Sep 02, 2025 Labor and Economic Development Committee

[00:38:49]

METRO TV. WE'RE GOING TO START IN 84 SECONDS.

[Call to Order]

[00:40:19]

[00:40:29]

[00:40:36]

[Roll Call]

[00:40:42]

[00:40:49]

[00:40:54]

[00:40:58]

[00:41:05]

[3. R-103-25     A RESOLUTION PURSUANT TO THE CAPITAL AND OPERATING BUDGET ORDINANCES APPROVING THE APPROPRIATION TO FUND THE FOLLOWING NONCOMPETITIVELY NEGOTIATED PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS CONCERNING WASTEWATER MONITORING (UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC. - $150,000.00). Action Required By: February 28, 2025 Sponsors: Ben Reno-Weber (D-8) ]

THERE IS A STATE LABORATORY, BUT WE'RE ABLE TO DO A LOT OF FANTASTIC WORK WITH A LOT OF GREAT PEOPLE. SO THIS WASTEWATER MONITORING, WE'RE LOOKING FOR VIRUSES. MOST RECENTLY, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE ON OUR WEEKLY ALERTS, BUT WE DID SEND OUT AN ALERT LAST FRIDAY. A LOT OF THE MEDIA PICKED UP ON IT THAT COVID IS AT AN INCREASE. YOU MAY KNOW PEOPLE CURRENTLY WITH COVID SUFFERING FROM COVID. FORTUNATELY, IT DOES SEEM TO BE MILDER, BUT CERTAINLY A RISK FOR THOSE WITH A WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEM OR OTHERWISE IN POOR HEALTH. SO WHAT THIS DOES IS IT ENABLES US TO, AS WE SEE THESE NUMBERS RISE, ALERT THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS AND OTHERS, AND JUST CONTINUE TO REMIND PEOPLE TO KEEP VACCINATIONS UP TO DATE. IF YOU'RE NOT FEELING WELL, WEAR A MASK. THEY ALSO DID SOME MEASLES MONITORING FOR US VERY RECENTLY AS THAT WE HAD TWO LOCAL CASES OF MEASLES IN JEFFERSON COUNTY, SO THEY WERE ABLE WE CAN PINPOINT BY NEIGHBORHOODS OR WATERSHEDS. SO IT IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MSD FOR THE WASTEWATER SAMPLING. AND THEN WE CAN ALSO DO OTHER VIRUSES AS NEEDED. SO IF WE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT AND WE WILL FOLLOW FLU THIS FALL, WE CAN LOOK AT RSV. CONCERN AS THEY COME UP. THANK YOU. SO I JUST ASK FOR YOUR APPROVAL FOR THIS CONTRACT. LET THE RECORD CHECK.

LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT. WE HAVE BEEN JOINED BY COUNCILWOMAN DOCTOR PAULA MCCRANEY. ANY SPEAKERS TO THIS? I DO. DO I REMEMBER CORRECTLY THAT WE ARE A NATIONAL LEADER IN THIS, AND THAT WE WERE AMONG THE PIONEERS? YES WE ARE. AND THIS IS AGAIN, THIS IS SURVEILLANCE. SO THIS IS NOT WAITING FOR CASES TO COME TO US. WE'RE NOT WAITING FOR PEOPLE TO BE SICK. IT'S ABLE FOR US TO IDENTIFY WHAT MAY BE MILD CASES THAT THAT GO UNTREATED OR OR AT LEAST WITHOUT HEALTHCARE. SO ABSOLUTELY, WE ARE PIONEERS IN THIS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.

THAT'S COOL AND VERY MUCH REFLECTIVE OF LOUISVILLE'S STATUS AS DOING THE SORT OF BACK END OF THINGS THAT NOBODY SEES. AND THAT'S WHERE WE DO A LOT OF OUR INNOVATION. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE AREAS THAT YOU DON'T WANT A LOT OF. YOU DON'T WANT IT TO BE A BIG THING. SO WE WANT TO SEE NEGATIVES OR WE WANT TO SEE LOW LEVELS. IT'S WORK THAT YOUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT DOES AND AND PREVENTION. AWESOME. THIS IS AN ITEM REQUIRING A VOICE VOTE.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? THANK YOU. DOCTOR.

THANK YOU. BY ACCLAMATION. THIS WAS. THIS WILL MOVE ON TO THE CONSENT AGENDA. OKAY. WE'LL GO

[1. ID 25-0475     PUBLIC HEARING PURSUANT TO LOUISVILLE METRO CODE OF ORDINANCES § 160.02(G) FOR THE LOUISVILLE DOWNTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT.]

[00:45:05]

SECOND, NO MOTION. THANK YOU. OKAY. I DON'T BELIEVE ANYBODY WAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK TO THIS.

BUT WE DO HAVE A SPEAKER. DO YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD AND SPEAK NOW, OR DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK IN THE NEXT ITEM? THIS IS JUST THE PUBLIC HEARING PART. NEXT ITEM. NEXT ITEM. OKAY, I'M IN SUPPORT ON THIS. THAT ITEM HAS BEEN RESOLVED. OKAY. WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO ITEM TWO. MADAM CLERK, A

[2. R-096-25     A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE BUDGET AND ECONOMIC IMPROVEMENT PLANS FOR THE LOUISVILLE DOWNTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT FOR THE PERIOD JANUARY 1, 2026 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2026. 8/19/25 Labor and Economic Development Committee  Held Action Required By: February 14, 2026 Sponsors: Ken Herndon (D-4) ]

IT WAS ENABLED BY STATE STATUTE. AND IT ALLOWS US TO KEEP OUR DOWNTOWN LOOKING, LOOKING AND FEELING SAFE, CLEAN AND ENJOYABLE. AND WE ARE EVERY DAY WORKING ON HOW WE DO THAT IN ORDER TO PROMOTE THE ECONOMIC, RESIDENTIAL AND CULTURAL VITALITY OF DOWNTOWN.

