[00:00:31] IS BEING TRANSCRIBED AND SUMMARIZED. IN ITS. TESTING, TESTING. TESTING. TESTING. [00:06:52] METRO TV 30S. [Call to Order] ALL RIGHT, EVERYONE, THANK YOU FOR STICKING AROUND. AND LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE OUR SEATS AND BE QUIET BECAUSE WE ARE 15 MINUTES OVER AND I WANT TO BE RESPECTFUL TO YOUR TIME. BUCKLE IN. WE'RE GOING TO BE HERE FOR A BIT, AND I'LL TRY TO GET YOU OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WELCOME TO THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE THE EFFICIENCY OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. IT'S WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH, 2025, AND THIS [Roll Call] MEETING IS BEING HELD PURSUANT TO CRS 61 .826 AND COUNCIL RULE 5AI AM THE CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE, COUNCILWOMAN JENNIFER CHAPPELL, AND I AM JOINED TODAY BY MY VICE CHAIR, COUNCILMAN KEVIN BRATCHER. TODAY WE'RE JOINED IN CHAMBERS BY COUNCILMAN MARCUS WINKLER, COUNCILMAN SCOTT REED, COUNCILMAN KEVIN KRAMER, COUNCILMAN JP LEININGER. AND THOSE ARE OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS. AND WE'RE ALSO JOINED IN CHAMBERS TODAY BY COUNCILMAN KEN HERNDON. OUR LET'S HAVE ORDER. LET'S HAVE ORDER, PLEASE. OUR FEATURED SPEAKERS TODAY ARE FROM THE DOWNTOWN REVIEW OVERLAY BOARD. DOWNTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, LOUISVILLE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU, AND THE LOUISVILLE ARENA AUTHORITY. OBVIOUSLY, OUR THEME THIS WEEK IS DOWNTOWN. SO THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH. WE'RE GOING TO GET TO OUR SPEAKERS IN JUST A MINUTE, BUT WE ARE GOING TO TAKE SOME LEGISLATION THAT HAS BEEN BEFORE US FOR NEARLY THE ENTIRE TIME OF THIS BOARD. I THINK COUNCILWOMAN PURVIS WILL BE JOINING US MOMENTARILY VIRTUALLY. BUT WE DO HAVE THE LOUISVILLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND HERE TO ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THOSE CAME UP. AND WE'RE ALSO JOINED IN CHAMBERS BY COUNCILWOMAN TAMMY HAWKINS. BUT I KNOW THAT THERE'S QUESTIONS THAT CAME UP AND WE WANT TO ADDRESS THAT WITH THEM. SO. WE'RE GOING TO START WITH HEARING ITEM 2080. SORRY. 0-08525. AN ORDINANCE AMENDING [2. O-085-25     AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE LOUISVILLE/JEFFERSON COUNTY METRO GOVERNMENT CODE OF ORDINANCES (“LMCO”) SECTION 40.45 TO ADDRESS BOARD MEMBER CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.  10/8//25 Ad Hoc Committee on Efficiency of Boards and Commissions Tabled 9/17/25 Ad Hoc Committee on Efficiency of Boards and Commissions Held 9/3/25 Ad Hoc Committee on Efficiency of Boards and Commissions Held 8/20/25 Ad Hoc Committee on Efficiency of Boards and Commissions Held Action Required By:  February 14, 2026 8/14/25 Metro Council  Reintroduced 8/6/25 Ad Hoc Committee on Efficiency of Boards and Commissions Tabled 7/23/25 Ad Hoc Committee on Efficiency of Boards and Commissions Held 6/4/25   Ad Hoc Committee on Efficiency of Boards and Commissions Held 5/7/25   Ad Hoc Committee on Efficiency of Boards and Commissions Held 4/16/25 Ad Hoc Committee on Efficiency of Boards and Commissions Held Sponsors: Donna L. Purvis (D-5) ] [00:10:08] THE LOUISVILLE JEFFERSON COUNTY METRO GOVERNMENT CODE OF ORDINANCES, SECTION 40.45 TO ADDRESS BOARD MEMBER CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. ALRIGHT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY I. OKAY, THE ITEM IS BEFORE US AND. I'M JUST GOING TO GO AHEAD AND TURN IT OVER TO COUNCILMAN WINKLER. OR ACTUALLY, SORRY, I DON'T KNOW. COUNCILWOMAN PURVIS. DO WE HAVE ONE? THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND. WHO WAS TO SPEAK ABOUT THIS FIRST? WELL, AI MENTIOD EAIER, H A CONVSATI CIRWON APPELLN REGARDS TO TALKING ABOUT THE LOUISVILLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND. AND TALKING ABOUT THE, THE THE PERCEIVED CONFLICTS OF INTEREST WITH PUTTING INDIVIDUALS ON THE BOARD THAT HAS A DEVELOPMENT PURPOSE, MAKING SURE THAT THERE AREN'T ANY CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. I UNDERSTAND THAT MY COLLEAGUE, COUNCILN WINKLER, HAS PROPOSED LEGISLATION TO ADDRESS THAT. THE REASON WHY I'M HERE IS BECAUSE I WAS TOLD THAT ONE OF THE ENTITIES WERE THE LOUISVILLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND, MARYLAND HARRIS JEFF O'BRIEN REQUESTED A MEETING WITH ME, AND I'VE NEVER RECEIVED ANY NOTIFICATION. OKAY, WELL, SHE'S SHAKING HER HEAD. NO. RIGHT. SO I'VE NEVER RECEIVED ANY NOTIFICATION TO MEET WITH THEM. SO I, I WANTED TO MEET WITH THEM TO DISCUSS THIS BEFORE MOVING FORWARD WITH ANY LEGISLATION WHICH I HAVE NOT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO. SO. SO MISS HARRIS IS HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS. MADAM CHAIR, IS SHE ALLOWED TO SPEAK OR. HI. MARILYN HARRIS, SENIOR HOUSING POLICY ADVISOR FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CABINET FOR LOUISVILLE METRO GOVERNMENT. COUNCILWOMAN HARRIS, I'M SORRY I THERE HAS NOT BEEN A DISCUSSION ABOUT HAVING A MEETING WITH YOU, SO I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHERE THAT CAME FROM. WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS WORKED WITH THE TRUST FUND AND COME UP. WE DID