HEARING PURSUANT TO LOUISVILLE METRO CODE OF ORDINANCES § 168.02(G) FOR THE GREATER LOUISVILLE LODGING MANAGEMENT DISTRICT.]

[3. R-048-25     A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE BUDGET AND ECONOMIC IMPROVEMENT PLAN FOR THE GREATER LOUISVILLE LODGING MANAGEMENT DISTRICT DBA LOUISVILLE HOTEL PARTNERSHIP FOR THE PERIOD JULY 1, 2025, TO JUNE 30, 2026. 6/5/25 Budget Committee  Held 5/8/25 Budget Committee  Held Action Required By: October 24, 2025 Sponsors: Kevin Kramer (R-11) ]

CAN I GET A MOTION IN A SECOND? GREAT. IT'S PROPERLY BEFORE US. OKAY. THANKS. SOMEONE? YEAH, SOMEONE FROM THE. SO YOU WERE HERE NOT TOO TERRIBLY LONG AGO JUST TO SHARE SOME INFORMATION.

SO IF YOU JUST WANT TO KIND OF GIVE US A RECAP OF WHERE WE ARE AND WHAT THIS BUDGET REFLECTS.

YES. SO THIS BUDGET REFLECTS. AND IF YOU COULD. I'M SORRY. INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD. ABSOLUTELY. AND THANK YOU, COUNCIL FOR BEING HERE. BUDGET COMMITTEE, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRESENCE VIRTUALLY AND IN PERSON. MY NAME IS EAMONN O'BRIEN. I'M THE GENERAL MANAGER

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AGAIN, WE ESTABLISHED BY LAW WE EXPECT SOME UNDERSTANDING OF THAT. THIS ISN'T A SEPARATE BODY THAT OPERATES OUTSIDE OF THE LAW. IT'S ESTABLISHED BY COUNCIL. SO CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW THIS MONEY IS BEING SPENT IN A LITTLE MORE DETAIL? RIGHT. DESCRIBE WHAT YOU KNOW, QUOTE, SALES, MARKETING AND PROGRAMS ENTAILS AND HOW MUCH OF THAT 7 MILLION IS GOING TO IDEAS OR ISSUES THAT, LET'S JUST SAY, ARE MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL TO BOTH THE TOURISM INDUSTRY AND THE HOTELIERS, AS WELL AS THE PARTICULARLY THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT, BUT THE DOWNTOWN AREA OF LOUISVILLE? ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION AND THANK YOU. WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE METRO COUNCIL REPRESENTATION ON OUR BOARD AND HAVE SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE BOARD, WHICH IS FANTASTIC TO HAVE COUNCILWOMAN, METRO COUNCIL, PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT DANA MAINTENANCE HERE, DEPUTY MAYOR, EXCUSE ME, DANA IS HERE. AND WE'RE FORTUNATE TO HAVE HER AND OTHERS, INCLUDING MARKUS WINKLER, ON OUR BOARD AS WELL. SO I'D LIKE TO ANSWER THE SECOND PART OF YOUR QUESTION FIRST. AS FAR AS MAYBE SOME OF THE BROADER PICTURES, WE CAN TALK ABOUT SALES AND MARKETING INITIATIVES. BUT I THINK THE SPIRIT OF THE QUESTION IS MORE TOWARDS WHAT'S HELPING JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMUNITY. IF THAT'S A FAIR CHARACTERIZATION OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, AT LEAST PART OF THAT SHOULD BE HELPING BOTH. I WANT TO BE CLEAR, LIKE YOUR JOB, THIS FUNDS JOB IS NOT TO JUST BENEFIT JEFFERSON COUNTY AND NOT OBVIOUSLY, TOURISM AND HOTELIERS. RIGHT. BUT THERE ARE SOME PROJECTS THAT YOU CAN IMAGINE ARE MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL.

AND WHAT PARTS OF THAT $7 MILLION ARE BEING SPENT IN THAT MANNER? YES. SO TWO. SO THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION. TWO MAJOR POINTS THAT WE HAVE HAVE WORKED ON ALREADY THAT HAVE STARTED AND AS WELL AS WE'RE WORKING ON OUR DIRECT AIRLIFT IMPROVEMENT TO LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, AS WELL AS A MINOR PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE TO HELP WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, HELP THE GREAT PEOPLE AND STUDENTS OF LOUISVILLE COMMUNITY GET HOPEFULLY INTO OUR INDUSTRY, WHICH WILL GIVE THEM HIGH PAYING AND HIGH QUALIFIED JOBS THAT WE'LL HAVE. SO, UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE, WE COMMITTED $550,000 OVER A THREE YEAR PERIOD TO DEVELOP A MINOR. WE'RE NEW INTO THIS SPACE. YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT EDUCATORS, WE'RE HOSPITALITY PROFESSIONALS. BUT THE EDUCATION BY JEFF GORDON AND OTHERS AT UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE HAVE SAID IN THE INCEPTION YEAR OF A MINOR PROGRAM, IF YOU GET 20 PEOPLE WITHIN YEAR 3 OR 4, THAT'S A SUCCESS. WE HAVE 55 PEOPLE ENROLLED IN YEAR ONE WITH HALF A SYLLABUS, WHICH IS FANTASTIC. SO WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THAT FACT. IT'S GOING TO BE EVEN BETTER. WE WERE ABLE TO RECRUIT, ACTUALLY SAY THEY WERE ABLE TO RECRUIT WITH THOSE DOLLARS. A HOSPITALITY PROFESSIONAL FROM SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY, DOCTOR AJ TEMPLETON, WHO IS MOVING TO LOUISVILLE AS WE SPEAK. SO SHE WILL BE HERE FOSTERING THAT PROGRAM AND MAKING SURE THOSE DOLLARS ARE WELL SPENT TO KEEP ON THAT MISSION OF DEVELOPING WORKFORCE TALENT, AS WELL AS