CLEANLINESS IS EVERYTHING. YOU GUYS HELPED US WITH APPROVING AN EXPANSION OF THE BID. WE DID THIS EARLIER THIS YEAR. THOSE ARE THE YELLOW MARKS. SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE ENTIRE OUTLINE, IT INCLUDES THOSE SHADED AREAS, WHICH REALLY IS SLUGGER FIELD, ANGEL'S ENVY. AND THEN A BLOCK AND A HALF, TWO AND A HALF BLOCKS I GUESS, OR NO, A BLOCK AND A HALF. THAT REALLY SANDWICHED BETWEEN LOOMED AND THE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, SO THAT THERE WAS NO GAP IN AMBASSADOR COVERAGE AND CLEANING SERVICES. SO HERE IS OUR THIS IS AN THIS IS OUR BUDGET. BASICALLY WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR REVENUES THAT INCLUDE ASSESSMENTS. THAT'S ONE POINT $8.5 MILLION THAT COMES FROM PROPERTY OWNERS WITHIN THE DISTRICT. AND THEN WE HAVE CONTRACTS FOR SERVICES, WHICH INCLUDES ENTITIES THAT ARE NOT REQUIRED TO PAY. THEY DON'T PAY PROPERTY TAX. SO THEY'RE NOT ASSESSABLE, DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS EXTRA ADDED BONUS OF SERVICE, BUT THEY CHOOSE TO THROUGH FEE AND LOU, WHICH METRO DOES THANK YOU FOR FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THAT. SO DOES THE KICK THE KENTUCKY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER, LOUISVILLE WATER, KENTUCKY LOTTERY AND A COUPLE OTHERS. SO I GOT THAT BACKWARD. THE REVENUES ALSO INCLUDE WHAT WE GOT FROM HUMANA AND LOUISVILLE TOURISM AND YOUR EXTRA YOUR EXTRA DONATION THAT ACTUALLY HELPED US CREATE OUR SAFETY TEAM. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT ALMOST $4.5 MILLION THAT HELPS US DO ALL THE WORK WE DO. AND SO WE SHOW YOU IN OUR EXPENDITURES HOW WE SPEND THAT MONEY. THE BULK OF WHAT WE DO IS THROUGH OUR ENVIRONMENT, OUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS, REALLY THROUGH OUR AMBASSADOR PROGRAM THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DOUBLE TO 36 A YEAR AND A HALF AGO,ND OUR CLEANING, SAFETY AND BEAUTIFICATION EFFORTS.

ALSO, MARKETING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS SUPER IMPORTANT TO THE WORK WE DO, WHICH WE

[00:50:01]

WE DON'T HAVE FULL 2025 STATS YET BECAUSE THE YEAR IS NOT OVER. SO SHOWING YOU A FULL YEAR OF 2024, THE AMOUNT OF LITTER THAT WE PICK UP, HOW MANY INSTANCES, WHICH REALLY JUST MEANS PILES OF BIOHAZARDOUS MATERIALS AND GRAFFITI, WHICH IS TAGS AND STICKERS THAT WE CLEAN UP. AND SO FOR THIS NEXT YEAR, WE ARE GOING TO BE WORKING ON A BETTER SMART SYSTEM THAT WILL BASICALLY ALLOW US TO TRACK WHAT OUR AMBASSADORS ARE SEEING AND DOING OUT ON THE STREETS, AND THEN US BE ABLE TO REPORT TO YOU. AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE CAN'T COUNT ON REVENUES FROM LOUISVILLE TOURISM, HUMANA AND METRO FOREVER, ALTHOUGH WE WILL ASK YOU. AND SO WE NEED TO FIND NEW REVENUE SOURCES SO THAT WE DON'T LOSE THE NUMBER OF AMBASSADORS WE HAVE ON THE STREET. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME THAT WE KEEP BUILDING THAT NUMBER AND NOT SHRINK THAT NUMBER. WE'VE HEARD SO MANY REALLY NICE COMMENTS ABOUT PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCES WITH THEM, AND I'D HATE TO GO BACKWARD. PLACEMAKING IS A VERY IMPORTANT, PROBABLY, IF NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT, WAY TO MAKE DOWNTOWN FEEL GOOD. IT IS A AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR WORK. WE HAVE DEDICATED STAFF TO IT PROJECTS SUCH AS ALLEY GALLERY AND STREET GALLERY THAT WE'VE DONE FOR SEVERAL YEARS. COUNCILMAN HERNDON ACTUALLY CREATED THE PROBLEM, THE NOT PROBLEM. THE PROGRAM ALLEY GALLERY IS NOT A PROBLEM. WE LOVE IT, BUT WE ARE ALSO HAVE ADOPTED AND KEEP GROWING OTHER PROGRAMS THAT HELP OUR DOWNTOWN LOOK REALLY GOOD. THIS PICTURE IS OF A PIANO. IN OUR DOWNTOWN TUNES PROGRAM. WE WILL BE EXPANDING THAT NEXT YEAR, SO WE'LL HAVE FOR PIANO. WE HAVE FOR PIANOS NOW. WE'LL HAVE EIGHT PIANOS NEXT YEAR. THESE WILL ALL GO INSIDE IN OCTOBER. THEY WILL GET TUNED OVER THE WINTER.

WE'VE GOT STUDENTS AT BROWN SCHOOL, FRANCIS, PARKER AND MANUEL THAT ARE PAINTING MORE PIANOS FOR YOU. AND WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING TO GROW THE CITY SPOT NETWORK. WE JUST UNVEILED NEW SWINGS AT FIFTH AND MAIN AND THE PNC CITY SPOT, AND WE DID UNVEIL TWO THIS YEAR, AND THE SECOND ONE WAS AT JEFFERSON AND FOURTH STREET. THAT'S THE JP MORGAN CHASE CITY SPOT, WHERE WE HAVE MURALS PAINTED ON THE WALL AND ON THE GROUND WITH THE DOWNTOWN TUNES, PIANO THERE AND SOME SEATING. AND WE'RE WORKING ON ANOTHER ONE THAT'S AT THE 500 W BUILDING'S PATIO.

SO BE LOOKING FOR THERE ANYWHERE WHERE THERE'S JUST OVER GENEROUS SPACE THAT IS UNDERUSED. WE WANT TO BRING COLOR AND CARE TO UNDERPASS LIGHTING. WE'RE STILL WORKING ON MORE UNDERPASS LIGHTING. LIGHTING IN GENERAL IS SOMETHING WE WANT TO WORK ON AS WELL AS THE FLOWERPOT PROGRAM. IT JUST IS A WAY THAT PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCE IS MADE BETTER, AND HOW YOU FEEL WHEN YOU'RE IN A SPACE THAT IS TAKEN CARE OF IS EXPONENTIALLY IMPROVED.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS ANOTHER MAIN CATEGORY OF OUR WORK. WE WILL CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE AND LOBBY FOR SOME INCENTIVES AND TOOLS AT THE STATE LEVEL THAT WILL HELP HOPEFULLY PROMOTE NOT ONLY ADAPTIVE REUSE OF BUILDINGS, BUT ALSO RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE INCREASED VIBRANCY OF DOWNTOWN. IT TAKES PEOPLE, YOU AND ME, WALKING AROUND. SO HOW DO WE GET MORE PEOPLE IN DOWNTOWN? RESIDENTS, I BELIEVE, IS THE ANSWER, BUT IT'S MORE EXPENSIVE TO REDEVELOP AN OLDER BUILDING. IT'S MORE EXPENSIVE TO WORK IN IN EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE. RATHER THAN GO TO A GREENFIELD AND BUILD NEW. AND THAT'S EASIER AND CHEAPER. AND HOW DO WE EVEN THE PLAYING FIELD TO TO MAKE THAT SOMETHING DEVELOPERS CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AND SAVE OUR BUILDINGS AND GET MORE PEOPLE IN DOWNTOWN, IN OUR CENTER CITY AND ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS TRYING TO GROW OUR STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND OUR ROUNDTABLE MEETINGS. THE GROUPS WHO ARE MEETING WITH TO GET IDEAS, MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE HEARD. EVERYONE HAS GREAT IDEAS THAT WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE, MAKE IT TO THE EARS THAT MAKE THE DECISIONS. AND SO WE HAVE QUARTERLY ROUNDTABLE MEETINGS WITH AT LEAST FIVE DIFFERENT USER GROUPS. AND THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE WORK WE DO AND THAT WE BRING TO YOU. AND THEN MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS AND EVENTS. I MEAN, THOSE ARE ALL REALLY BIG CATEGORIES.