SOME RESEARCH TO FIND OUT WHAT OTHER TRUST FUNDS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE DOING. AND WE HAVE WE ARE PROPOSING WE ARE PREPARED TO PROPOSE TO TO GIVE TO YOU ALL A A RESTRUCTURE OF THE LOUISVILLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND BOARD THAT MIMICS THE LEXINGTON AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND BOARD. ALMOST VERBATIM. WE DID ADD ADVOCATE THE WORD ADVOCATE INTO THE STRUCTURE, BUT I THINK THAT IS IS GOING ON. AND I'LL LOOK TO KETURAH BECAUSE SHE HAS BEEN HELPING US DO THIS. WELL. ALSO, IN ADDITION TO COUNCILMAN KRAMER AND I, WE ARE LOOKING TO REVISE THE WORDING TO APPLY TO ALL OF THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS THAT WE CAN. WE UNDERSTAND THAT SOME OF THESE ARE UNDER KRS, AND WE REALLY DON'T HAVE MUCH LEEWAY WITH THOSE. BUT THE ONES UNDER LEMCO, WE'RE LOOKING TO MAKE THIS LANGUAGE UNIVERSAL. SO COUNCILMAN KRAMER AND I HAVE HAD DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THIS, CREATING LEGISLATION TO ADDRESS. SO WHICH LOUISVILLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND WOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THIS? SO THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY, UNTIL WE CAN ADDRESS THIS ALL FOR ONE, THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I WAS ASKING IF THIS COULD BE HELD. AND ALSO IN ADDITION TO BECAUSE I HAD RECEIVED AN EMAIL THAT YOU ALL HAD REQUESTED A MEETING WITH ME AND AND I'M LIKE, NO, I HAVE NOT TALKED WITH ANYONE FROM THAT ADMINISTRATION. AND YOU'RE CONFIRMING THIS? THAT IS CORRECT. SO I DID WANT TO MEET WITH YOU ALL PRIOR TO MOVING FORWARD WITH ANY LEGISLATION. I WILL SCHEDULE THAT MEETING. THANK YOU. AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU. HOPEFULLY YOU'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT MEETING SOONER THAN LATER. SINCE THIS HAS BEEN AN ITEM ON OUR AGENDA FOR OVER EIGHT MONTHS. COUNCILMAN WINKLER, THANK YOU. AND I'M HAPPY TO MAKE THE MOTION TO TABLE HERE. I JUST HAD A QUESTION. SINCE WE HAVE THE TRUST FUND HERE, I WAS GOING TO ASK THE LAST COMMITTEE. I HAD SAID, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE HEARD T. YOU KNOW, SINCE THEY'RE HERE, DO YOU MIND IF I ASK NOW RATHER THAN ASKING THEM TO COME BACK? BUT I STILL WOULD LIKE TO MEET WITH THEM. IT DOESN'T MATTER [00:15:05] WHAT YOU ASK. WHEN YOU ASK, I STILL WANT TO MEET WITH THEM. SURE. CHRISTY. YES. SO THE MAIN QUESTION I HAD IS, I ASSUME YOU'VE READ THE LEGISLATION I WANTED TO ASK. IS THERE ANYTHING IN HERE THAT WE SHOULD LIKE THAT MAYBE WE'RE NOT THINKING ABOUT THAT WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT BEFORE WE VOTE ON IT. LIKE ANY CONCERNS WITH HOW IT'S WRITTEN. I HAD A COUPLE MEETINGS AGO, I HAD EXPRESSED JUST SORT OF THINKING THROUGH WHO'S REQUIRED TO BE ON THE BOARD AND THEN WHO'S POSSIBLY EXEMPTED. I THINK THOSE CONCERNS HAVE TALKED THROUGH THE COUNTY ATTORNEY, HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED. I DO HAVE ONE TINY. WHENEVER WE GET EITHER WE CAN DO THIS TODAY OR WHENEVER WE DO ACTUALLY DISCUSS. I HAVE A TINY AMENDMENT TO MAKE BECAUSE OF A CONCERN OF WHO HAS THE CONFLICT, BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT MISSING ANYTHING THAT WE SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT AND THAT WE DON'T MAKE A MISTAKE. CHRISTY MCCREEVY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE LOUISVILLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND. THERE IS REALLY NOTHING THAT WE ARE NOT PRACTICING TODAY, SO IT'S NOT FAR OFF FOR US. WE DO NOT HAVE THE LANGUAGE OF ANY FOR PROFIT NOT BEING ABLE TO DIRECTLY SERVE. ON THE BOARD. THAT IS WHAT IS MISSING OR THAT'S WHAT IS NEW TO THE LANGUAGE THAT THAT HAS BEEN PROPOSED, THE NEW ORDINANCE. BUT WHAT WE TRIED TO DO IN THE NEW ONE IS TO MIMIC AND LOOK AT SKILLS VERSUS INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS. YEAH. SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, DO THOSE ADDITIONS CREATE SOME SORT OF CHALLENGE OR HARDSHIP THAT WE'RE NOT AWARE OF, THAT WE AREN'T THINKING ABOUT THAT, YOU KNOW, SUDDENLY THEN CREATES A LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ASKED TO DO A BUT YOU'RE BANNED FROM DOING A BECAUSE WE'VE NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING. RIGHT. SO SO DO THESE CREATE LIKE I UNDERSTAND YOU DON'T HAVE THAT PROHIBITION TODAY. DOES THAT PROHIBITION CREATE A PROBLEM THAT WE'RE NOT THINKING ABOUT OR THAT'S THE GIST OF MY QUESTION. THE BIGGEST PROHIBITION WOULD BE THE LOSS OF THE EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE FROM THOSE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY, THOSE PERSONS THAT SERVE ON OUR BOARD TODAY THAT MAY HAVE THAT EXPERTISE KIND OF GUIDE US WHEN IT COMES TO LOOKING AT THE PROFORMAS AND THE BUDGETS, THE OPERATING BUDGETS, THEY MAY SEE SOMETHING OFF VERY QUICKLY. THEY'LL SAY THIS IS NOT A NORMAL OPERATING RESERVE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THAT'S WHAT COULD BE LOST. BUT I THINK IF WE WORK TOGETHER, WE CAN COME UP WITH THAT LANGUAGE TO REPLACE, TO STILL GET TO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO AND TO GET TO WHERE WE WANT TO GET TO SO THAT WE DON'T LOSE THAT EXPERTISE. OKAY. AND YOU DON'T THINK YOU GET THAT EXPERTISE THROUGH THE REQUIRED OTHER MEMBERS OF THE THE NONPROFIT DEVELOPER, THE BIA REPRESENTATIVE, THE. WELL, USUALLY THE ASSOCIATION REPRESENTATIVE. I'M SORRY, USUALLY THE BIA REPRESENTATIVE IS THE ONE THAT MAY BE THE FOR PROFIT. OKAY, THAT'S THE PROBLEM. GOTCHA. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN HAWKINS. YES, THANKS FOR BEING HERE TODAY. I SIT ON THIS BOARD, AND, OF COURSE, I HAD A MILLION QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS BOARD AT FIRST. UNTIL I SIT ON IT, I WANT TO SAY THAT THEY HAVE MORE MEETINGS THAN ANY BOARD THAT THAT I KNOW OF. BUT I DO WANT TO SAY THAT THE I THOUGHT THAT THEY WERE BROUGHT HERE BECAUSE THERE WERE A LOT OF UNANSWERED QUESTIONS, EVEN QUESTIONS THAT I COULD NOT ANSWER, YOU KNOW, TO THE HOUSING COMMITTEE AND TO MY COLLEAGUES. A LOT OF THOSE QUESTIONS JUST WAS NOT ANSWERED. AND EVEN THOUGH I ANSWERED THEM, I THOUGHT I DID. THERE WAS STILL SO MANY QUESTIONS ON, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THAT SIT ON THE BOARD THAT WAS ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING. RIGHT. AND FOR ME, I GUESS I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, IT JUST THIS IS APPARENTLY BEEN GOING ON FOR SOME TIME, WHETHER OR NOT IT IS TO PEOPLE'S LIFE. WE HAVE SEVERAL BOARDS THAT PEOPLE SIT ON THAT THEY BENEFIT FROM. YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS AS IF FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON, YOU KNOW. SURE. I KNOW YOU SAID, HOW LONG HAVE WE BEEN GOING GOING THROUGH THIS? HOW LONG HAS THIS SET? I'VE NEVER SEEN SOMETHING SINCE I'VE BEEN ON COUNCIL. IT BE DRUG OUT THIS LONG AND NO OTHER BOARD. SO THAT IS A CONCERN FOR ME. CONSISTENCY AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT WHICHEVER WAY THAT WE ALIGN, THAT WE LOOK AT EVERY [00:20:01] BOARD THAT THAT WE GOVERN, YOU KNOW, WITH THAT SAME STRUCTURE. SO I JUST WANT TO, YOU KNOW, JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT IN ALL SET OF LENSES. YOU KNOW, THAT ALL BOARDS ARE STRUCTURED. AND IF WE DON'T DO IT, YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO DO IT. YOU KNOW, WE JUST CAN'T GO FOR ONE BOARD. WE HAVE TO DIVE IN AND COUNSEL A WOMAN. PURVIS, IF YOU AND COUNCILMAN KRAMER ARE YOU KNOW, IF YOU GUYS ARE DOING THIS, I WOULD LOVE TO DO THIS WITH YOU ALL TO WORK THROUGH EACH BOARD. YOU KNOW, IF I'M. I'M I'M OKAY WITH IT, BUT LET'S GET BUSY BECAUSE WE GOT SEVERAL BOARDS THAT WE NEED TO DIVE IN THAT BENEFIT FROM BEING DEVELOPERS OR WHATEVER THAT LOOKS LIKE THAT SITS ON SEVERAL BOARDS. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN REED. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. DID I UNDERSTAND, MARILYN, TO SAY THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE RESTRUCTURING THIS BOARD? YES, SIR. WE HAVE MADE A PROPOSAL MIMICKING. WE'VE MADE A PROPOSAL WORKING, TRYING TO GET THAT TO COUNCILWOMAN PURVIS AND COUNCILMAN ACKERSON TO LOOK AT RESTRUCTURING THE BOARD SO IT MIMICS THE LEXINGTON AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUNDS BOARD THE WAY THAT THEY OPERATE THEIR BOARD. I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT WE ALREADY IN OUR BOARD, IN OUR STRUCTURE OF OUR BOARD, HAVE CONFLICT OF INTEREST. SO IF THERE IS IF A DEVELOPER OR SOMEONE WHO WORKS FOR A DEVELOPER IS APPLYING TO THE TRUST FUND, THEY ARE NOT PERMITTED TO SIT IN ON ANY DISCUSSION. THEY RECUSE THEMSELVES FROM ANY VOTE. AND THEY WE REMOVED THEM FROM THE ROOM. WHEN WE HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS AND AND THEY DON'T RECEIVE DEVELOPER FEE FROM TRUST FUND. SO WE'RE WE'RE ONLY PAYING FOR BRICKS AND STICKS WITH TRUST FUND DOLLARS. WE'RE NOT PAYING DEVELOPER FEES. SO THAT DOESN'T GO INTO A DEVELOPER'S POCKET. WE'RE ONLY PAYING FOR THE BRICKS AND STICKS AND THAT'S IT. OKAY. YES. OKAY. SO I THINK MY ONLY CONCERN IS THAT SOMEHOW WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, NOW THAT WE'RE TAKING A STEP BACK, DID WE GET IT RIGHT AND THAT WE DON'T HAVE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES AS A RESULT OF THIS LEGALLY? YOU MENTIONED A MINUTE AGO OR YOU MENTIONED A MINUTE AGO LOSING EXPERTISE. WE DON'T WANT THAT. OR IF WE DO LOSE THAT EXPERTISE, WHERE ARE WE GOING TO GET, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE WE GOING TO REPLACE THAT. SO WE THE CURRENT BOARD STRUCTURE IS STATES, THINGS LIKE ONE REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE BIA WHO WOULD BRING DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE, AND THEN ONE REPRESENTATIVE FROM A COMMUNITY ADVOCATE AND THEN ONE REPRESENTATIVE FROM A NONPROFIT AND ONE REPRESENTATIVE FROM A REALTOR. AND SO WE TOOK A STEP BACK AND SAID, WE'RE NOT GOING TO SPECIFY THAT EACH OF THOSE HAVE TO BE LIKE ONE FOR BIA, ONE FOR REALTY, WHATEVER. WE'RE GOING TO SAY. WE HAVE TEN MEMBERS, AND THOSE TEN MEMBERS HAVE TO HAVE ONE OR MORE OF THESE 8 OR 9 SKILLS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE BOARD, WHICH COULD BE INSURANCE, IT COULD BE UNDERWRITING, IT COULD BE A DEVELOPER, IT COULD BE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT. ANY OF THOSE THINGS CONSTRUCTION, ANY OF THOSE THINGS WOULD CONTRIBUTE. BUT IT'S NOT SPECIFIC TO AND THERE'S LANGUAGE ADDED IN THERE THAT SAYS THAT THAT WE ARE PROPOSING THAT SAYS THAT ANY BOARD MEMBER, NONE, NO TRUST FUND DOLLARS CAN GO TO COMPENSATE ANY BOARD MEMBER IN ANY POSITION WITH THEIR ORIGINAL FORM OF EMPLOYMENT, NOT SITTING ON THE BOARD, BUT SAY THEY WORK FOR A NONPROFIT OR A FOR PROFIT AND IT CAN'T GO THAT WAY FOR ONE YEAR AFTER THEY'VE SERVED ON THE TRUST FUND. SO WHO ULTIMATELY WOULD APPROVE THIS REALIGNMENT? IT WILL COME TO METRO COUNCIL. SO THIS WOULD BE IN THE FORM OF AN ORDINANCE. IT WOULD BE IN THE FORM OF AN ORDINANCE. WOULD IT COME TO THIS COMMITTEE OR WOULD IT COME TO. I'M SORRY. WELL, WE THAT'S EXACTLY WHY WE GOT IT, GOT IT, GOT IT, GOT IT. UNDERSTAND? COUNCILMAN ACKERMAN. SO. SO IT WOULD BE A REPLACEMENT OF THIS ORDINANCE ALTOGETHER? YES, SIR. OKAY. GOT IT. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT. AND, MIKE, YOU HAVE GOT MARCUS JP WHEN HE RETURNS AND THEN COUNCILWOMAN PERVIS. SORRY. COUNCILMAN WINKLER. YEAH. THANK YOU. SO IT SOUNDS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE ADMINISTRATION GOING TO REACH OUT TO COUNCILMAN PURVIS AND TALK ABOUT EITHER. I DON'T KNOW IF IT CAN BE A REPLACEMENT OF THIS OR A SEPARATE ORDINANCE, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THAT THIS DEALS WITH THE BOARD HOLISTICALLY. SO IT MIGHT BE A SEPARATE ORDINANCE. DON'T REALLY KNOW. I KNOW COUNCILMAN PURVIS ASKED THE FOR THIS TO BE TABLED. I WAS GOING TO PAUSE FOR COUNCILMAN LINEAGE, BUT HE LEFT THE ROOM. SO I'M GOING TO MAKE THE MOTION TO TABLE SECOND. WE'VE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED. ALRIGHT. THE AYES HAVE IT. WE'RE GOING TO TABLE IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR [00:25:03] BEING HERE TODAY TO THE LOUISVILLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND. I AM CONFUSED ON WHETHER OR NOT WE'LL BE SEEING YOU IN TWO WEEKS, BUT WE WILL ADDRESS THAT WITH YOU OFFLINE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. NEXT UP I WE'RE GOING TO GET TO OUR SPEAKERS. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE LOUISVILLE ARENA AUTHORITY COME UP FIRST. THEY'RE A LITTLE OUT OF MY ORDER, BUT I GOT THAT SPECIAL REQUEST. SO I'M GOING TO HONOR IT. EVEN THOUGH I KNOW THAT ALL [1. ID 25-0536     BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS OVERVIEW Downtown Development Review Overlay Board Downtown Management District Waterfront Development Corporation Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau Louisville Arena Authority] OF OUR TIME IS PRECIOUS. JUST A HEADS UP THE GOALS OF THIS COMMITTEE, YOU ARE NOT IN TROUBLE BECAUSE YOU ARE HERE. WE JUST WANT TO LEARN ABOUT MORE MORE ABOUT YOUR COMMITTEE, HOW IT'S STRUCTURED AND THE GOALS THAT YOU'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW, AND HOW LOUISVILLE METRO CAN BETTER ASSIST YOU. WE PUT 15 MINUTES ON THE TIMER. SO THE BEST WAY THAT I RECOMMEND DOING THAT, ABOUT SEVEN MINUTES PRESENT TO US, LEAVE ABOUT EIGHT MINUTES FOR US TO DIVE IN WITH QUESTIONS. SO LOUISVILLE ARENA AUTHORITY, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. OKAY. I'M LESLIE GEOGHEGAN, I'M THE BOARD CHAIR FOR THE LOUISVILLE ARENA AUTHORITY. AND I'M JOINED TODAY BY ERIC GRANGER WHO IS THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE KFC YUM! CENTER. AND WE'RE ESPECIALLY DELIGHTED TO BE HERE AS WE ARE CELEBRATING OUR 15TH ANNIVERSARY AS OF OCTOBER 10TH. OUR VISION AND MISSION STATEMENT FOCUS ON TWO KEY THINGS EXPERIENCE AND ECONOMIC IMPACT. SO WHILE DELIVERING EXCEPTIONAL FAN EXPERIENCES AND ELEVATING LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORTS EXPERIENCES AT THE SAME TIME, WE'RE DRIVING ECONOMIC IMPACT, ECONOMIC GROWTH AND VITALITY, AND ENHANCING THE VIBRANCY OF DOWNTOWN LOUISVILLE AND THE COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY. SO I'M GOING TO BE SPEAKING MORE ABOUT THE ECONOMIC IMPACT AND FINANCIAL PIECE, WHERE ERIC WILL TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE FAN EXPERIENCES IN TERMS OF ECONOMIC IMPACT. THIS WAS WHAT THE VISION WAS FOR THE STATE AND METRO LOUISVILLE LEADERS AS THEY ENVISION WHAT THE KFC YUM! CENTER WAS GOING TO BECOME. AND SO, AS YOU SEE IN 2005, THE TAX BASE FOR THE TWO MILE ZONE THAT THE ARENA IS IN WAS ONLY 17.4 MILLION. AND IN 2023, WHICH IS OUR LATEST TAX YEAR, WE HAVE DATA FOR 38.4 MILLION. SO MORE THAN DOUBLED THE TAX SALES TAX BASE. SO FROM THE TIME THAT WE THESE ARENA OPENED UNTIL 20 THROUGH 23, WE'VE HAD A $1.4 BILLION ECONOMIC IMPACT. THERE HAVE BEEN TWO STUDIES. ONE WAS ECONOMIC IMPACT. STUDY WAS DONE IN 2014 AND THE MOST RECENT ONE IS 2023 BY HENDON. AND IN THAT ONE FOR THOSE NINE YEARS, EXCLUDING COVID, THE ECONOMIC IMPACT WAS JUST SHY OF $1 BILLION, WITH AN AVERAGE OF 584 FULL TIME JOBS ANNUALLY. AND I THINK ANOTHER INTERESTING FACT IS THAT 54% OF THE VISITS TO THE ARENA ARE FROM OUTSIDE OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, AND A QUARTER OF THE VISITS ARE FROM OUTSIDE THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. OUR GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES, WE HAVE 16 BOARD MEMBERS. TEN ARE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR, FIVE ARE APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR, AND THE 16TH ONE IS THE METRO COUNCIL PRESIDENT. WE HAVE THREE COMMITTEES