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SOME OF THAT VEIN ASPIRATIONAL GOALS WILL BE INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN, IRELAND AND OR TORONTO, CANADA, IN LARGE PART BECAUSE THEY HAVE HOMELAND SECURITY ON THEIR SIDE OF THE BORDER, CAN HELP WITH US CUSTOMS TO GET INTO OUR COUNTRY WITHOUT BUILDING HOMELAND SECURITY HERE, WHICH IS ANOTHER ASPIRATIONAL GOAL THAT WE ALL HAVE. BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, WHERE WE ARE, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ATTACKING RIGHT NOW. I PARTICULARLY LIKE THE DIRECT AIRLIFT. I MEAN, I THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PIECE, ALBEIT RIGHT, I THINK TANGENTIALLY BENEFITS EVERYBODY. YOU KNOW, I GET THAT THAT'S A DIRECT IN DIRECT RESPONSE TO THE NEED TO DEVELOP WORKFORCE FOR YOUR INDUSTRY. ONE OTHER THING I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT. AND THEN I'LL JUMP BACK IN THE QUEUE IF I CAN, AND I JUMPED IN EARLY JUST BECAUSE I HAVE TO RUN AT SOME POINT HERE. THE LOUISVILLE SPORTS COMMISSION, AND I'M GOING TO ASK YOU, BUT WE CAN ALSO ASK I MEAN, I SEE MY, MY, MY FRIEND CLEO BATTLES HERE FROM LOUISVILLE TOURISM. I'M GLAD IF SOMEBODY ELSE NEEDS TO TALK ABOUT IT OR WE NEED TO HAVE ANOTHER DISCUSSION. BUT I THINK I THINK WE'RE BUDGETING $150,000 A YEAR FOR THAT. I THINK WE'VE DISCUSSED THIS IN THE PAST, THAT IT SEEMS THAT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE THERE'S SUCH COMPLETE ALIGNMENT WITH LOUISVILLE TOURISM, WITH YOUR INDUSTRY, ETC. I MEAN, WHEN I LOOK AT THE NUMBERS ON YOUTH SPORTS AND HOW MUCH AND LOOK, MY DAUGHTER PLAYS CLUB VOLLEYBALL. SO I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH BLUEGRASS TOURNAMENT. I'M FAMILIAR WITH THE JAVA WORLD FEST. RIGHT. AND ALL THESE I KNOW BASKETBALL. THEY'VE HAD SOME MASSIVE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS. IF YOU LOOK AT THE TOP TEN MOST ATTENDED EVENTS, A LOT OF THEM ARE YOUTH SPORTS EVENTS COMING INTO THE CITY. SO IT MAKES SENSE TO ME THAT THAT MIGHT BE EITHER ADOPTED AS PART OF THIS OR ADOPTED AS PART OF LOUISVILLE TOURISM. IS THAT SOMETHING YOU ALL HAVE STARTED TALKING ABOUT, OR IS THAT ON THE TABLE, PARTICULARLY SINCE YOU'RE RUNNING, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I'LL USE THE TERM SURPLUS ABOVE EXPECTATIONS, RIGHT? I THINK THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. I THINK FOR LOUISVILLE SPORTS COMMISSION, YOU KNOW, LOUISVILLE TOURISM THAT YOU ALLUDED TO, THEY THEY SUPPORT THAT IN REAL DOLLARS AS FAR AS SUPPORTING THE ORGANIZATION. WE SUPPORT THEM IN TERMS OF BRINGING BUSINESS. SO GREG FONTANA, THE LOUISVILLE SPORTS COMMISSION TEAM, WHEN THEY'LL BRING SOMETHING HERE, IF IT'S INCREMENTAL ROOM NIGHTS, IF IT'S KVEA, OR A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT YOU ALLUDED TO AND OR NEW PROGRAMS THAT WE WANT TO STEAL FROM OTHER CITIES IN OUR REGION, YES, WE WOULD BE INVOLVED IN THAT BECAUSE WE WANT TO PUT OUR BEST FOOT FORWARD. AND LOUISVILLE TOURISM SAYS THEY ONLY THERE'S ONLY SO MANY DOLLARS TO GO AROUND. WE WANT TO ATTRACT TO BE AS COMPETITIVE AS WE CAN, TO GO STEAL A PIECE OF BUSINESS OR KEEP A PIECE OF BUSINESS HERE. LOUISVILLE HOTEL PARTNERSHIP ARE YOU ABLE TO HELP? DOES THIS FIT OUR MISSION OF DRIVING INCREMENTAL ROOM NIGHTS INTO JEFFERSON COUNTY? IF IT DOES THAT, LET'S HAVE A CONVERSATION. WE HAVE SUPPORTED SOME OF THOSE, AS YOU CAN SEE IN OUR IN OUR BUDGET IN THE PAST, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO MORE OPPORTUNITIES OF KEEPING OUR KIND OF RETENTION ACCOUNTS HERE, AS WELL AS GOING AFTER NEW BUSINESS OUTSIDE OF LOUISVILLE CURRENTLY. IF THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION, IT MAKES SENSE. I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS AND OBVIOUSLY WE WANTED TO ALIGN WITH YOUR MISSION. I THINK LARGELY IT DOES BETWEEN YOURSELF AND LOUISVILLE TOURISM. IT DOES. I DO THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT REALLY NEEDS TO BE ABSORBED BETWEEN THESE ORGANIZATIONS. I MEAN, I'LL JUST MAKE THAT IN THE FORM OF A STATEMENT, RIGHT? LIKE, IT, IT IT DOES NOT MAKE ONCE WE HAVE ESTABLISHED THESE SEPARATE TAXING ENTITIES, YOURS INCLUDED, TOURISM HAS ANOTHER WAY OF GENERATING REVENUE. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS OVERALL STRATEGY. IT IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE THEN TO CONTINUE TAPPING INTO THE GENERAL FUND ON THINGS THAT ARE VERY MUCH ALIGNED WITH YOUR MISSIONS. AND I, I SEE THAT AS ONE OF THEM. RIGHT. SO ANYWAY, JUST SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH, YOU KNOW, IF WE CAN MOVE FORWARD, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD THAT IN THE NEXT 30 MINUTES, BUT I WOULD BETWEEN NOW AND IN THE NEAR FUTURE, LIKE TO SEE THAT HAPPEN. BUT I'M NOT JUST LOOKING AT YOU. I'M LOOKING AT TOURISM AS WELL. AND IF WE CAN FIGURE THAT OUT, BECAUSE I THINK THAT WOULD BETTER ALIGN AND FRANKLY, GIVE MORE FLEXIBILITY INTO HOW YOU ARE ALL WORKING TOGETHER. YOU THROW METRO GOVERNMENT INTO THE MIX, WHICH WE ARE RIGHT NOW. WE ALL HAVE. THEN WE HAVE THREE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS, ALL WITH COMPETING PRIORITIES.

TALKING ABOUT THIS, INSTEAD OF HAVING SORT OF THIS ALIGNED STRATEGY. AND YOU GUYS ARE, YOU KNOW, WHETHER HOWEVER YOU WANT TO WORD THIS, $7 MILLION MORE IN TAX REVENUE THAT ARE COMING INTO THIS COMMUNITY, BUT IT'S BEING SPENT ON A SPECIFIC THING, AND I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE ABSORBED WITH IT. SO I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. THANK YOU. WE'VE ALSO BEEN JOINED BY COUNCILMAN HAWKINS IN CHAMBERS AND COUNCILMAN LINENGER, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. CHAIR. SORT OF. TO ECHO MY COLLEAGUE'S COMMENTS, AS MY FATHER WOULD PUT IT, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE FAT HOG. AS FAR AS YOUR REVENUES BEING UP, I'M ALSO, YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT THAT 150,000 FOR. FOR SPORTS. YOU HAVE RIGHT NOW A

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BUT IN TERMS OF LIKE JUST HELPING US WITH THE BURDEN OF EXPENSE, LIKE THE THINGS THAT YOU GUYS DRIVE INTO LOUISVILLE, DRIVE UP THE EXPENSE FOR LOUISVILLE. AND THERE WAS CONVERSATION AROUND HELPING US WITH THAT BURDEN. CAN YOU POINT TO ANYTHING THAT THAT THESE REVENUES HAVE BEEN USED FOR THAT HELP US DEAL WITH THE BURDEN OF EXPENSE THAT'S BROUGHT ON BY THE THINGS THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING BY FILLING HOTEL ROOM NIGHTS, IS WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. SURE.

SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE PROPOSED IN THIS BUDGET THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR APPROVAL FOR IS ONE OF THE INITIATIVES THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, I THINK, IN THE STEERING COMMITTEE THAT YOU MAY BE ALLUDING TO OF THE ISSUE OF HOMELESSNESS IN JEFFERSON COUNTY, WHICH IS GOING TO BE WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT I. IMPACTS HOTEL TRAVELERS, INFLOWS, LOUISVILLIANS INFLOWS, RESIDENCES, AND PEOPLE THAT ARE HOMELESS AS WELL. OBVIOUSLY MULTIFACETED ISSUE. WE'RE NOT GOING TO SOLVE THAT PROBLEM, BUT WE WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THAT PROBLEM. SO WE HAVE PROPOSED ADDING $0.50 FOR INCREMENTAL ROOM NIGHT. SO NEW BUSINESS THAT'S DRIVEN IN BY THIS TID THAT DIDN'T EXIST BEFORE TO HELP SUPPORT THOSE CAUSES. SO THAT'S GOING TO BE FLUCTUATING BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. JUNE 30TH OF 2026 IF WE'RE HOTEL OCCUPANCIES ARE. BUT BASED ON THAT TIME, AND WE WANTED TO LEAN ON METRO COUNCIL'S EXPERTISE OF WHERE THE BEST USE OF THOSE FUNDS WOULD BE AND TO BE EXPERTS IN THAT FIELD. AND WE HAVE ALREADY ENGAGED IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND PLAN HOPEFULLY TO CONTINUE THOSE CONVERSATIONS UPON APPROVAL OF THIS BUDGET. OKAY, SO THE IDEA IS THAT YOU WOULD BUT YOU HAVEN'T IDENTIFIED YET WHICH AGENCIES OR HOW THAT MONEY WOULD BE DISTRIBUTED, BUT YOU HAVE IDENTIFIED $0.50 PER ROOM NIGHT.

INCREMENTAL ROOM NIGHT. YES. NEW ROOM NIGHTS THAT THIS IS DRIVING. WE'RE NOT GOING TO DRIVE THAT OFF BUSINESS THAT'S BEEN HERE, BUT NEW BUSINESS THAT WOULDN'T HAVE OTHERWISE BEEN HERE BECAUSE OF THE TID. THAT'S WHAT WE WANTED TO DO. SURE. AND HOW MUCH HOW MUCH DO YOU HAVE IN THIS BUDGET AS A PROJECTION FOR THAT, WE'RE PROJECTING BETWEEN 200, $250,000 ANNUALLY. OKAY.