EVENTS IS HUGE. HOW DO WE ACTIVATE DOWNTOWN? WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING TO HELP CREATE REASONS THAT YOU LEAVE YOUR HOME, THAT YOU LEAVE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND YOU ARE IN DOWNTOWN WITH PEOPLE THAT MAYBE AREN'T LIKE YOU, BUT THAT ARE IN COMMUNITY, THAT WANT TO DO THE SAME THINGS AS YOU LIKE, PLAY PICKLEBALL IN THE MIDDLE OF MAIN STREET, OR DRINK BEER AT REPURPOSED AS AN OKTOBERFEST EVENT, OR SUMMER SUMMER BEER FEST WITH THE FRAZIER HAS ALSO

[00:55:05]

BUT ALSO WE HAVE SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS, NEWSLETTER, I WRITE A BLOG. THERE'S JUST WAYS THAT WE GO OUT AND TALK ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING AND HOW WE CAN CONTINUE TO GET THE WORD OUT TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. THIS IS OUR BOARD, WHICH IS THE BACK SIDE OF THE BOOKLET YOU HAVE IS REQUIRED TO BE LISTED HERE, BUT I'M GOING TO STOP HERE BEFORE I GO ON TO THE HOUSING PART THAT CHAIRMAN RENA WEBER WANTED ME TO TALK ABOUT. ANY QUESTIONS ON OUR PLAN? OH, ONE THING I DIDN'T TALK ABOUT, I'M SORRY, IS THE WE ADDED. BUT BINS, CIGARETTE BUTT BINS TO SOME PUBLIC SPACES. I HAVE TO BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT KIND OF BUTTS, BUT THAT IS BECAUSE IT IS THE NUMBER ONE MOST LITTERED ITEM, AND WE ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET PEOPLE TO BE RESPONSIBLE ABOUT HOW THEY DISPOSE OF THEM. SO WE HAVE COLORFUL BINS THAT GET POSTED UP ONTO POLES, OR IT CAN BE ACTUALLY HOOKED ON TO A SIDE OF A BUILDING IS A PLACE THAT WE WILL EMPTY. AND WE WE SEND THEM TO TERRACYCLE AND THEY GET RECYCLED AND MADE INTO STREET FURNITURE. ACTUALLY. EXCELLENT. COUNCILMAN HERNDON. MR. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.

WELCOME, ALL OLD FRIENDS. THANK YOU. IN CASE I KNOW MY COLLEAGUES KNOW THIS, BUT MAYBE SOME PEOPLE IN THE PUBLIC DON'T KNOW THAT I SPENT 25 YEARS OF MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE EITHER WORKING WITH OR FOR THE DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP, AND IT WAS A GREAT PLEASURE TO DO SO.

AND IT'S AN HONOR FOR ME TO REPRESENT THE AREA WHERE YOU SERVE. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK. WHEN I TALK TO MY NEIGHBORS IN VARIOUS NEIGHBORHOODS AND EVEN DOWNTOWN, I TALK ABOUT THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE PUBLIC SPACE, HOW YOU FEEL WHEN YOU'RE STANDING THERE BEFORE YOU GO INSIDE OR DO ANYTHING. HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU'RE STANDING IN THE PUBLIC SPACE? AND THAT FEELING DOESN'T PUT MORE FOOD ON THE TABLE OR GIVE YOU A HIGHER WAGE, BUT IT ALSO IT SETS THE TONE FOR EVERYTHING ELSE THAT YOU DO. IF YOU IF YOU FEEL BAD, YOU TAKE THAT BAD WITH YOU. NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO OR WHAT YOU DO. AND WHAT THEY DO HERE IS CRITICAL TO THE VITALITY OF DOWNTOWN. EVERYBODY SEES THE AMBASSADORS IN THE ORANGE SHIRTS. IT WAS MY PLEASURE TO OVERSEE THAT PROGRAM FOR 16 OF THOSE 25 YEARS. THEY ARE LITERALLY THE FACE OF OUR COMMUNITY FOR EVERYBODY LOCALLY AND WHO VISIT, THEY ARE TROOPERS IN EVERY WAY. AND EVEN IF THEY'RE OUT CLEANING, IT'S OFTEN NOT THOUGHT OF. THEY'RE THEY'RE PERFORMING A PUBLIC, A SECURITY SERVICE. ANYONE IN A UNIFORM WHO LOOKS ORGANIZED IS IS DOING SOMETHING IN THAT PUBLIC SPACE, IS PERFORMING A SECURITY FUNCTION, WHETHER THEY ARE NECESSARILY A SECURITY OFFICER OR NOT. AND THAT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER. DMD IS THE OLDEST AND LARGEST BID IN KENTUCKY. THEY HAVE SET THE STANDARD THAT OTHERS FOLLOW.

AND AS WELL AS I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO BLOCK BY BLOCK WHO WITH WHOM DMD CONTRACTS, BLOCK BY BLOCK WAS BORN IN LOUISVILLE, WAS BORN AT DMD, AND THEY ARE NOW, I BELIEVE, THE BY FAR THE LARGEST SUPPLIER OF THIS KIND OF SERVICE TO DOWNTOWNS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. SO THEY ARE A HOMEGROWN COMPANY THAT WAS DEVELOPED HERE. AND SO WE HAVE BEEN THIS CITY HAS BEEN A MODEL FOR MANY YEARS. AND WHEN THEY WANT TO INNOVATE, THEY VERY OFTEN TRY THOSE PROGRAMS HERE FIRST AND WE HELP THEM DEVELOP THOSE. SO IT'S A LEADER NOT JUST LOCALLY IN THE STATE BUT IN THE NATION. THIS ORGANIZATION AND THAT COMPANY. IT'S MY I THIS THIS WORK IS, IS I DON'T NEED TO TO GO ON AND ON ABOUT IT. BUT IT'S A VERY FINE ORGANIZATION, VERY WELL INTENDED, FOCUSED, DELIBERATE AND WITH LONG LASTING PERMANENT POSITIVE RESULTS FOR DOWNTOWN.