FINANCE COMMITTEE AND PROCUREMENT COMMITTEE HAVE BEEN LONG STANDING COMMITTEES, AND WE HAVE JUST CREATED IN THE LAST YEAR, KIND OF AS PART OF OUR LOOKING AHEAD WITH OUR 15TH ANNIVERSARY STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE AND A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THAT LATER. OUR REVENUE STREAMS ARE FOCUSED IN THREE AREAS FROM THE STATE TIF REVENUE, OUR REVENUE FROM THE METRO, LOUISVILLE AND ARENA REVENUE. THIS IS TYPICALLY BEEN ABOUT A THIRD, A THIRD, A THIRD FROM THE BEGINNING. IN COVID, METRO REVENUE WAS THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF IT. AND NOW WE ARE DRIVING TO HOPEFULLY BE MORE FOCUSED ON THAT ARENA REVENUE, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT AT SOME POINT DOWN THE ROAD, THE TIF REVENUE AND METRO REVENUE WILL GO AWAY. THE FINANCING FOR ALL OF THIS IS, YOU KNOW, WELL DOCUMENTED WITH THE BOND ISSUE, AND IT'S CALLED A CLOSED LOOP INDENTURE. AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT ALL THE MONEY HAS TO STAY WITHIN THE SYSTEM. SO FOR AN EXAMPLE, EVERYTHING FROM THE STATE TIF HAS TO BE SPENT ON EITHER DEBT SERVICE OR RETIRING THE DEBT. THE DOLLARS FOR METRO AND ARENA REVENUES FOR DEBT SERVICE, RETIRING THE DEBT OR FOR OPERATING AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT EXPENSES. THIS IS JUST TO GIVE YOU A VISUAL OF WHAT THE TWO MILE TIF LOOKS LIKE. THE FIRST FEW YEARS OF [00:30:05] THE ARENA, THERE WAS ACTUALLY A SIX MILE TIFF, AND THAT WAS REDUCED TO TWO MILE. AND SO IT DOES NOT GO STRAIGHT BY STREETS AND BLOCKS. IT IS, YOU KNOW, ACROSS IN THE MIDDLE OF, OF A BLOCK. BUT ANYWAY, THIS IS THIS IS HOW IT WAS CREATED. THIS IS JUST TO GIVE YOU A VISUAL OF HOW THE SALES TAX HAS INCREASED. SALES TAX AND PROPERTY TAX BOTH HAVE. AND THIS IS STATE PROPERTY TAX NOT METRO HAS INCREASED STEADILY OVER THE LIFE OF THE ARENA. YOU WILL NOTICE IN THE COVID YEAR THAT WE ACTUALLY RECEIVED ZERO SALES TAX, BUT OTHERWISE IT HAS BEEN A STEADY IMPROVEMENT. AND THIS IS TO ALSO GIVE TO SHOW. VISUALLY. THE TOP LINE IS THE INCREASE OF THE TOP 50 BUSINESSES THAT ARE IN THE TIF. AND THE NEXT TWO LINES ARE HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS. SO AGAIN, SHOWING HOW THE GROWTH THAT HAS BEEN IN THAT AREA. ONE POINT I WANT TO MAKE IS THAT THE LOUISVILLE ARENA AUTHORITY HAS ZERO EMPLOYEES. OUR BOARD MEMBERS ARE ALL VOLUNTEERS. AND SO IN ORDER TO OPERATE THE ARENA, WE ENGAGED FIRST IN 2012, AEG, WHICH THEN BECAME ASM GLOBAL, WHICH IS NOW LEGENDS GLOBAL. AND THEY ARE THE ONES WHO OPERATE ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS. THE ARENA AND EVEN THANK GOODNESS OUR OUR STAFF IS THE STAFF FROM LEGENDS GLOBAL HAS BEEN PRETTY CONSISTENT. IT'S JUST AS WITH THE NAME CHANGES, WE'VE GOTTEN DEEPER AND BROADER EXPERTISE THAT THEY CAN BRING TO US. AND I'LL LET ERIC TAKE OVER NOW. GOOD EVENING AGAIN. MY NAME IS ERIC GRANGER, AND I'M HONORED TO BE THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE KFC YUM! CENTER LEGENDS GLOBAL IS AN INTERNATIONAL COMPANY. WE MANAGE ARENAS, STADIUMS, CONVENTION CENTERS, THEATERS, PERFORMING ARTS CENTERS, WHATEVER YOU CAN THINK OF. PEOPLE GATHER AROUND THE WORLD, BUT WE ARE VERY PROUD TO BE MANAGING THE KFC YUM! CENTER AND HAVE BEEN SINCE 2012. WE ACTUALLY WERE INVOLVED IN BOOKING SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING, BUT TOOK OVER FULL MANAGEMENT NUMBERS ARE FUN, BUT I THINK THE EVENTS ARE EVEN MORE FUN AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT THE CENTER DOES IS, IS PROVIDES MEMORIES AND PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO GATHER. AND SO AS LESLIE MENTIONED, WE'RE IN THE JUST STARTING OUR 15TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION. AND WITH THAT COMES THE RECOGNITION OF SOME SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS. AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, THE 13 MILLION, OVER 13 MILLION IN ATTENDANCE. SINCE WE OPENED OUR DOORS, WE'VE DISCUSSED ECONOMIC IMPACT. BUT REALLY IT'S THE 2000 EVENTS, DIVERSE EVENTS, DIFFERENT TYPES OF EVENTS, FROM CONCERTS TO FAMILY SHOWS. BUT REALLY, IT'S ABOUT UOFL. THAT'S WHERE WE START, THAT'S WHERE WE FINISH. WE'RE SO PROUD TO BE THE HOME OF THE MEN'S AND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAMS, AND A HANDFUL OF VOLLEYBALL GAMES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. AND AS AS YOU KNOW, MANY OF US HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING THIS YEAR IS JUST JUST REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE SEASON COMING UP FOR THE MEN'S TEAM, ESPECIALLY WITH PAT KELSEY IN HIS SECOND YEAR. THE KANSAS GAME IS AN EXHIBITION GAME WAS MASSIVE. NEXT WEEK WITH KENTUCKY IS GOING TO BE ANOTHER CAPACITY GAME, BUT WE THINK ALL THE GAMES THIS YEAR ARE GOING TO BE FUN TO WATCH AND GREAT FOR LOUISVILLE, THE CITY. OTHER EVENTS WE'VE HAD THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. I'LL TOUCH ON SOME OF THESE A LITTLE MORE IN A SECOND, BUT WE DO TAKE PRIDE IN THE DIVERSITY OF PROGRAMING AND BUT ALSO THE FACT THAT WE'RE ABLE TO BREAK RECORDS. WE HAVE A VERY LARGE CAPACITY, BUT IT'S ONE THING TO HAVE THE TO HAVE THE SEATS. IT'S MORE SO TO BE ABLE TO SELL THE TICKETS. AND LOUISVILLE ALWAYS PRODUCES THE MOST