AND THEN THERE WILL BE A DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW THAT MONEY WILL BE SPENT IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE. CORRECT? GREAT. ANY OTHERS? THAT AGAIN, SECURITY KINDS OF THINGS. TRANSPORTATION KINDS OF THINGS. ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE PROPOSED AS OF RIGHT NOW, I SHOULD SAY ARE CONSIDERING. I'M SORRY. I DIDN'T MEAN TO CUT YOU OFF. IT'S. I HAVE THE BUDGET THAT YOU'RE CONSIDERING. AGAIN, THANKFUL TO HAVE METRO COUNCIL HERE. WE'RE ALWAYS OPEN TO CONSIDERING THAT.

BUT IT NEEDS, REALLY NEEDS TO DRIVE THE ORDINANCE OF TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE, WHICH WE TALKED ABOUT, WHICH I KNOW YOU'RE VERY WELL VERSED ON. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S CONSISTENT WITH LIVING, THAT I DO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, THAT TOURISM DOES HAVE A COST TO IT. PEOPLE COMING INTO LOUISVILLE DO HAVE A COST. WE OVERWHELMINGLY BELIEVE IT'S A NET POSITIVE FOR THIS COMMUNITY. THERE IS A COST. ABSOLUTELY. AND ALSO, WE BELIEVE THAT BASED ON THE TOTAL TOTALITY PICTURE, IT'S A VERY BIG NET POSITIVE THAT OUR INDUSTRY BRINGS TO THIS COMMUNITY. OKAY, GREAT. ANYONE ELSE SEE NO ONE ELSE IN THE QUEUE. THIS REQUIRES A ROLL CALL VOTE. I MEAN I'M SORRY, IT'S A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR A VOICE VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.

AYE. ANY OPPOSED? AYES HAVE IT. HAVE YOUR BUDGET. THANK YOU. WE WILL WE WILL BE BACK IN TOUCH BECAUSE I THINK THERE ARE SOME IDEAS THAT YOU GUYS ARE KICKING AROUND. THANKS. THIS ITEM WILL GO TO THE CONSENT CALENDAR. PASS. THANK YOU. WITH UNANIMOUS SUPPORT. THE NEXT ITEM IS. LET'S

[4. O-135-25     AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 100, SERIES 2024, RELATING TO THE FISCAL YEAR 2024-2025 OPERATING BUDGET, BY TRANSFERRING $10,000 FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT FUND (DISTRICT 1) TO THE LOUISVILLE METRO COUNCIL GENERAL OPERATIONS (DISTRICT 1). Action Required By: December 12, 2025 Sponsors: Tammy Hawkins (D-1) ]

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THAT'S CONSISTENT WITH YOUR INTENT. OKAY, AGAIN, IT'S AN ORDINANCE THAT REQUIRES A ROLL CALL. VOTE. MADAM CLERK, PLEASE OPEN THE VOTING. COUNCILWOMAN MCCRANEY. YES. CENTER. YOU KNOW, VERY. BUT ANYTHING ELSE? CHAIR? KRAMER, YOU HAVE EIGHT YES VOTES. GREAT. THANK YOU. THAT

[5. O-148-25     AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE FISCAL YEAR 2025-2026 BUDGET FOR LOUISVILLE TOURISM. Action Required By: December 12, 2025 Sponsors: Kevin Kramer (R-11) ]

PROPERLY BEFORE US. MR. BARTELS, IF YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF, PLEASE, FOR THE RECORD, GOOD AFTERNOON. CLEO BADAL, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF LOUISVILLE TOURISM. THANK YOU FOR BRINGING OUR BUDGET BEFORE YOU TODAY. IF I MAY, I'D LOVE TO ADD ADD TO COUNCILMAN PETTINE'S QUESTION.

JUST SO YOU KNOW, LOUISVILLE TOURISM PROVIDES THE SPORTS COMMISSION $530,000 A YEAR AND THEN ANOTHER $30,000 FOR BETTING ON SPORTING EVENTS. SO JUST SO YOU ARE AWARE OF THAT. AS IT RELATES TO THE BUDGET YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU, YOU HAVE OUR GENERAL FUND BUDGET AND OUR DEBT SERVICE BUDGET. THE OPERATING BUDGET FOR LOUISVILLE TOURISM IS $33 MILLION. 30% OF THAT IS PERSONNEL COSTS. 70% OF THAT IS SALES, MARKETING AND PROGRAMS AND OTHER OPERATIONAL COSTS. IN TERMS OF SALES AND MARKETING, THAT INCLUDES ADVERTISING AND REGIONALLY, NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONAL MARKETS. IT INCLUDES INDUSTRY SPONSORSHIPS, THE COST OF MEETINGS, CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS TO HOST HERE INCLUDES TRAVELING TO TRADE SHOWS TO FOR CUSTOMERS. THE DEBT SERVICE BUDGET IS JUST UNDER $20 MILLION, AND THAT GOES DIRECTLY TO SERVICE THE DEBT FROM THE RENOVATION AND EXPANSION OF THE DOWNTOWN CONVENTION CENTER, AND IS RESTRICTED FOR THAT PURPOSE.

AND I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. COUNCILMAN PIACENTINI, THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU FOR EXPOUNDING. AND I KNEW THAT. AND THAT'S WHAT GETS CONFUSING FOR ME, RIGHT WHEN I'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, CLEARLY AN ALIGNED COUPLE GROUPS. NOW, YOU'RE USED TO JUST BE YOU AND THE SPORTS COMMISSION. NOW IT'S YOU PLUS THE HOTELIERS PLUS THE SPORTS COMMISSION. YOU KNOW, I'D RATHER JUST EVERYBODY GET ON THE SAME PAGE AND JUST HAVE A STRATEGY AROUND IT RATHER THAN CONTINUE TO DO THIS PIECEMEAL ACTIVITY. RIGHT. SO I THINK WE JUST NEED TO AGREE ON WHAT THEY NEED. AND WE HAVE TWO NOW MULTIPLE FUNDING SOURCES THAT CAN BE TAPPED IN TO GET THERE.

SO I'M GOOD EITHER WAY. BUT I APPRECIATE YOU CLARIFYING AND JUST AND JUST ONE CLARIFICATION ON THAT AS WELL. WHEN THE SPORTS EVENTS HAPPEN IN THE MARKET, THOSE ALL NEED UNDERWRITING OF SOME SORT. THAT'S WHERE THE LHP COMES IN. SO WHILE THERE MAY NOT BE DIRECT FUNDS TO THE SPORTS COMMISSION, BUT THOSE VERY EVENTS ARE NEARLY 100% OF EVERY SPORT EVENT COMES TO TOWN, NEEDS TO BE UNDERWRITTEN, AND THOSE ARE FUNDS THAT COME FROM LHP AND OR LOUISVILLE TOURISM. AND SO

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SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE THE JUMPS ARE FROM ARPA AND YOU'RE DIRECTING THAT AT THERE. THERE WAS SPECIFIC RULES. SOME OF IT WAS ADVERTISED. ALL THE ADVERTISING ARPA HAS BEEN SPENT.

NOW IT'S ALL MEETINGS, CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS. AND THEN AND I'M SORRY, CAN YOU RECAP WHAT WAS THE WHAT WAS THE WHAT'S THE THIS BIG EQUIPMENT CAPITAL OUTLAY JUMP. IT'S ALMOST A $19 MILLION JUMP. SO. COME ON UP CHRIS. CHRIS COOPER IS MY CFO. SO HE WOULD BE THE PERSON TO KNOW. ALL RIGHT. CHRIS COOPER, CFO OF LOUISVILLE TOURISM, THE I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE YOU'RE DRAWING THE CAPITAL. ALL OF THE DEBT SERVICE FUND IS REFLECTED IN CAPITAL AND I'M SURE THAT'S WHAT IT IS AND THAT'S CONSISTENT OR SHOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH PRIOR YEARS AS WELL. SO IT'S SLIGHTLY INCREASED BECAUSE WE EXPECT A LITTLE BIT MORE TRANSIENT ROOM TAX TO COME IN.