AND I URGE YOU TO SUPPORT THIS PROGRAM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN. SORRY, I JUST SAID THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN BASS. FIRST, I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM. I THINK IT'S AMAZING. LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THAT EXPAND INTO OTHER AREAS BECAUSE I'M DEFINITELY ON BOARD TO GET THAT GOING. I JUST KIND OF WANTED TO GET YOUR OPINION. IF YOU FEEL LIKE FOURTH STREET LIVE IS LIVING UP TO ITS EXPECTATIONS, AND WHAT ELSE COULD WE DO TO DRAW? WHAT DO YOU THINK WE COULD DRAW MORE IMPROVEMENT IN THAT AREA TO BUILD IT BACK UP? I, I WAS ACTUALLY JUST IN KANSAS CITY A COUPLE WEEKS AGO WHERE CORDISH HAS A LARGE PRESENCE IN THEIR DOWNTOWN AREA, AND THEY HAVE FOUR RESIDENTIAL TOWERS. SO I THINK THAT IS THE THING THAT IF I WERE TO SIT DOWN WITH THEM AND ASK THEM TO THINK ABOUT

[01:00:02]

BUT IN THE MEANTIME, THIS HELPS SET THAT TONE AND CREATE THAT THAT FEELING THAT WE WANT OUR DOWNTOWN TO HAVE. SO I THINK IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT. I WANTED TO JUST ASK A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. THE CONTRACTS FOR SERVICES IS THAT IS YOU MENTIONED 4 OR 5 DIFFERENT GROUPS. AND ARE THOSE IS THAT DONE BASED ON SOME FORMULA OR IS THAT DONE BASED ON. HERE'S HOW MUCH WE'D LIKE TO KIND OF BOTH. THERE THERE IS A FORMULA THAT WE WOULD USE A RATE PER LINEAR FOOT OF THEIR PROPERTY. AS AS YOU KNOW, OUR AMBASSADORS WORK ON THE PUBLIC SPACES AROUND THE BUILDING. SO SO THE FRONTAGE BASICALLY SIDEWALK FRONTAGE IS WHAT WE CALCULATE.

BUT WE IT'S NEGOTIABLE. I MEAN, WE, WE WORK WITH THEM TO SEE IF THEY, WE'D RATHER HAVE SOMETHING THAN NOTHING. BECAUSE WHAT I DON'T WANT TO SEE IS OUR AMBASSADORS SKIPPING OVER PROPERTIES BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT PAYING INTO THIS. AND SO IF THEY CAN PAY SOMETHING THAT HELPS, AND I WOULD RATHER PARTNER WITH THEM THAN NOT. SO TYPICALLY IT'S IT'S LESS THAN THAT RATE, WHICH IS AROUND $14 A FOOT ISH. AND YOU MENTIONED LOUISVILLE METRO GOVERNMENT WATER COMPANY KICK KENTUCKY LOTTERY AND LOTTERY ONE. DOES THAT WATER. YEAH. OKAY. AND THEN I WAS ALSO KIND OF WONDERING. HOW THE THAT CONTRACT FOR SERVICES NUMBER AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE TOTAL REVENUE HAS CHANGED OVER TIME. THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. I MEAN, THE ASSESSMENTS IS IS PRETTY SPECIFIC, RIGHT? I MEAN, THAT ONE IS YOU'RE GOING TO GET A SPECIFIC AMOUNT OF MONEY FROM THE PEOPLE WHO OWN BUILDINGS IN DOWNTOWN. SO THAT'S KIND OF MORE SET IN STONE. SO IT'S THE MORE RELIABLE MONEY I GUESS I WOULD SAY IT IS. I'M JUST WONDERING HOW THAT THAT PERCENTAGE OF THE TOTAL BUDGET HAS FLUCTUATED OVER TIME, AND WHETHER I THINK WE WOULD ALL PREFER TO SEE A MORE GUARANTEED FUNDING STREAM THEN THAN ONE.

THAT IS UP TO PEOPLE'S. GENEROSITY. FEELING GOOD? YEAH, RIGHT. SO THAT'S THE QUESTION.

OKAY. IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. A COUPLE THREE YEARS AGO, WHEN WE WERE IN FRONT OF YOU SHOWING YOU OUR BUDGET, OUR ASSESSMENTS WERE BASICALLY THE BULK OF THE BUDGET PERIOD. I MEAN, I THINK WHEN I CAME IN, IT WAS A $1.5 MILLION BUDGET ISH. OUR CONTRACTS FOR SERVICES WERE MAYBE A COUPLE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. HUMANA TOURISM AND YOUR EXTRA 800,000 OR WHATEVER YOU ADDED A REALLY HAVE MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO ADD FOR OUR AMBASSADOR NUMBERS, AND THAT'S WHY WE WERE ABLE TO DOUBLE THE NUMBERS. ASSESSMENTS HAVE GONE UP, BUT SOMETIMES THEY'VE GONE DOWN. THEY ARE MORE STABLE BECAUSE IT IS BASED ON THE PROPERTY VALUES INSIDE OF THE BID. BUT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WILL APPEAL PVA, SO THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF PLAY IN THAT AND IT IS A GUESSING GAME FOR THE NEXT YEAR. HOWEVER, TO YOUR POINT, THERE ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE RELIABLE. THE CONTRACTS FOR SERVICES WE KNOW ARE GOING TO GO BACK DOWN, BECAUSE LOUISVILLE TOURISM HAS ALREADY MADE NOISE THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO RE-UP. SO WE KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE UP FOR SOME MONEY NEXT YEAR WHEN THAT AGREEMENT IS

[01:05:02]

FINDING A REVENUE REPLACEMENT IS NOT EASY BECAUSE THESE THESE PEOPLE COME IN MAKING $20 AN HOUR AT THE MINIMUM. THESE ARE FULL TIME JOBS. MOST OF THEM ARE FULL TIME JOBS. THEY GET BENEFITS. WE DO HIRE SOME SECOND CHANCE EMPLOYEES. AND SO I MEAN, THESE ARE, IN MY OPINION, REALLY GOOD JOBS FOR PEOPLE WHO, YOU KNOW, MAY NOT OTHERWISE FIND MEANINGFUL EMPLOYMENT TO THEM. AND THEY GET A LOT OUT OF IT, BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND ME WALK AROUND AND THANK THEM AND SMILE AND INTERACT WITH THEM, AND THEY GET A LOT OUT OF THAT TO TO BE ABLE TO REPLACE THREE PEOPLE. WE'RE LOOKING AT 180, $90,000 IN A YEAR. AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WE'VE DONE A COUPLE OF FUN THINGS. WE HAD DOWNTOWN DAY AT LOUISVILLE SLUGGER FIELD. I THINK WE MADE A COUPLE HUNDRED DOLLARS. WE ARE PARTNERING WITH 1020 BEER SO THAT WE'RE CO-BRANDING THEIR 1834 BEERS, DOWNTOWN'S BEER, AND GETTING A 5% OFF OF THAT.