BUT IT'S THAT DEBT SERVICE FUND HAS BEEN IN PLACE SINCE 2016. SO OKAY. MAY JUST BE A CLARIFICATION HOW IT'S CLASSIFIED THERE AND THEN. BUT THAT DEBT SERVICE IS THAT AN ANNUAL. WAS THAT IN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET ALSO? YES. YES IT WAS. YES. OKAY OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. IF WE COULD YOU HAVE AN EQUIPMENT CAPITAL OUTLAY OF 136 BEFORE YOU WALK AWAY. YOU HAVE AN EQUIPMENT, A CAPITAL OUTLAY OF 136,500 IN FY 25 IN THE NEW YEAR. AND THEN THIS YEAR, FY 26, THAT SAME BUDGET LINE, EQUIPMENT OUTLAY. CAPITAL OUTLAY IS 19 IS 19 MILLION. I DON'T THAT THAT COULD BE JUST A PRESENT. THE WAY IT WAS PRESENTED. I PROVIDE THE INFORMATION THE SAME INFORMATION TO LOUISVILLE METRO AND THEN LOUISVILLE METRO CLASSIFIES THAT INTO THE DIFFERENT BUCKETS, INCLUDING THE CAPITAL. SO IT COULD HAVE JUST BEEN HOW IT WAS PRESENTED LAST YEAR. THAT MAY BE A QUESTION FOR LOUISVILLE METRO AND HOW THEY PRESENT THAT. WE'LL FOLLOW UP AND SEE WHERE THAT IS.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY COUNCILWOMAN CHAPPELL. COUNCILMAN HUDSON, THAT WAS MY PRECISE QUESTION. SO THANK YOU. OKAY. GREAT. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS SEEING NONE. THIS IS AN ORDINANCE CALLING FOR A ROLL CALL. VOTE. MADAM CLERK, PLEASE OPEN THE VOTING. COUNCILMAN MCCRANEY. YES. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. YES. CHAIR. KRAMER, YOU HAVE SEVEN YES VOTES. THANK YOU. GENTLEMEN. PASSED WITH UNANIMOUS CONSENT. WE'LL GO TO THE CONSENT CALENDAR. THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS ORDINANCE ONE 4925. IT'S AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE

[6. O-149-25     AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE FISCAL YEAR 2025-2026 BUDGET FOR THE TRANSIT AUTHORITY OF RIVER CITY (TARC). Action Required By: December 12, 2025 Sponsors: Kevin Kramer (R-11) ]

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I'M GOING TO START COMPARING TO SOME OTHER CITIES. BUT THERE THEY DO PUT 774,000 HOURS OUT IN THEIR BUDGETS, 160 MILLION. SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE WHERE THAT GOES IF YOU WANT THAT MANY SERVICE HOURS. THAT'S THE BALLPARK OF THAT. WE'VE MADE TWO SERVICE CUTS. WE DON'T PLAN ON MAKING ONE THIS FALL. WE'RE GOING TO MAKE A COUPLE TWEAKS. THAT SAVED US A LOT OF DOLLARS.

OUR REDESIGN PROCESS THAT WE'VE BEEN GOING AROUND THE COMMUNITY, WE DID 334 IN-PERSON EVENTS. WE TOOK IT. WE HAD 5750 SURVEYS TURNED IN. WE WANT TO IMPLEMENT A NEW ROUTE SERVICE IN THE FALL OF 26. IF WE CAN GET TO THAT, IT'S A BETTER SERVICE THAN WE'RE ON RIGHT NOW. MORE FREQUENCY, AND IT'LL SAVE US ANOTHER $8 MILLION. AND THERE GO OUR GOAL RIGHT NOW. IF OUR MATH PLAYS OUT AND NOTHING CRAZY HAPPENS, WE'RE TRYING TO PUSH. THE NEXT TIME WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT CUTS WOULD BE OUR FY 30 BUDGET. AND THAT BUYS US MORE TIME TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE WANT TO BE. OKAY, SO SOME OF THE THINGS WE'RE WORKING ON THIS YEAR, WE GO BACK TO BASICS AND THAT IS BEING RELIABLE. IF YOU SAY YOU'RE GOING TO BE ON TIME, BE ON TIME. IF YOU SAY YOU'RE GOING TO PUT A ROUTE, PUT A ROUTE OUT THERE. WE WERE TRENDING LAST YEAR IN PIECES OF WORK, NOT GOING OUT OF ALMOST 5%. AND THAT'S THAT'S TERRIBLE. THAT'S 5% MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR BOARDINGS AND MONEY. THAT'S 5%, YOU KNOW, OF MORE PEOPLE NOW THAT THEIR DAY IS MESSED UP. IF THAT WORK DON'T GO OUT. SO WE HAVE WHITTLED THAT DOWN TO UNDER A PERCENT. WE'RE LIKE 0.79% NOW, AND THAT PUTS US IN A BETTER PLACE WITH OTHER CITIES, BECAUSE WHEN YOU AND I TALKED TO OTHER EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS AND I ASKED THEM, HEY, HOW MUCH WORK DON'T GO OUT EACH DAY. AND THAT'S LIKE TABOO. LIKE, WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T WORK, DON'T GO OUT. OKAY. SO LIKE CINCINNATI'S 0.08. SO THAT'S VERY GOOD. INDY IS 0.20 20%. YOU KNOW THAT NOT EVEN 20% IN NASHVILLE IS 0.47. SO WE'RE TRENDING IN A GREAT WHERE WE NEED TO BE. WHEN I LOOK AT ON TIME PERFORMANCE, WE WERE TRENDING AT 67% OF THE TIME. NOW THERE'S THREE THINGS YOU LOOK AT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT ON TIME PERFORMANCE. BECAUSE DRIVERS WILL EITHER SHOW UP EARLY, THEY'LL SHOW UP ON TIME OR THEY'LL SHOW UP LATE. OBVIOUSLY WE DON'T WANT TO BE LATE, BUT WE WERE TRENDING AT 67% AND WE HAVE INCREASED THAT TO 78 NOW, AND WE ARE WAY RIGHT WHERE EVERYBODY ELSE IS. NASHVILLE IS 83IN 81 AND CINCY IS 76. WE'RE BETTER THAN THEY ARE NOW, SO THAT'S WHERE WE WANTED TO GET TO. WE HAVE LOOKED AT RENEGOTIATING ANY CONTRACT THAT WE POSSIBLY CAN. WE ARE STUDYING FARE INCREASES BECAUSE EVERYBODY AROUND US HAS ALREADY GONE UP. ALRIGHT, SO WE'RE IN THE PROCESS NOW OF FIGURING OUT WHERE DOES LOUISVILLE FIT IN AND WHAT SHOULD IT BE. AND IT SHOULD BE SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS PROBABLY MORE FREQUENTLY. I DON'T THINK WE'VE DONE IT SINCE 2012. IT'S NOT GOING TO GENERATE A LOT, BUT AS WE DISCUSSED LAST YEAR, EVERY PENNY COUNTS. TOP TO BOTTOM REVIEW OF TRANSPORTATION AND MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENTS, BECAUSE THAT'S OUR TWO BIGGEST DEPARTMENTS WANT TO SEE ARE WE STAFFED? RIGHT. AND ALL THE PARTS AND STUFF WE'RE USING ARE WE BEST PRACTICE. WE HAVE FROSTED OR ELIMINATED 16 ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS, AND I WILL SHUT UP AND LET YOU ASK QUESTIONS. THERE ARE A COUPLE FIRST, AND I'M NOT ASKING FOR SPECIFIC PERCENTAGES BECAUSE I DIDN'T ASK OUT OF TIME. I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO HAVE IT, BUT YOU MENTIONED IN YOUR BEGINNING THAT YOU WENT BACK AND LOOKED AT THE IMPACT THAT WHERE THE REAL CHANGE BEGAN, THE REAL SHIFT.

AND IT SEEMS TO HAVE SHIFTED WITH PARATRANSIT. I ALSO KNOW THAT, OR AT LEAST I THINK I KNOW. SO CORRECT ME IF I GET THIS WRONG, BUT IF YOU PROVIDE TARC SERVICE, THE EXPECTATION IS

[01:00:05]

YEAH. WHERE THE FIXED ROUTE GOES, WE'RE REQUIRED TO GO THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE OFF THE FIXED ROUTE. SO CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO THE IMPACT THAT SO AND I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT PERCENTAGES, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT WE WERE PAYING AND THEN WHEN THEY BRING THE PARATRANSIT IN, LIKE THERE WAS A GOOD CHUNK OF OUR BUDGET WAS GOING TOWARDS PARATRANSIT. YEAH, I DON'T HAVE THAT GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO THAT. I CAN PROBABLY GET YOU THAT. BUT IT DID GET SHIFTED, AND THERE WAS NO EXTRA MONEY THAT CAME TO TARC FROM THE FEDS. EXACTLY. OR ANYWHERE. SO, YOU KNOW, SO WE SAW AN INCREASE, A BUMP IN PARATRANSIT, WHICH WHEN YOU LOOK AT THEY TOOK A BIGGER, BIGGER PERCENTAGE OF YOUR OVERALL. HAS ANYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE IN SHIFTING ROUTES AND REDUCING ROUTES? IS ANYTHING THAT YOU'VE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE HAD AN IMPACT ON THOSE PARATRANSIT NUMBERS, OR ARE THEY STILL JUST AS OUT OF WHACK? IS PROBABLY NOT THE RIGHT LANGUAGE, BUT ARE THEY STILL AS INCONSISTENT? LIKE, DO YOU STILL HAVE THIS LARGE EXPENSE? YEAH, I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. WHERE HAS THAT GOTTEN BETTER OR NOT WORSE OR STAYED ABOUT THE SAME, OR WE'RE PROJECTING IT TO INCREASE 8%. BUT WHERE YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT I KNOW YOU AND I TALKED. SO LIKE WHEN I STARTED, WHEN I TOOK OVER, I STARTED COMPARING US TO OTHER CITIES.

AND I LOOKED AT HOW MANY, YOU KNOW, PARATRANSIT RIDES WE DO EVERY MONTH AND WE DO 30 TO 31,000 A MONTH. AND THEN WHEN I STARTED LOOKING AT OTHER CITIES TO SEE, HEY, HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WELL, CINCINNATI DOES 15,000 AND INDY DOES 13, SO WE ARE WORKING WITH THEM TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS YOUR POLICIES. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WE'VE BROUGHT ON A LADY THAT I KNOW. SOME OF YOU PROBABLY KNOW LIZ FUST, WHO IS OVER THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, AND SHE'S AN ATTORNEY, AND SHE AND HER TEAM ARE GOING TO WORK WITH OUR TEAM TO START STUDYING THESE CITIES TO SEE WHAT ARE THEY DOING, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE FOR CITY, OUR SIZE, WHAT SHOULD WE BE DOING? AND, AND REALLY GO BACK AND LOOK AT WRITING ALL OF OUR POLICIES. GREAT. THANK YOU I APPRECIATE THAT. YES. COUNCILMAN LINENGER THANK YOU. CHAIR. SO WHEN WE DISCUSS THOSE PEER CITIES THAT WE WERE GOING THROUGH, YOU KNOW, THE COMPARISON NUMBER, NASHVILLE, INDIANAPOLIS, CINCINNATI, THEY'VE ALL PASSED REFERENDUMS FOR FUNDING OF THEIR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS THE PAST FEW YEARS. CORRECT. THEY DID. OKAY. AND WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING THIS YEAR FINANCIALLY, BECAUSE OF COURSE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE REDESIGN IS GOING TO HIT FALL OF 26. ARE WE DOING ANYTHING RIGHT NOW IN THE BUDGET IN PREPARATION FOR THINGS THAT WE KNOW ARE GOING TO HAPPEN, WHETHER WE GO WITH THE ENHANCED PLAN OR THE I'M SORRY, I'M BLANKING ON THE ONE THAT'S MORE CUTS LIMITED THE LIMITED PLAN. YEAH. NO MATTER WHICH ONE WE GO WITH, THERE WILL BE, YOU KNOW, ROUTES THAT ARE GONE AND THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A NEED, THAT WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN MOVEMENTS OF STOPS THAT ARE DEFINITELY BAKED IN, NO MATTER WHICH PLAN PART GOES WITH, ARE WE SPENDING ANY MONEY IN THIS BUDGET IN PREPARATION FOR THOSE SHIFTS? WE WILL, AS FAR AS THE STOPS THAT ARE GOING TO CHANGE. SO I'M PRETTY SURE WE'RE GOING TO GO TO THAT ENHANCED PLAN. NOT THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN I TOOK OVER THERE, THE WAY THE GRANT WAS WRITTEN AND EVERYTHING WAS PLAYED OUT, THERE WAS ONLY TWO, TWO CONCEPTS, A 50% REDUCTION AND A PLAN THAT CALLED FOR UP TO $50 MILLION. SO WAS ABLE TO GO BACK TO THE CONSULTANT AND SAY, LOOK, I NEED A BETTER PLACE TO LAND TARC BECAUSE THOSE ARE BAD OPTIONS, ESPECIALLY IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE THAT FINANCIAL CLIFF HIT. SO THE ENHANCED PLAN, I BELIEVE, IS WHERE WE'RE GOING. OUR BOARD IS PROBABLY GOING TO APPROVE THAT THIS MONTH. I HOPE WE TALKED ABOUT IT LAST MONTH. SO WE DO HAVE BUILT IN SOME MONEY FOR WHAT WE THINK ARE THE COSTS GOING TO BE BECAUSE ALL A LOT OF THE STOPS WILL CHANGE AND SOME OF THEIR AGAIN, SOME OF THEM ARE PROBABLY NOT ADA, YOU KNOW, COMPLIANCE LIKE WE'D LIKE TO SEE. YEAH. IF I CAN IF I CAN LEAN MY ELBOW ON THE SCALE AT ALL I'D LOVE TO SEE AN ENHANCED PLAN. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN HUDSON. THANK YOU. CHAIR. THANK YOU FOR COMING. I SEE IF THERE'S ANYBODY THAT CAN FIX TARC. IT'S YOU. AND WE'RE GOING TO ALL. I'M HIGHLY CONFIDENT IN THAT. THANK YOU SIR. AND I'M LOOKING AT AT THE SIGNS OUT HERE THAT SAY FULLY FUND TARC. AND I'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.

LAST YEAR, A BUDGET NEARLY 100 PAGES LONG WAS SUBMITTED TO BE ABLE TO DIG INTO THE DETAILS.

THIS YEAR, THERE'S A BUDGET WITH THREE LINE ITEMS IN THE EXPENSES CATEGORY, SO I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION. IF THIS IS, IF THIS $150 MILLION IS FULLY FUNDING TARC OR NOT. AND I'M NOT ASKING YOU TO DO IT HERE, OF COURSE, BUT COULD YOU FOLLOW UP WITH PROVIDING A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL IN WHAT MAKES UP THESE THREE LINE ITEMS? YEP. DID YOU ALL KNOW? DID

[01:05:04]

THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN. I'M SORRY. I DON'T MEAN TO CUT IT. OKAY. COUNCILMAN. OWEN, THANK YOU. CHAIR. SO AS IT RELATES TO PARATRANSIT, AND I UNDERSTAND IT'S INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE, BUT I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THE PEOPLE THAT USE PARATRANSIT ARE SOME OF THE MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY. AND SO AT THIS POINT, AS IT THE BUDGET THAT'S BEEN PROPOSED, ARE WE STILL FALLING WITHIN THE FEDERAL GUIDELINES OF PROVIDING PARATRANSIT SERVICE WITHIN THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE OF A FIXED ROUTE? AND IF WE ARE, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE IN THE LEVEL OF SERVICE OR THE DROP IN THE LEVEL OF SERVICE? BECAUSE WE HAD MORE FIXED ROUTES BEFORE, HOW MUCH OF A CUT IS THAT GOING TO BE TO PARATRANSIT GOING FORWARD? I DO, I DO NOT PLAN ON MAKING ANY CUTS TO THAT UNTIL WE HAVE A GOOD PLAN IN FRONT OF US THAT WITH LIZ. OKAY, SO BUDGET I PRESENTED IT'S WE BUDGETED FOR AN 8% INCREASE. SO THAT WAS SOMEWHERE AROUND 25 MILLION. SO THE PARATRANSIT SERVICE FROM FROM WHAT I THINK I'M HEARING IS THE EXPECTATION IS THAT IN THIS FISCAL YEAR, THE PARATRANSIT SERVICE WILL REMAIN AT LEAST ON PAR WITH WHERE IT WAS PREVIOUSLY. YES, THAT IS FANTASTIC TO HEAR. AND AGAIN, I UNDERSTAND HOW EXPENSIVE IT IS, BUT CUTTING SERVICE FOR THOSE, FOR THE PEOPLE THAT USE PARATRANSIT IS, IS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT. A THOUGHT FOR ME. SECOND THING I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT IS WE'VE TALKED QUITE A BIT ABOUT THIS. WHERE WHERE DO WHERE ARE WE CURRENTLY WITH THE CONVERSATION AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TARC AND JCPS AND WHAT ARE WE? WHAT IS THE LEVEL OF HOW MANY SCHOOLS ARE WE GOING TO BE PROVIDING SERVICE FOR IN THIS FISCAL YEAR FOR JCPS? YES. SO I DON'T HAVE THAT, BUT I CAN TELL YOU WHAT THE ENHANCED PLAN HAS, BECAUSE WE DESIGNED THAT TO GO TO THE MAGNET SCHOOLS. WE FELT THAT WAS A YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU SIT DOWN AND THINK ABOUT TRANSPORTATION NEEDS, THAT WAS THE BEST WE COULD WE COULD DO WITH THE AMOUNT OF MONEY. AND IT ACTUALLY WAS VERY, VERY CLOSE TO WHERE THE CONSULTANT HAD THE ROOTS GOING ANYWAY. AND YOU, YOU'VE BEEN A LOT OF THE MEETINGS AND YOU NOTICE MOST CITIES HAVE ROUTES THAT GO OUT AND COME BACK. THEY DON'T HAVE A LOT OF SPAGHETTI ROUTES, I CALL THEM, AND THAT'S WHAT COSTS A LOT OF MONEY. SO IN THIS NEW PLAN, WE WILL GO TO THE MAGNET SCHOOLS, 15 NON-MAGNET HIGH SCHOOLS, 14 PRIVATE SCHOOLS, 20 MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND 13 COLLEGE UNIVERSITIES OR SCHOOLS. SO AGAIN, JUST SO I THAT'S A LOT OF INFORMATION. SO I SO WHEN WE. IT'S ASSUMING THE BOARD APPROVES THE ENHANCED PLAN THEN THOSE ARE THE SCHOOLS THAT WILL BE SERVED WITHIN THAT ENHANCED PLAN BY BY BY TARC NEXT AUGUST. YES SIR. OKAY. AND THEN CAN WE TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH CONVERSATION ABOUT DRIVERS. AND, YOU KNOW, PART OF THIS CONVERSATION ORIGINALLY WAS JCPS HAS DRIVERS. TARC NEEDS DRIVERS. CAN YOU JUST KIND OF GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF COLOR ON WHERE WE'VE ENDED UP IN TERMS OF ARE WE? SORRY, OPPOSITE? YES. WHERE WE'VE KIND OF ENDED UP IN TERMS OF ARE WE AT A OVERALL DRIVER SHORTAGE? ARE WE MEETING OUR NEEDS? WHERE ARE WE AT THIS POINT AFTER THESE, AFTER THIS IS AFTER ALL SAID AND DONE, OR AT LEAST AT THIS POINT, YES. SO UP TO THIS POINT THERE AGAIN, WE SETTLED IN ON ABOUT 62 DRIVERS. THEY HAD THEY BROUGHT BACK THE SERVICE. IT TOOK A LITTLE LONGER. THERE WAS SOME OBSTACLES THAT WE DIDN'T PLAN ON ON EITHER SIDE. WE ARE TALKING NOW ABOUT WHAT IS THE NEED NEXT YEAR. LIKE YOU SAID, OUR GOAL WAS TO NOT LAY OFF DRIVERS AND WE ANNOUNCED WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO DO THAT. SO I NEVER WANT TO DO THAT. SO WE'RE WE'RE STILL IN TALKS RIGHT NOW OF HOW MANY THEY NEED THIS YEAR. I THINK THEY'VE DONE A VERY, VERY GOOD JOB OF HIRING AND HOPEFULLY, FROM WHAT I HEAR, MAY BE IN A BETTER PLACE THAN THEY WERE LAST YEAR. SO THEY MAY NOT NEED AS MANY. AND MY GOAL IS TO FOCUS ON GETTING ALL OF OUR SERVICE OUT. YOU KNOW, WE PROBABLY WERE PUTTING OUT MORE SERVICE THAN WE HAD DRIVERS, SO I'M HOPING TO IF I HAVE ENOUGH DRIVERS, WE REDUCE A LITTLE OVERTIME. I WANT ALL WORK TO GO OUT IN IT TO BE ZERO. I NEVER WANT TO HAVE TO SEND OUT A TEXT OR SOMETHING, SAY, HEY, THIS ROUTE AIN'T GOING OUT. AND HONESTLY, WE SHOULD HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE CALLED SHINES AND THEY STAND AROUND ALL DAY AND THEY WAIT FOR THAT MOMENT. YOU CALL THEM AND SAY, GO FILL THAT ROUTE SO THAT WE WE'RE 100%. SO WHERE WE'RE AT THERE, I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING TO LAND AT. MY

[01:10:04]

[01:15:07]

WHAT I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IS THAT WE REPLACE DRIVERS OUT ON THEIR ROUTE. THEY DON'T COME BACK TO THE BARN, THEY JUST WON'T WORK 8 TO 4. SO WHEN A DRIVER IS DONE, THEY STOP AT ONE STOP. WELL, THE NEXT STOP, THAT'S WHERE THE OTHER DRIVER SWINGS IN. SO WHEREVER THE LAST PASSENGERS GET DROPPED OFF, WE EXCHANGE OUT IN THE FIELD. SO THEN WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS YOU'RE GOING TO SEE AN EMPTY BUS GOING TO THAT SPOT, AND THEN YOU'RE GOING TO SEE AN EMPTY BUS COMING BACK. OKAY. SO THAT, THAT THAT CONFUSED ME TOO, THAT HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON? NOW WE HAVE SWITCHED OVER TO A NEW PROCESS OF ELECTRONIC BOARDINGS, AND IT'S MUCH, MUCH BETTER. YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE REAL TIME. NOW WE'RE GOING TO BE THROWING AN APP OUT THERE. WE'VE ACTUALLY COME ON BOARD LIKE BIG CITIES, YOU KNOW, AND IT AUTOMATICALLY TELLS YOU WHAT STOP. AND WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO CALCULATE THE DATA BETTER OF WHERE SOMEBODY GETS ON AND WHERE THEY GET OFF AT. SO NEXT TIME WHEN I COME HERE, THE DATA WILL BE A LOT CLEANER. OKAY. SO THEN I WAS THINKING ABOUT THIS USING THE SMALLER VEHICLES, EVEN FOR YOUR STRAIGHT LINE WOULD THAT NOT BE CHEAPER IN INSURANCE MAINTENANCE, EVERYTHING? GAS? I'VE BEEN ASKED THAT QUESTION A MILLION TIMES. AND I GO ACROSS THE COUNTRY ASKING AND EVEN THE CONSULTANT DOING IT. WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW IS WHEN I, I PICK UP, LET'S SAY I PICK UP THREE PEOPLE AT THIS STOP. RIGHT. AND I GOT A SMALL BUS AND I GO TO THE NEXT STOP, AND THERE'S TEN PEOPLE STANDING THERE, AND I FILL UP MY BUS, BUT I GOT EIGHT MORE STOPS TO GO. NOW, WHAT HAPPENS THEN IS YOU GOT TO CALL BACK AND ASK THEM TO SEND OUT ANOTHER BUS.