WE HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN A CHECK FOR THAT. I DON'T EXPECT IT TO BE SUPER HIGH, BUT THERE WILL BE DOWNTOWN'S BEER IN THE PALACE AND MERCURY BALLROOM SOON, SO PLEASE DRINK SOME DOWNTOWN'S BEER. AND WE ARE PARTNERING. WHAT ELSE ARE WE DOING FOR? WE'RE DOING SOMETHING ELSE. FRIENDS OF DOWNTOWN IS SOMETHING, BUT WE'RE JUST. IT'S NOTHING THAT WE'VE DONE IS TO THAT LEVEL. YET. THE OTHER THING THAT I DID TALK ABOUT LAST YEAR WHEN I WAS HERE WITH YOU IS OUR ACTUAL ASSESSMENT RATE. WE'RE VERY LOW. WE HAVE NEVER GONE HIGHER THAN WHERE WE ARE NOW, WHICH WE HAVE FOUND OUT FROM THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. WE COULD HAVE. SO WE'VE MISSED OUT ON SOME INCREASES THERE. THAT'S SOMETHING WE'LL PROBABLY BE BRINGING BACK TO YOU AS A WAY TO MAKE UP FOR SOME OF THESE CONTRACTS, FOR SERVICES THAT MAY BE GOING AWAY. THAT'S GREAT. CAN I JUST ASK ONE MORE QUESTION? THE THE THE LITTLE STREET CLEANING THING THAT IS THAT YOU SHOWED IN YOUR SLIDES, THAT'S A SMALLER VERSION OF A THE ONES THAT WE HAVE RUN ON A FULL STREET CLEANING SITUATION. HOW MUCH DID THOSE COST AND DO YOU GUYS HAVE DO YOU GUYS OWN THAT ONE? WE DO. WE DON'T BLOCK BY BLOCK OWNS IT OKAY. WE HAVE THAT ONE AND WE HAVE A SMALLER ONE. AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THIS ONE COST. WE CAN GET THAT WE CAN GET THE COST FOR YOU. SO I MEAN THE REASON I ASK IS THE BIKE LANES. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT, COUNCILMAN WEBER, AND I'VE TALKED ABOUT IT. WE HAVE BIKE LANES AROUND TOWN THAT ARE A MESS, AND IT SEEMS LIKE A SMALL MACHINE LIKE THIS THAT COULD HELP CLEAN UP THE BIKE LANE.

AND THE CURB SHOULD ALSO HELP MSD CLEAR THEIR CATCH BASINS FOR STORMWATER. IT SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING THAT WE OUGHT TO BE PURSUING, AND I'M JUST WONDERING. I'D BE HAPPY TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU. THESE ARE BUILT FOR THAT DETAIL WORK ALONG THE CURB, RIGHT? I SAY ALL THE TIME, DETAILS MATTER. SOME PEOPLE MAY NOT THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT, BUT IF YOU SEE TRASH AND RUBBLE AND STUFF IN THE IN A CURB LINE, YOU'RE GOING TO THINK SOMEONE'S NOT TAKING CARE OF IT, WHICH IS THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT WE WANT PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE IN DOWNTOWN. AND I THINK THAT'S TRUE, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE CITY AS IT RELATES TO OUR CURBS AND BIKE LANES AND ALL THAT SORT OF THING. SO I JUST SO, SO, SO I THINK I HEARD YOU. SO THAT WOULD BE A GOOD APPLICATION POTENTIALLY FOR A MACHINE LIKE THIS. DEFINITELY. NOW I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A LITTLE TRICKIER ON MARKET STREET WHERE YOU'VE GOT THE BUMP OUTS. SO YOU'VE GOT A VERY FINITE AMOUNT FOR THAT BIKE LANE THAT WOULD NOT FIT IN THAT SPACE. YEAH. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S BEEN ANY CONSIDERATION OF WHAT WILL BE USED WHERE THAT IS OCCURRING.

OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN DOCTOR. AND THEN COUNCILMAN HERNDON. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. HI, REBECCA AND ANDY. GOOD TO SEE YOU BOTH. GOOD TO SEE YOU. REBECCA. YOU MENTIONED KANSAS CITY, WHICH SPARKED MY MY COMMENT. I WAS IN KANSAS CITY A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, AND FOR A FAMILY REUNION AND THE BUZZ IN THERE DOWNTOWN WAS INCREDIBLE BECAUSE OUR FAMILY REUNION HAD US GO FIND THE SEE HOW MANY OF THE HEARTS WE COULD FIND. THEY WERE STATUES OF HEARTS FOR KANSAS CITY, AND THEY WERE PAINTED AND DECORATED AND JUST ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF BIG HEARTS. AND SO I THOUGHT, WHY WOULDN'T WE DO THAT FOR LOUISVILLE, GET A LOT OF HORSES, JUST PLANT THEM EVERYWHERE LIKE WE DO, BUT INTENTIONALLY, AND THEN MAKE SURE THAT OUR VISITORS HAVE AN SOME TYPE OF MAP THAT SHOWS WHERE THEY ARE, AND THEN AND THEN HAVE A

[01:10:02]

YEAH, WELL, WELL, LET'S THINK ABOUT CREATING MORE OF A BUZZ IN OUR DOWNTOWN WITH WITH THINGS THAT WE'RE REALLY KNOWN FOR AND MAKE IT INTENTIONAL FOR OUR VISITORS THAT COME IN. I KNOW THAT YOU WORK CLOSELY, SURELY WITH THE TOURISM CABINET. SO BOURBON IS WHAT THEY WILL TALK ABOUT. YEAH. AND YEAH, GIVE THEM SOME BOURBON FOR PRIZES. BUT THANK YOU. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT COMMENT BECAUSE YOU BROUGHT THAT MEMORY. IT WAS SUCH A GREAT, FUN TIME.

AND I THOUGHT LOUISVILLE SHOULD BE BUZZING LIKE THAT AS WELL. THANK YOU. THANKS MUCH, KANSAS CITY. I'M SORRY, COUNCILMAN. I MEAN, SEAN, I KNOW THIS IS NOT A THINK TANK, BUT I JUST HAD A FUNNY THOUGHT. WE SHOULD DO, LIKE DISNEY WORLD, WHERE YOU GET THE. YOU SELL THE WRISTBAND AND YOU GO SCAN IT AGAINST THE BAT OR THE HORSE, AND IT TELLS US A STORY OR SOMETHING. THAT'S SOLD IT TOURS TO. OBVIOUSLY I'VE GOT SOME EDUCATION TO DO, SO I WILL BE SHARING SOME INFORMATION WITH YOU. IF ONLY THERE WERE AN AUGMENTED REALITY BASED NAVIGATION COMPANY THAT DOES BASED HERE. I THINK WE KNOW OF ONE. I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOME KIND OF MAP THAT WOULD BE GOOD. ARE THEY GOOD? LIKE A BETTER MAP OR SOMETHING? NOT TERRIBLE MAP THAT DOES THAT KIND OF STUFF. COUNCILMAN HERNDON, THANK YOU. ON MORE MUNDANE, THESE MACHINES ARE ARE TENS AND TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS APIECE. THEY ARE NOT INEXPENSIVE AT ALL ON THE WHAT WAS A LINEAR FOOT IN LIEU OF ASSESSMENT COST 14 ISH. DOES THE METRO GOVERNMENT KEEP UP WITH ITS OBLIGATION ACCORDING TO ITS LINEAR FOOTAGE? WELL, THERE IS NO OBLIGATION.