THE TRUE COST OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS THE DRIVER IN THE SEAT. THE BUSSES WE HAVE, THEY THEY THEY HAVE, THEY'LL RUN UP TO 550,000 MILES BEFORE THEY REALLY GET BROKE IN. SO THEY ARE DESIGNED TO GO THE LONG HAUL. THEY'RE DIESEL. THEY GET SAME GAS MILEAGE AS THOSE TRUCKS. BUT THE BIGGEST ISSUE IS, IS NOT WANTING TO RUN A SHADOW VEHICLE BEHIND IT, BECAUSE NOW MY COST GOES UP A LOT MORE. OKAY. BUT THERE AGAIN, I'M LIKE YOU, IF WE NEXT YEAR I'M GOING TO BE ABLE TO TELL AND IT'S GOING TO HELP OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT SO MUCH BETTER TO DESIGN THESE ROUTES THAT WELL, IF WE'RE NOT PICKING UP NOBODY ALL THE WAY DOWN THE LINE, WE CAN'T GO ALL THE WAY OUT THERE FOR TWO PEOPLE. SO WE'RE GOING TO WE WOULD START MAKING CHANGES. I DON'T WANT TO SEE EMPTY BUSSES EITHER. WELL, I NEED A NEW CAR, SO MAYBE I SHOULD THINK ABOUT GETTING ONE OF YOUR BUSSES. YEAH, THANKS. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN OWEN, WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT THE HOPE THAT WE CAN EXPAND TO SERVE ALL OF THE HIGH SCHOOLS, YOU KNOW? YES, THAT'S A COST FROM A BUDGET STANDPOINT, BUT I, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU GUYS, BUT THE NUMBER OF CALLS AND EMAILS I GET ABOUT CARPOOL LINES AT JC SCHOOLS SPILLING OUT INTO MAIN THOROUGHFARES, EVERY KID THAT WE CAN GET ON ON A BUS TO GO TO SCHOOL IS ONE LESS CAR THAT'S IN LINE. IT'S, YOU KNOW, MAKING A DANGEROUS SITUATION ON, ON SOME OF OUR BUSIEST ROADS. SO JUST WANTED TO REMIND PEOPLE OF THAT.

THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN CHAPPELL. SORRY, I THOUGHT THERE WAS GOING TO BE MORE TO ANDREWS, BUT THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. AND IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE IT'S YOUR FAULT, BUT HAVING THIS MEETING AND NOT HAVING THAT 90 SOMETHING PAGE DOCUMENT IN FRONT OF US FEELS A LITTLE NONSENSICAL TO BE HAVING THIS MEETING, BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING PRETTY BLINDLY. AND YOU'LL HAVE TO APOLOGIZE. I'LL HAVE TO APOLOGIZE. MY ALLERGIES ARE REALLY AWFUL TODAY, SO THAT'S WHY I'M, LIKE, KIND OF STRUGGLING TO LIVE UP. I KIND OF FEEL LIKE I'M IN LA LA LAND BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE HEARING FROM THE PUBLIC AND WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE WITH TARC IS NOT MATCHING UP WITH THE PATS ON THE BACK THAT I'M SEEING FROM MY COLLEAGUES, AND I'M NOT TRYING TO INVALIDATE THOSE PATS ON THE BACK OR SAY THAT THEY'RE NOT WELL RESERVED. BUT OUR CONVERSATION, FOR THE MOST PART, IS FOCUSED ON TART PARATRANSIT AS WELL AS JC. I MEANT TO BRING ALL OF THE CARDS THAT I RECEIVED FROM RESIDENTS IN HERE THAT'S ASKING US TO FULLY FUND TARC, AND THEY'RE ASKING US TO FUND THE ENHANCED MODEL AT $10 MILLION IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET. I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU GET MONEY FROM THE MASS TRANSIT FUND IN THE AMOUNT THAT YOU DO, AND THE OTHER RECEIPTS THAT YOU COLLECT, BUT CAN YOU HELP ME IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE BUDGETARY DEFICIT IS FOR

[01:20:01]

COUNCILMAN. COUNCILMAN MCCRANEY. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. I WOULD LIKE TO ASK IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING READJUSTING YOUR BUDGET AND TAKING ANOTHER LOOK AT WHAT THE POSSIBILITIES ARE WITH THE NIA CENTER CONVERSATION GOING ON.

CAN YOU COMMENT ON THAT TODAY, PLEASE? YES. SO THE NIA CENTER, THAT DOESN'T REALLY THAT DOESN'T HELP MY BUDGET, OKAY. BECAUSE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS A LARGE INTEREST IN THAT BUILDING BECAUSE OF THE WAY IT WAS PURCHASED THROUGH GRANTS. OKAY. SO WE OWN THE BUILDING. METRO GOVERNMENT HAS ALWAYS MANAGED IT AND DONE THE LEASING OF THE TENANTS. SO IT HAS A LARGE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE ISSUE. AND THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO PUT IT FOR SALE. THERE'S STRINGS AROUND WHO CAN BUY IT. THERE'S FEDERAL GUIDELINES THERE. AND A PERSON HAS TO PAY THE APPRAISAL PRICE.

AND IT REALLY DOESN'T AFFECT OUR BUDGET UNLESS WE END UP MANAGING THAT BUILDING. THAT'S NOT WHAT

[01:25:01]

ABSOLUTELY. SO YOU'RE YOU'RE SUGGESTING THAT THERE'S A LOT OF RED TAPE CONNECTED TO IT? I'M HEARING WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT IF YOU WERE TO ACTUALLY SELL THAT BUILDING, THEN WHAT PORTION DO YOU THINK? OR HAVE YOU ESTIMATED YOU WOULD ACTUALLY GET TO KEEP IN YOUR BUDGET AND BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING SUBSTANTIAL WITH. YEAH. SO WE'RE PROJECTING THAT WE'RE WAITING ON IT'S UP TO THE FEDS TO TELL US, BUT WE THINK THAT'LL BE UNDER $1 MILLION IS ALL WE WOULD GET NOW.

THERE IS A CHANCE THAT THEY WOULD LET US SHIFT ALL OF THAT MONEY TO ANOTHER DEFERRED MAINTENANCE PROJECT, MAYBE, YOU KNOW, AND IT COULD BE TAKING SOME OF THAT MONEY. AS I TALKED ABOUT DOING THE ROUTE REDESIGN, IF THEY WOULD ALLOW US TO DO THAT. BUT EVERYTHING HINGES ON THEM. SO I WOULD LOOK TO FIX ADA REQUIRED STOPS ON SOME OF OUR ROUTES. THAT'S YOUR PLAN, THE ADA ROUTE. SO COULD YOU JUST SPEAK TO WHAT THE POSSIBILITIES ARE OF YOUR SELLING? IT IS THAT IN NEGOTIATIONS RIGHT NOW I DON'T I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHERE THAT STANDS. WELL, I THINK IT WAS IN THE MEDIA THAT THE WHEAT BOARD CHOSE NOT TO ENTER INTO THAT AGREEMENT WITH GOODWILL. SO I GOT A BOARD MEETING THIS WEEK. SO I'LL BE TALKING TO MY BOARD MEMBERS AND CAN RELAY TO THEM IF THEY HAVEN'T ALREADY SAW THAT. THANK YOU, MR. GIBSON. YES, MA'AM. COUNCILMAN PARKER. YES.

THANK YOU. JUST GOING BACK TO THE JCPS TRANSPORTATION. DOES JCPS INCUR THE COST OF THE BUSSES AND TARC INCURS THE COST OF PERSONNEL EXPENSES? NO. THERE AGAIN, WE DON'T WANT TO REPLACE YELLOW BUSSES. WE JUST WANT TO BE A GOOD OPTION. AND WHAT WE'RE HOPING FOR IS THAT JCPS WOULD BYPASSES FOR, LIKE, ALL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLERS. AND THEN THEY COULD USE THAT PASS AT ANY TIME, ANYWHERE, NOT JUST TO AND FROM SCHOOL. WELL, WHO'S PAYING WHO'S BEARING THE COST RIGHT NOW? WELL, NOT RIGHT NOW WE ARE. BUT LIKE I SAID, WE ACTUALLY THE ROUTES THAT WE OUR ROUTE REDESIGN, WE ONLY HAD TO MAKE A FEW TWEAKS TO GET TO THOSE SCHOOLS. IT WASN'T A GREAT AMOUNT. IF WE COME BACK AND SAID, HEY, WE'RE NOT GOING THERE. IT'S NOT A IT'S NOT A BIG CHANGE. OKAY? TO ME, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THEY SHOULD HAVE SOME SKIN IN THE GAME, BUT I ALWAYS WONDER WHY THEY DON'T HAVE TO COME OVER HERE AND TALK ABOUT THEIR OCCUPATIONAL MONEY. YEAH, BUT I DO. OKAY, I FORGOT TO ASK ONE QUESTION EARLIER. THEY I THINK I ASKED THIS WHEN YOU ALL CAME TO US BEFORE. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION OF PERHAPS OUTSIDE THAT THREE QUARTER MILE RULE? USING SUBSIDIZED LIKE UBER LIKE OR UBER, YOU KNOW, TO GET PEOPLE TO THE MAIN LINE, YOU KNOW, AS LIKE TRIBUTARIES TO THE MAIN LINE ROUTES, WOULD THAT BE MORE COST EFFECTIVE OR HORRIBLY EXPENSIVE? THEY ARE. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT'S ON THE TABLE THAT OTHER CITIES DO. TALKING TO SOME PARATRANSIT. THEY'RE NOT SURE THEY LIKE THAT IDEA JUST BECAUSE THERE'S ZERO TRAINING.

AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMEBODY WITH A DISABILITY. BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WILL BE DISCUSSED IF THAT'S THE WAY TO GO. AND MAYBE THAT COULD BE NOT A MANDATE, BUT A POSSIBLE OPTION. IF SOMEBODY CHOSE TO DO THAT. YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF PARATRANSIT RIDERS WANT SAME DAY SERVICE. SO YOU WOULD HAVE TO GO TO SOMETHING LIKE THAT OR AN ON DEMAND SERVICE IF YOU WENT TO THAT SAME DAY SERVICE. BUT THERE AGAIN, THAT WOULD BE MORE COSTLY TO THEM. BUT THERE'S A BENEFIT TO IT. YEAH. SOMEWHAT. YEAH. I MEAN, THE BOTTOM LINE IS IF YOU COULD PLAY THIS OUT, I MEAN, AND THE PARATRANSIT COSTS CONTINUES TO GO UP THE WAY IT'S CLIMBING, YOU'RE ALWAYS GOING TO BE CUTTING YOUR FIXED ROUTE. SO THAT'S WHAT WE ALWAYS DO. THAT'S THE ONLY PLACE WHERE MONEY IS. THERE'S NO PLACE ELSE. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND ABOUT OUR BUDGET. THEY'LL ALWAYS LOOK AT OUR ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS, WHY THEY'RE SO HIGH. AND I'M SORRY YOU DON'T HAVE THAT BOOK, BUT WE ARE A DEPARTMENT OF ONLY 550 EMPLOYEES. OKAY? SO PUBLIC WORKS IS PROBABLY BIGGER THAN THAT, BUT I ACTUALLY, I HAVE TO HAVE MY OWN DEPARTMENT'S THAT MANY DEPARTMENTS AT METRO GOVERNMENT ALL GO TO THE SAME PLACE. I MEAN, I HAVE TO HAVE MY OWN PROCUREMENT. I GOTTA HAVE MY OWN IT FINANCE, HR, TRAINING, GRANTS, MARKETING AND PLANNING AND SAFETY. I HAVE TO HAVE ALL THAT. SO I DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY TO USE A COUNTY ATTORNEY, AND I HAVE TO HAVE MY OWN HR DEPARTMENT TO DO EVERYTHING WE DO, SO THAT THOSE COSTS RIGHT THERE THAT I JUST MENTIONED IS, IS ANYWHERE FROM 10 TO $12 MILLION OF OUR BUDGET JUST TO

[01:30:04]

AND WE'RE GOING TO CONSULT WITH THE GUY THAT HELPED PUT ALL THAT IN PLAY, AND HE'S GOING TO HELP US DO THE SAME THING HERE. SO NO REASON TO REINVENT THE WHEEL. NOW IF YOU WANT TO GO IN GREATER OF ALL OF OUR CAPITAL NEEDS, I WOULD PROBABLY BRING TANYA UP HERE AND LET HER GO DOWN. OUR CAPITAL ASSET. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO DIVE INTO THAT A LITTLE DEEPER. BUT JUST KIND OF THINKING OUT LOUD HERE AND PARDON ME, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I LOVE ABOUT TARC IS YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL FACILITY. THAT'S RIGHT THERE AT 10TH AND BROADWAY. AND I'VE ALWAYS LOVED THE FACT THAT IF YOU WANT TO FIND NASHVILLE'S TRANSIT STATION, YOU WOULD GO TO 10TH AND BROADWAY. YOU KNOW, ELLEN, LOUISVILLE, NASHVILLE. AND THAT ALWAYS MADE IT EASY FOR FOLKS.

WOULD THERE EVER BE CONSIDERATION TO TARC MOVING OUT OF THAT AS THEIR HEADQUARTERS,

[01:35:05]

THERE IS PROPERTY AVAILABLE FOR SALE, BUT NOT METRO GOVERNMENT PROPERTY, AND THE ONLY PIECES OF METRO GOVERNMENT PROPERTY THAT ARE BIG ENOUGH ARE CURRENTLY GETTING USED OR THEY HAVE A FUTURE FOR USE FOR IS WHAT I WAS TOLD. DO YOU KNOW IF THOSE PARCELS ARE MORE OR LESS THAN $3 MILLION? ONE OF THEM IS FOR SALE IS IN THAT BALLPARK. GOING BACK TO JUST THE CAPITAL INFRASTRUCTURE WITH SHELTERS. JUST BECAUSE I THINK HAVING, YOU KNOW, ASIDE FROM BUSSES, HAVING PEOPLE KNOW WHERE THEY GO AND THEN HAVE DIGNITY WHILE THEY'RE WAITING FOR THE BUS IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT. AND SO IS THIS BUDGET. JUST MAINTAINING YOUR CURRENT, YOU KNOW, SHELTER SYSTEM OR IS IT EXPANDING AND MAKING BETTER? I GUESS THAT'S WHERE I'M GETTING TO. AND SOMEBODY CAN OFFLINE WITH ME INTO THE NITTY GRITTY. WELL, WE'VE WE ACTUALLY HAD I THINK MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF. SO IF YOU'RE HEARING SOMETHING DIFFERENT OR YOU KNOW, OF SHELTERS THAT ARE IN NEED OF REPAIR, I WOULD LOVE TO GET WITH YOU AND FIND OUT WHICH ONES THEM ARE. SO WE HAVEN'T PLANNED ON EXPANDING BETWEEN NOW AND THEN BECAUSE THERE AGAIN, WHEN WE DO ROUTE RECONSTRUCTION, A LOT OF THEM ARE GOING TO CHANGE. SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET THROUGH THIS NEXT YEAR TO GET TO THAT, TO REDO THEM ALL WHEREVER THEY'RE GOING TO BE. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GOING TO BE THREE, THREE BLOCKS APART. NOT EVERY BLOCK. SURE. AND I, TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, DEFINITELY ADVOCATE FOR STOP CONSOLIDATION. AND I GUESS THE PROBLEM WITH MY SHELTERS ISN'T NECESSARILY THE SHELTERS THEMSELVES WHERE THEY'RE LOCATED, BUT THE NEED FOR LARGER SHELTERS THAT WERE MORE ACCOMMODATING SPACES IN SOME SITUATIONS. OR I CAUGHT THE BUS THE OTHER DAY ON POPLAR LEVEL ROAD, AND IT WAS JUST AN UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE. STANDING ON THE SIDE OF POPLAR LEVEL ROAD. AND YEAH, THERE WAS JUST A SIGN, YOU KNOW, NOT EVEN A PLACE TO STAND OFF OF THE SIDEWALK. SO THOSE ARE THE KIND OF SPACES THAT I'M LOOKING AT, NOT SO MUCH WHERE YOUR EXISTING SHELTERS ARE. SO MAKES SENSE NOT TO BUILD ANYTHING UNTIL YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO PUT YOUR BUSSES. ARE YOU STILL GOT MY CELL NUMBER, RIGHT? I THINK SO, ALRIGHT, CALL ME ANYTIME. YES, SIR. YEAH. THANK YOU. SEEING NO ONE ELSE IN THE QUEUE. THIS IS AN ORDINANCE CALLING FOR ROLL CALL. VOTE. MADAM CLERK, PLEASE OPEN THE VOTING. COUNCILWOMAN MCCRANEY. YES. VICE CHAIR WINKLER. YES. CHAIR. KRAMER, YOU HAVE SEVEN YES VOTES. THANK YOU.

THAT WITH PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. AND THEREFORE, WE'LL GO TO THE CONSENT CALENDAR. COLLEAGUES, AS WE PREPARE TO LEAVE TODAY, PLEASE NOTE THAT THE WEDNESDAY MEETING HAS BEEN CANCELED AND THAT OUR NEXT, NEXT SCHEDULED BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING IS GOING TO BE JUNE 23RD AT 3:00.

[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.]