THIS IS VOLUNTARY FOR METRO GOVERNMENT TO PAY NON-ASSESSABLE, AND THEY'VE BEEN REALLY GOOD ABOUT PAYING A FEE IN LIEU. THREE YEARS AGO THEY YOU INCREASED IT. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. WE DID ASK FOR ANOTHER INCREASE THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE ADDED SLUGGER FIELD AND THE HEALTH CENTER TO THE BID, BUT THAT DID NOT MAKE IT INTO YOUR BUDGET. OKAY. WELL, I THINK IT'S FAIR THAT IF WE ASK OTHERS TO DO THAT, THAT WE SHOULD DO THE SAME. SO I'LL I'LL PUSH FOR THAT INTERNALLY. I WOULD BE HAPPY TO SHARE A FIGURE WITH YOU. CHAIR. YEAH.

OKAY. YOU SAID YOU ADDED SLUGGER FIELD WITH THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS THEY'VE GOT COMING TO SLUGGER FIELD. I THINK IT WAS, YOU KNOW, PROJECTED AT WHAT, HALF $1 BILLION IF I'M IF THE NUMBERS ARE RIGHT MILLION I THINK SOMETHING LIKE THAT. YEAH. YOU'RE PROBABLY CLOSER TO RIGHT THAN I AM. STILL A LOT OF MONEY. YEAH. SO ARE THEY LOOKING TO PARTNER WITH YOU IN THAT FACET AND HELP CONTRIBUTE TO TO WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN, IN IN THAT AREA. THEY ARE THEY ARE AWARE THAT IT IS. WE WERE TRYING TO GET IT INTO THE BID TO EXPAND THE BID TO INCLUDE IT. AND THEY ARE AWARE IT PASSED AND THEY ARE VERY WILLING TO HELP PAY THAT ASSESSMENT. IT WILL HELP THEM. THANK YOU. IT WILL HELP THERE. I MEAN, ANYONE WHO GOES THERE, I MEAN THAT IS THE WHOLE IDEA. I THINK IT HELPS US TOO, AS A CITY, BECAUSE I THINK AS A CITY WE STILL OWN THAT PARKING LOT AND I THINK WE'RE DOING SOME TYPE OF AGREEMENT THERE FOR THEM TO, TO DO THAT BUILD.

SO I THINK IT'S A WIN WIN ON ALL ALL FRONTS. SO YEAH. AWESOME. GOOD JOB. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU'RE WELCOME. CAN WE TALK HOUSING. LET'S TALK HOUSING. ALL RIGHT. CHAIRMAN RENA WEBBER ASKED ME TO ALSO TALK ABOUT SOME RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. DID I SEND A SECOND? THAT'S A DIFFERENT POWERPOINT, SO I'M GOING TO WING IT. MY. LET ME SEE IF I CAN REMEMBER THE. RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE ABOUT 6500 HOUSING UNITS IN OUR DOWNTOWN. WE'VE GOT ABOUT 2500 THAT ARE UNDER DEVELOPMENT. BOTH THAT IS INCREASED NUMBERS, BOTH FROM LAST YEAR, WHICH IS GOOD PROGRESS. WE ARE WE HAVE ABOUT 6500 UNITS THAT EXIST, 2500 IN DEVELOPMENT. AND I DON'T REMEMBER. THERE IS A BREAKDOWN OF OWNERSHIP AND RENTAL CONDOS AND APARTMENTS. AND I WILL SEND OVER THE OTHER POWERPOINT. MY MY APOLOGIES. I MUST HAVE SENT THE WRONG ONE. WHAT WE'RE WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IS ALL SPECTRUM OF AFFORDABILITY FOR RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. BECAUSE IN MY MIND, IT IS GOING TO BE THE 20 AND 30 SOMETHING YEAR OLD PEOPLE WHO ARE YOUNG, PROFESSIONALS, YOUNG IN THEIR CAREER, WHO DON'T MAKE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE MAKE AS YOU GET OLDER AND KEEP GETTING RAISES THAT PROBABLY AREN'T GOING TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD MARKET RATE, WHICH IS BASICALLY WHAT WE HAVE NOW. AND WE DID GO THROUGH OUR HOUSING BOOM IN THE EARLY 2000 WITH THE CREATION OF THE DOWNTOWN HOUSING LOAN FUND. ALL OF THOSE UNITS HAVE TO BE MARKET RATE. AND WHAT I ALLUDED TO EARLIER IS THAT WE WON'T HAVE TO HAVE MORE UNITS THAT ARE AFFORDABLE, WHICH MEANS

[01:15:03]

SO NOT ONLY DO WE GET TO HOLD ON TO OUR EXISTING BEAUTIFUL ARCHITECTURE, BUT THAT WE'RE PUTTING PEOPLE AND VIBRANCY INTO THAT. THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO SAY ABOUT DOWNTOWN RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT IS THAT WE DID A RESIDENTIAL MARKET ANALYSIS AS PART OF OUR DOWNTOWN STRATEGY, SO THIS WAS DONE IN LATE 2023, AND IT DOES SHOW A DEMAND OF ABOUT 5000 NEW UNITS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. THAT'S BOTH RENTAL AND OWNERSHIP. I CAN'T REMEMBER ALL THE NUMBERS. I APOLOGIZE FOR AGAIN, SENDING THE WRONG POWERPOINT, BUT THERE IS IT'S ANYBODY FROM YOUNG PROFESSIONALS TO JUST LIKE ME. MY 22 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER GOT UP AND MOVED AWAY. SO I'M AN EMPTY NESTER. PEOPLE, ALL AGES OF ALL DEMOGRAPHICS WANT TO LIVE IN DOWNTOWN. YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IS BY FAR THE LARGEST GROUP, AND THEN ALL DIFFERENT HOUSING TYPES IS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE WANT. APARTMENTS AND CONDOS. CONDOS ACTUALLY IS THE LOWEST PERCENTAGE. APARTMENTS IS 51% OF WHAT PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR, WHICH MAKES SENSE. WHEN I WAS 24, I WASN'T ABOUT TO BUY ANYTHING I WANTED TO RENT. I'VE LIVED IN MANY APARTMENTS IN MANY DIFFERENT CITIES BEFORE I BECAME A HOMEOWNER. BUT THEN AS YOU LOOK AT, AS YOU LOOK, AS YOU MOVE OUTSIDE THE CENTRAL CORE OF THE CITY, DETACHED HOUSING, TOWNHOME ROW HOMES, GARDEN HOMES, THOSE BECOME A LITTLE BIT MORE DESIRABLE. OBVIOUSLY, IN THE CORE OF DOWNTOWN, WE DON'T HAVE THE LAND FOR THAT AS MUCH. SO THAT BECOMES MORE OF AN ADJACENT NEIGHBORHOOD EDGE NEIGHBORHOOD KIND OF DEVELOPMENT. AND SO THOSE ARE ALSO VERY DESIRABLE.

THAT IS PART OF THAT NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD BE WILLING TO LIVE IN A DOWNTOWN AREA, IN AN URBAN CORE THAT MAKE UP THAT NUMBER, THAT MARKET ANALYSIS THAT WE DID. AND YOU YOU CAN DO THIS IN A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT WAYS. WE CALL FOR REDEVELOPMENT OF OUR SURFACE PARKING LOTS. WE HAVE WAY TOO MANY. THAT WOULD BE A WHOLE NOTHER. BE HAPPY TO GIVE IT A WHOLE NOTHER PRESENTATION. WE DID. I MEAN, AS LUCKY AS WE ARE TO HAVE OLD, OLDER BUILDINGS THAT ARE HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT, I WILL COME BACK AND GIVE A SURFACE PARKING LOT PRESENTATION. AS LUCKY AS WE ARE TO HAVE SEVERAL BUILDINGS THAT ARE BEAUTIFUL, AND FROM THE 1800S AND EARLY 1900S, WE DID LOSE A LOT DURING URBAN RENEWAL AND THOSE BUILDINGS GOT TAKEN DOWN, PAVED PARADISE AND PUT UP A PARKING LOT. BASICALLY, WE HAVE A LOT OF SURFACE PARKING LOTS. NOT ONLY DO THOSE PARKING LOTS, ESPECIALLY ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF DOWNTOWN, ARE NOT AS USED. THEY DON'T MAKE AS MUCH MONEY AS THEY USED TO, BUT IT'S BAD FOR THE HEAT ISLAND URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT. IT IS NOT DOESN'T FEEL AS GOOD TO WALK BY AS A PEDESTRIAN.

THERE'S SO MANY REASONS THAT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO REDEVELOP THESE. WE DO NOT HAVE THE TOOLS TO REDEVELOP THOSE. SO HOW DO WE HOW DO WE GET THOSE TOOLS IN PLACE TO RE REALLY INCENT SOMEBODY TO THE OWNER TO SELL FOR ONE AND BECOME PART OF THE, THE, THE DEVELOPMENT THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S GREAT TOO. BUT WE NEED THAT TO BE SOMETHING ELSE. AND I'VE TALKED TO PVA ABOUT THIS A LOT TOO, BUT ALSO REDEVELOPING EXISTING BUILDINGS AND OR CONVERTING THESE OLDER BUILDINGS, ALL OF WHICH ARE WAYS THAT WE CAN GET MORE HOUSING IN DOWNTOWN. AND WE'VE GOT ALL OF THOSE IN SPADES. AWESOME. SO MONEY DEFINITELY BEING ONE PIECE OF THIS FROM EITHER ZONING OR CODES PERSPECTIVE, WHAT ARE THE THE OBSTACLES THAT YOU'RE HEARING THAT THERE IS ZERO ZONING ISSUE? OKAY. MOST EVERY PROPERTY IN DOWNTOWN IS ZONED C-3, WHICH

[01:20:02]

THE CAP IN THE ORDINANCE IS 8.31 CENTS PER $100 OF ASSESSED VALUE, AND THAT SECTION IN THE ORDINANCE GOES ON TO SAY HOW ELSE YOU FIGURE IT OUT. A RELATED TO CONSUMER PRICE INDEX.

WELL, COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE HAS TOLD US THAT THAT CAP THAT'S NAMED WAS ONLY FOR THE FIRST YEAR THAT LMD EXISTED. SO FOR 1991, WE CAN SHOW YOU ALL THE MATH. STARTING IN 2003 IS WHEN WE WENT BACK TO HAD WE BEEN INCREASING IT ACCORDING TO CONSUMER PRICE, THE INCREASE IN CONSUMER PRICE INDEX EVERY YEAR, WHICH WE DIDN'T KNOW WE COULD BECAUSE OF THIS INTERPRETATION, WE WOULD BE OUR ASSESSMENT WOULD BE LIKE 11.5 CENTS PER $100 OF ASSESSED VALUE, WHICH GETS US CLOSER TO WHERE I THINK WE SHOULD BE. BUT TO THE COUNCILMAN'S POINT, BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T DONE THAT, THE ONLY THING AND THE BOARD JUST VOTED ON THIS LAST WEEK THAT WE CAN INCREASE IT TO DO A LITTLE MAKEUP. LOOKING BACK TWO YEARS AT THE INCREASE, PERCENTAGE INCREASE CHANGE OF CONSUMER PRICE INDEX SO THAT NOW WE HAVE JUST APPROVED A NEW RATE OF EIGHT, STILL 8.7 $0.07 PER $100 OF ASSESSED VALUE. IT'S STILL VERY, VERY LOW. OTHER CITIES ARE THAT I HAVE STUDIED AND LOOKED AT. THEIR ASSESSMENT RATES ARE AROUND $0.14, WHICH MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE. AND THAT'S WHY THEY HAVE 100 AMBASSADORS COMPARED TO OUR 36.

WHEN WE COME BACK TO TALK ABOUT SURFACE PARKING LOTS, WHICH I AM PROBABLY NOT ALONE IN BEING EXCITED ABOUT, THAT. I'M THERE'S ANYONE MORE EXCITED THAN ME ABOUT IT. I WOULD LOVE TO ALSO KNOW HOW THAT RATE COMPARES TO OUR PEER CITIES. OKAY, JUST IF WE CAN USE THE BENCHMARKS THAT WE HAVE FROM GLPI, JUST SO WE UNDERSTAND, I'M A HUGE FAN OF DEDICATED FUNDING STREAMS. WE DON'T HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THAT. KEEP UP WITH INFLATION. SO IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO AND JUST FIGURE OUT WHERE OUR BENCHMARKS ARE SO WE UNDERSTAND HOW WE'RE HAVING THAT CONVERSATION, HAPPY TO DO THAT. AND WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE A NEW INTERPRETATION FROM COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE BY THEN TOO. THAT SOUNDS DELIGHTFUL. OKAY, COUNCILMAN, COULD WE ALSO GET GET A COMPARISON OF WHAT OUR DOWNTOWN RESIDENTIAL LOOKS LIKE IN TERMS OF TOTAL NUMBERS COMPARED TO OUR PEER CITIES, NUMBER OF PEOPLE, NUMBER OF UNITS, NUMBER OF. YEAH, PEOPLE, THAT SORT OF THING. IT'D BE AN INTERESTING NUMBER TO KNOW. I MEAN, I VAGUELY REMEMBER FROM THE BEGINNING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SORT OF CONSCIOUSNESS THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE EXCITED WHEN WE HAD MORE VOLUNTARY RESIDENTS DOWNTOWN THAN INVOLUNTARY RESIDENTS IN THE JAIL, WHICH WE HAVE SUCCEEDED. WE DO NOT COUNT THEM. WELL, I UNDERSTAND, BUT THAT WAS THE BENCHMARK BECAUSE I THINK WHEN WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THIS, THERE WERE MORE INVOLUNTARY RESIDENTS THAN VOLUNTARY RESIDENTS. OH, LORDY.

AND NOW WE HAVE DEFINITELY EXCEEDED THAT BENCHMARK. SO THAT'S AWESOME PROGRESS.

COLLEAGUES. ANYTHING ELSE? ANYTHING ELSE ON RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT? I WOULD LOVE YOUR HELP IF IF I'M ALLOWED TO ASK FOR IF YOU'RE TALKING TO ANY STATE LEGISLATORS ABOUT TOOLS THAT WE CAN GET, THIS YEAR'S BUDGET WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL. WE ARE. WE HAVE BEEN TALKING THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS. WE HIRED A LOBBYIST TO TRY TO EXPAND THE PROPERTY TAX ABATEMENT PROGRAM. THIS OPERATES LIKE A TIF. IT'S NOT A TIF, IT'S NOT A TAX. IT'S IT'S A NEW TOOL BASICALLY. SO RIGHT NOW IT EXISTS. YOU'RE YOU'RE PAYING YOUR PROPERTY TAX BASED ON YOUR PROPERTY VALUE. THAT GETS FROZEN FOR FIVE YEARS. AND YOU PAY THAT LOWER PROPERTY TAX FOR FIVE YEARS EVEN WHILE YOU'RE DOING YOUR IMPROVEMENTS. AND THAT'S THE END OF THAT FIVE

[01:25:03]

THEY TELL US THAT THEY ARE ARE USING IT AND IT'S IMPORTANT. AND WE'RE LOSING LOCAL DEVELOPERS TO OHIO CITIES BECAUSE OF THIS TOOL. UNFORTUNATELY, OUR STATE CONSTITUTION INCLUDES THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPERTY TAX ABATEMENT BEING FOR FIVE YEARS. SO TO CHANGE THAT, EITHER TO TAKE IT OUT AND JUST CREATE LEGISLATION AROUND HOW LONG THAT PROGRAM IS OR HOW IT WORKS, OR TO INCREASE IT FROM 5 TO 15, IT TAKES A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. WHICH RIGHT? THAT IS THE RESPONSE. OKAY, OKAY, BUT WOULD LOVE YOUR SUPPORT. WHEN WHEN WAS THE LANGUAGE ABOUT THE FIVE YEARS CREATED FROM THE BEGINNING OR WAS THAT ADDED INTO. IT WAS ADDED IN 1981 AND IN 1981 I DON'T KNOW WHY. SO SO SO AGAIN, THIS IS NOT LIKE, OH BOY, WE HAVE TO BOW TO THIS CONSTITUTION, CORRECT? NO, BECAUSE IT WAS THAT WAY FROM THE BEGINNING. IT WAS ARBITRARY IN 1981. YEAH. SO THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO REASON IT'S A BIG DEAL TO DO A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT, BUT THERE'S NO REASON WHY THIS IS. WELL, AND THE MAGIC IN THE OHIO PROGRAM. AND I KNOW I'M DIGRESSING HERE, BUT THE MAGIC IN THE OHIO PROGRAM IS THAT THEIR CONSTITUTION SAYS THERE CAN BE A PROGRAM IN WHICH YOU ABATE YOUR PROPERTY TAXES AT THE LOCALE, AT THE LOCALITY. SO REALLY, THE LEGISLATIVE IN THE LOCALS BE ARE CREATE THE THE PROGRAM ITSELF. SO THERE'S LEGISLATION THAT THAT MIRRORS THE CONSTITUTION SAYING THIS IS WHAT EVERY LOCALITY HAS TO DO.

YOU HAVE TO CREATE A COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT AREA. YOU HAVE TO GO AND DO A HOUSING STUDY. YOU HAVE TO DO ALL THESE THINGS SO THAT YOU'RE SHOWING THE NEED FOR RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT IN A CERTAIN AREA. AND YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR BENCHMARK IS IN TERMS OF HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE LIVING THERE, WHAT THE HOUSING VALUES ARE, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, AND WHAT THE AND WHAT THE PROPERTIES LOOK LIKE IN THAT AREA. AND I WANT TO MIMIC OHIO'S PROGRAM. IT'S A BEAUTIFUL PROGRAM. YOU GUYS WOULD HELP CREATE WHAT THAT LOCAL PROGRAM OPERATES LIKE. AND THEN IT WOULD GO SIT IN A CABINET FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROBABLY, OR, I DON'T KNOW, SOMEWHERE WHERE THEN THAT PROGRAM IT'S BY. RIGHT. LIKE SOMEBODY COMES AND SAYS I'M GOING TO DEVELOP DO SOME HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND YOU GET TO HOLD ON TO THAT SAVINGS OF PROPERTY VALUE FOR 15 YEARS RATHER THAN FIVE. AND EVERYBODY GETS MORE AT THE END. I MEAN, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL TOOL.

ONE LAST VERY IMPORTANT PIECE OF THIS LIES ONE LAST, VERY IMPORTANT PIECE. YOU COULD YOU COULD JUST SAY AN IMPORTANT PIECE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO KEEP SAYING IT'S THE LAST ONE. I'M TELLING YOU, NO ONE BELIEVES YOU. THE REASON WE WOULD ALSO NEED TO SPECIFICALLY CARVE OUT OR GET JC TO PARTICIPATE. BECAUSE THE BIGGEST REASON WHY OUR TAX ABATEMENTS AREN'T WORTH VERY MUCH TO DEVELOPER IS BECAUSE WE CAN'T. WE CAN ONLY DO OUR PORTION OF IT, AND THE PORTION OF OUR OF THE TAX THAT GOES TO JC IS A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF IT. SO WITHIN THIS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, WE WOULD EITHER NEED TO GET JC ON BOARD TO MAKE THE PROPERTY ABATEMENT WORTH SOMETHING. OR FRANKLY, EVEN AT 15 YEARS IT'S BETTER THAN FIVE, RIGHT? BUT EVEN AT 15, IT'S NOT LIKE THE JUICE THAT'S CREATED IN THE OHIO PROGRAM. YOU'RE RIGHT. IN OHIO IT IS. AND I MEAN, I STILL GO BACK TO THE POINT THAT YOU'RE STILL GETTING WHAT YOU ALWAYS GOT. AND THE WAY THIS PROGRAM WORKS IS CONCEIVABLY THE THE PROJECT WOULDN'T HAPPEN WITHOUT THIS TOOL. SO YOU'RE YOU'RE NOT MISSING OUT ON ANYTHING. LET'S DO THAT. OKAY I LOVE IT, COLLEAGUES. ANYTHING FURTHER? I WILL JUST END WI THIS LITTLE ANECDOTE. THE OTHER DAY, I WAS SITTING IN ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL CITY SPOTS HAVING LUNCH, AND SOMEBODY CAME UP TO THE PIANO AND STARTED PLAYING, AND IT WAS JUST LIKE, OH, THAT'S WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE. THAT IS SO GREAT. AWESOME. THANK YOU. OH, THAT'S RIGHT. WE DO NEED, WE NEED. OKAY. WE CAN DO SOME ACTUAL WORK HERE. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? ALL RIGHT. WHICH ONE THIS IS THIS IS ITEM TWO.

OKAY. THANK YOU. THIS IS AN ITEM REQUIRING A VOICE VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? BY ACCLAMATION. THIS WILL MOVE ON TO THE CONSENT

[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.]