RECENT OF THESE BEING JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO WITH NATE, WE BROKE OUR ALL TIME COMEDY RECORD, WHICH HAD JUST BEEN SET UP A MONTH BEFORE BY SHANE GILLIS. BUT YOU CAN SEE SOME OTHER GREAT EVENTS THAT THAT, THAT WE'VE HAD THE THE NEXT ONE BEING THE NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME THAT WE HAD IN DECEMBER. WE WERE VERY PROUD TO HOST THE FINAL FOUR. IT'S NOT MANY OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE TO HOST A FINAL FOUR, BUT IT WAS SO MUCH FUN. HUGE CROWD BROKE THE NCAA ALL TIME ATTENDANCE RECORDS FOR VOLLEYBALL, AND IT WAS MADE EVEN MORE SPECIAL BECAUSE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE, OF COURSE, ADVANCED THAT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. PEOPLE THINK IT WAS SOLD OUT BECAUSE OF LOUISVILLE. WE WERE SOLD OUT WAY BEFORE THAT, JUST MADE IT SO MUCH MORE SPECIAL BECAUSE LOUISVILLE WAS IN THE GAME. USC, OF COURSE, OCCURRED JUST IN THE LAST YEAR OR SO. ANOTHER RECORD BREAKING EVENT FOR UFC, THE LARGEST FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHT THEY HAD EVER HAD. THIS WAS IN A GREAT PARTNERSHIP WITH LOUISVILLE TOURISM AND THE SPORTS COMMISSION. TO BE ABLE TO BRING THIS EVENT TO LOUISVILLE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ALMOST A DECADE, AND THEY'RE VERY EXCITED TO COME BACK. I MENTIONED THE DIVERSITY IN PROGRAMING BAD BUNNY, SOMETHING THAT WE WERE VERY EXCITED TO [00:35:04] HAVE HAD, AND WE CONTINUE TO CHASE MORE EVENTS LIKE THIS ONE TO TO BE ABLE TO PRODUCE EVENTS FOR EVERYONE HERE IN LOUISVILLE, NCAA EVENTS. WE'RE VERY WELL KNOWN FOR OUR ABILITY TO HOST NCAA EVENTS. BESIDES THE FINAL FOUR I MENTIONED, WE DO. WE ARE CURRENTLY GOING TO HOST THE MARCH 2027 FIRST AND SECOND ROUND, WHICH I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT. WE OFTENTIMES GET THE REGIONALS, WHICH ARE CERTAINLY A LOT OF FUN, BUT THESE FIRST AND SECOND ROUND GAMES, YOU GET MORE TEAMS, MORE PEOPLE VISITING MONEY THAT ARE VISITING LOUISVILLE AND FILLING OUR HOTELS. JELLY ROLL IS WAS A UNIQUE EVENT JUST BECAUSE NOT ONLY WAS IT THE LARGEST ARENA EVENT HE HAD EVER HAD, BUT THIS WAS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF OUR ABILITY TO ATTRACT THE COUNTRY AUDIENCE, WHICH WE WERE ABLE TO. WE'RE VERY HONORED TO BE NAMED AS A NOMINEE FOR THE ACM VENUE OF THE YEAR. VERY FEW ARENAS OBVIOUSLY GET THAT, AND SO TO BE NOMINATED WAS BASICALLY REALLY BECAUSE OF OUR ABILITY TO PRODUCE LIKE WE DID HERE WITH JELLY ROLL JUST HERE. AND THIS YEAR IN 2025, WE ALSO BROKE TOURING RECORDS FOR BROOKS AND DUNN AND KID ROCK KID ROCK SPECIAL, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE HE ONLY DID TEN SHOWS, THE WHOLE IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY. AND WE WERE ABLE TO TO NOT ONLY GET ONE OF THOSE TEN, BUT ALSO BE HIS TOP SELLING DATE. SO LAST THING I WANT TO TOUCH ON BRIEFLY IS THE THE PLANS THAT WE DISCUSSED JUST A MINUTE AGO WITH OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE, LEGENDS GLOBAL, ON BEHALF OF THE ARENA AUTHORITY, SEVERAL YEARS AGO PRODUCED A 30 YEAR CAPITAL PLAN BECAUSE IN ADDITION TO MAKING SURE THE BUILDING STAYS BUSY, WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE IT'S WELL MAINTAINED AND THAT IT'S ESTABLISHED AND SET UP FOR THE FUTURE. AND SO THE 30 YEAR CAPITAL PLAN IS REALLY ABOUT REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE. IT'S A BIG PART OF OUR PROGRAM. EVERY YEAR WE TAKE A FRESH LOOK AT WHAT OUR PLANS ARE FOR THE NEXT YEAR, BUT ALSO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT JUST TAKING CARE OF THE FACILITY, BUT ALSO THE NEEDS OF OUR GUESTS. AND SO AS THAT HAS EVOLVED AND CHANGED GREATLY OVER THE LAST DECADE OR SO, WE HAVE REALLY PUT A BIG FOCUS ON THAT GUEST EXPERIENCE. IT USED TO BE THAT YOU REALLY WANTED TO COME TO AN EVENT, EITHER A REGULAR TICKET OR A SWEET TICKET. THAT WAS YOUR CHOICES. NOW THERE ARE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES THAT ARE REALLY ANTICIPATED AND WANTED AND DESIRED AND PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO PAY FOR. AND SO WE'RE UNDERGOING THIS STRATEGY OR THIS, THIS STRATEGIC PLANNING RIGHT NOW FOR WHAT THAT NEXT TEN, 15 YEARS LOOKS LIKE, BESIDES THE CAPITAL EXPENSES OR THE REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE PROGRAM THAT WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT, WE ALSO REALIZED THAT NOT ONLY IS THERE A COST TO DOING THIS, BUT THERE'S ALSO A COST OF DOING NOTHING. AND NOBODY WANTS TO BE TALKING ABOUT BUILDING A NEW ARENA IN 15 OR 20 YEARS. AND THAT'S PART OF WHY WE'RE TAKING ON THIS PROJECT. SO THAT IS OUR REPORT, AS ALWAYS. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. WE HAVE ABOUT FOUR MINUTES, BUT I'VE GOT COUNCILMAN REED AND THEN COUNCILMAN WINKLER. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AND THANK YOU, ERIC. QUESTION. I REMEMBER 6 OR 7 YEARS AGO, SCOTT COX CAME IN HERE AND MADE A PRESENTATION WANTING TO RESTRUCTURE THE BONDS EXISTING BOND WITH THE ARENA AUTHORITY, THE STATE U OF L. AND MY QUESTION TO YOU IS WHAT'S BEEN THE RESULT OF THAT? AND ARE WE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS ON BOND PAYMENTS? ARE WE IN ANY WAY IN A POSITION WHERE WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO PAY THESE THINGS OFF SOONER THAN ANTICIPATED? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. THANKS TO THAT FINANCIAL. REFINANCING IN 2017, IT REALLY SET US ON A GREAT PATH. AND SO OF COURSE, COVID CAME UP. BUT BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT REFINANCING WAS STRUCTURED, WE WERE ABLE TO GET THROUGH COVID. WE WERE ABLE TO DO QUITE A FEW RENOVATIONS, ALL NEW DIGITAL SCREENS, NEW CENTER HUNG AND AND BECAUSE WE DID IT DURING COVID, WE GOT A VERY GOOD PRICE, REDUCED PRICE FOR THAT. WE ALSO WERE ABLE TO PAY SOME IN ADVANCE ON OUR DEBT SERVICE. WE THROUGH THE METRO GOVERNMENT AND THROUGH THE STATE GOVERNMENT, WE HAD SOME OF THE FEDERAL FUNDS AND WE WERE ABLE TO USE THAT TO HELP PAY DOWN. AND WE THEN PROVIDED SOME ADDITIONAL THAT WE HAD. SO WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE VERY STABLE FINANCIALLY. AND SO NOW WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS BALANCE THESE CAPITAL NEEDS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP THIS A PRISTINE FACILITY AND THAT WE CAN AND WE ARE HAVING NO TROUBLE PAYING OUR DEBT SERVICE. IT'S JUST BALANCING THE CAPITAL NEEDS WITH PAYING ANY IN ADVANCE. SO WE ARE A YEAR WE REDUCED BY ONE YEAR FROM 2047 TO 2046 BY DOING THE PREPAYMENT. SO WE'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO SEE AS WE CONTINUE TO MODEL THESE FINANCES, CAN WE CONTINUE TO MAKE THAT FINAL PAYMENT A LITTLE BIT SOONER? OKAY. SO KEEP THAT IN MIND. BACK TO THE JUST A QUICK THE MAINTENANCE, THE UPGRADES. THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT ARE BUDGETED. CORRECT. SO THESE ARE THE MONEY'S ALREADY THERE. THAT'S IS THAT TRUE. WELL $230 MILLION OVER 30 YEARS. IT IS NOT THAT [00:40:04] 230 MILLION IS NOT SITTING THERE, BUT WE HAVE MODELED IT OUT TO WHERE WE ANTICIPATE WITH THE REVENUE STREAMS THAT WE HAVE, WE CAN BUILD THAT UP AND THAT WE ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE WELL. SO THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO BALANCE THAT, TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T PREPAY TOO QUICKLY BEFORE WE HAVE THAT MONEY SET ASIDE FOR CAPITAL, OKAY. AND IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE MAKE THESE IMPROVEMENTS SO THAT YES, WE CONTINUE TO ATTRACT THE BEST ACTS. AND EXACTLY BECAUSE WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO REALLY DRIVE ARENA REVENUES, BECAUSE WHEN THAT STATE TIP GOES AWAY AND THE METRO PAYMENT GOES AWAY, THEN WE HAVE TO BE SELF-SUSTAINING. SO THAT'S WHAT WE THAT'S THE OTHER. WE HAVE AN EYE ON THAT HOW WE CAN CONTINUE TO INCREASE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN WINKLER. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. LESLIE, THANKS FOR BEING HERE. FULL DISCLOSURE, I USED TO SERVE ON THIS BOARD AND JUST REALLY WANTED TO COMPLIMENT THE ARENA AUTHORITY FOR THEIR WORK TO KEEP THE YUM CENTER STATE OF THE ART ARENA. I MEAN, I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT THAT FACILITY TODAY, YOU'D BE HARD PRESSED TO KNOW THAT IT'S 15 YEARS OLD. IT LOOKS BRAND NEW. AND THAT'S A COMPLIMENT TO THE BOARD. AND THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE TO MAINTAIN THE FACILITY THERE CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE THE FOOD OFFERINGS, THE EXPERIENCE THAT GUESTS THERE HAVE. AND SO THAT'S A COMPLIMENT TO BOTH OF YOU AND APPRECIATE YOUR SERVICE ON THE BOARD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. COUNCILMAN BRATCHER. GO AHEAD. GO AHEAD. THE WHO WHO OPERATES LIKE THE CONCESSIONS AND WHATNOT. DO YOU THIRD PARTY ALL THAT OUT? YES. SODEXO IS THE COMPANY THAT PROVIDES THAT THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE. AND IT USED TO BE THE FAIR BOARD. RIGHT AT THE VERY BEGINNING, THE FAIR BOARD WAS THE ONE WHO DID THE OPERATIONS FOR IN 2010 TO 2012. AND THEN THAT'S WHEN LEGENDS GLOBAL WAS BROUGHT IN. NOW I'M JUST GOING TO GET SILLY AND JUST MAKE A HYPOTHETICAL. BUT LET'S SAY THE STATE SAYS WE'RE NEVER PAYING ANOTHER DIME, AND THE CITY SAYS WE'RE NEVER PAYING ANOTHER DIME, AND SOMETHING HAPPENS TO THE BONDS OR WHATEVER. BECAUSE I REMEMBER I WAS IN THE LEGISLATURE IN 2018, I THINK, WHEN THERE WAS SOME PROBLEMS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WERE SAYING IT MIGHT BE THE BIGGEST BINGO IN AMERICA SOON. THAT WAS IN 2017, WHEN BOTH THE STATE AND AND METRO GOVERNMENT DID THE REFINANCING. RIGHT. AND IT'S ALL GOOD NOW. YES. AND THAT'S GREAT. AND BUT I NEVER COULD GET THIS QUESTION ANSWERED. WHO WOULD OWN IT IF, IF IT ALL FELL APART, WHO WOULD OWN THAT? IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING. IT'S I MEAN, IT'S A STATE FACILITY. IT'S FOR THE STATE AND FOR STATE WOULD OWN IT, NOT THE CITY. I NEVER COULD GET THAT CLARIFIED. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND. JUST ONE LAST QUESTION. WHO WHO WHO IS GIVING YOU OVERSIGHT ON HOW YOU OPERATE? I MEAN, YOU GOT THE BOARD. IS THERE ANYBODY WATCHING THE BOARD? WILL WE HAVE AN ANNUAL AUDIT FOR BOTH THE THE LOUISVILLE ARENA AUTHORITY AND FOR THE OPERATIONS SIDE THAT IS MANAGED BY BY LEGENDS GLOBAL AND THEN ALSO ASSURED GUARANTY THEY REPRESENT THE BONDHOLDERS. AND SO WHEN WE SIGN A NEW CONTRACT, THEY IT ALL HAS TO GO THROUGH THEM ANY ANY WE WE ARE DRIVEN BY THE BOND DOCUMENTS. BUT IF THERE'S ANY DEVIATION AT ALL, THEY, THEY PROVIDE THE OVERSIGHT BECAUSE THEY'RE REPRESENTING ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE HELD THE BONDS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN WINKLER SAID HE HAS SOMETHING. I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY, BECAUSE I THINK COUNCILMEMBER ROGERS QUESTION WAS ESSENTIALLY, IF WE DEFAULT ON THE BONDS, WHO OWNS THE PROPERTY? I BELIEVE THE BOND HOLDERS OWN THE PROPERTY IF WE DEFAULT, NOT THE STATE. YEAH, IF WE DO, IF WE DEFAULT. BUT THOSE BOND DOCUMENTS ARE PRETTY STRONG. I THINK EVERYBODY'S GOT THEIR ROLE TO PLAY IN MAKING THIS GO FORWARD, BUT WE FEEL THAT WE'RE IN SOLID FINANCIAL STATEMENT. US STABLE. SO. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. THAT WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION TO DIGEST. AND IF WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS WE'LL REACH OUT TO YOU. BUT THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. THANKS FOR HAVING US. APPRECIATE IT. AND AGAIN, IF I DIDN'T SAY IT BEFORE, WE'RE NOT LOOKING TO DO ANY LEGISLATION. SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE GOING TO GET OUT OF THIS MEETING AND SAY, OKAY, WE DECIDED TO DO THIS SO THERE'S NO IMMEDIATE ACTION. YOU CAN SLEEP TIGHT OKAY. ALRIGHT. NEXT I THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT REVIEW OVERLAY BOARD. AND WHILE THEY MAKE THEIR WAY UP, THEY ARE UNDER CRA STATUTE AND A LOCAL ORDINANCE. THEY MEET MONTHLY ON THE SECOND WEDNESDAY. THEY HAVE 11 MEMBERS. AND ONE OF THOSE MEMBERS IS COUNCILMAN KEN HERNDON WHO'S WITH US TONIGHT. SO JUST WANT TO MAKE THAT TRANSPARENCY KNOWN. BUT GO AHEAD. MR. HI. EVERYONE STARTS NOW. THANK YOU. SAVANNAH, OUR HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER [00:45:03] WITH THE OFFICE OF PLANNING, LOUISVILLE METRO, THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT REVIEW OVERLAY DISTRICT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1992 BY MCO 162 .01. THE DISTRICT ROUGHLY BORDERS THE WATERFRONT OVERLAY TO THE NORTH. IT'S GOT NINTH STREET TO THE WEST, BROADWAY TO THE SOUTH, AND THEN I-65 TO THE EAST. SO ANYTHING WITHIN THOSE BOUNDARIES, IF THERE ARE CERTAIN EXTERIOR CHANGES, THEY REQUIRE AN OVERLAY PERMIT. AND SO AS PART OF THAT REVIEW PROCESS, WE HAVE A STAFF LEVEL REVIEW. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A COMMITTEE LEVEL REVIEW. AND SO THAT COMMITTEE HAS 11 MEMBERS. THEY SERVE THREE YEAR TERMS. THEY ARE NOT COMPENSATED FOR THEIR VOLUNTEER TIME. AND OF THOSE 11 MEMBERS LET'S SEE I HAVE THAT MEMBERSHIP FOR YOU. THERE IS A MEMBER OF THE LANDMARKS COMMISSION THAT SITS ON THE COMMITTEE, THE DIRECTOR OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OR A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION SITS ON THE COMMITTEE. YOU HAVE A MEMBER OF METRO COUNCIL, WHICH IS APPOINTED BY THE PRESIDENT OF METRO COUNCIL. AND THEN YOU HAVE EIGHT POSITIONS THAT ARE APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR. SO YOU HAVE AN ARCHITECT, YOU HAVE AN ARCHITECT OR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT, YOU HAVE A MEMBER OF COPA. SO THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ART, YOU HAVE A BOARD REPRESENTATIVE OF THE LOUISVILLE DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP THAT SITS ON THE COMMITTEE. THERE'S A REQUIREMENT THAT THERE'S ONE DOWNTOWN RESIDENT THAT SITS ON THE COMMITTEE, AND THEN THERE ARE THREE MEMBERS WHO CAN BE DOWNTOWN PROPERTY OWNERS, DOWNTOWN BUSINESS PERSONS, OR AGAIN, DOWNTOWN RESIDENTS. AND I THINK THAT'S ABOUT ALL I HAVE FOR YOU. I'M SORRY, I DON'T HAVE A POWERPOINT TONIGHT. THAT'S PERFECTLY FINE. MY QUESTION, COULD YOU TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE DEVELOPMENTS THAT HAVE COME BEFORE THIS BOARD AS OF RECENT AND WHAT THOSE KIND OF LOOK LIKE, OR IF THERE WERE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS MADE TO SAY, ENHANCE VISUAL QUALITY? YEAH. VISUAL QUALITY. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO THE COMMITTEE TYPICALLY SEES LARGER DEVELOPMENTS THAT CAN'T BE REVIEWED AT A STAFF LEVEL. FOR EXAMPLE, ONE OF THE RECENT ONES IS AT THE CORNER OF MUHAMMAD ALI AND FIFTH STREET AT 425 WEST MUHAMMAD ALI, WHICH IS THE U OF L CAMPUS FACILITY. THAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT THERE. YOU'VE SEEN A LOT OF WORK HAPPENING, BUILDING A NEW ADDITION ON THE SIDE OF THAT BUILDING THERE THAT WENT THROUGH THE COMMITTEE REVIEW. THERE'S A ENVIROME INSTITUTE. YES. THANK YOU. I CANNOT THINK OF THE NAME. THERE'S ALSO BEEN A COUPLE DOWNTOWN PROJECTS. THERE WAS A HOTEL THAT FINISHED. CONSTRUCTION IS NOW OPEN AT SECOND MARKET AND THEN ACROSS THE STREET FROM THERE AT THE FORMER ABORTION CLINIC SITE THAT WAS JUST APPROVED FOR A NEW HOTEL CONSTRUCTION AS WELL. SO IT'S TYPICALLY LARGER DEVELOPMENTS THAT THE COMMITTEE SEES IN DOWNTOWN. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN REED. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. SO IS IT THE BOARD'S, I GUESS, POLITE TO APPROVE THESE DEVELOPMENTS OR JUST ADD INPUT? SO YES, THEY DO REVIEW AND THEY CAN APPROVE. THEY CAN DENY AND THEY HAVE A SET OF DESIGN GUIDELINES THAT THEY USE TO MAKE THOSE REVIEWS. OKAY. AND HOW OFTEN DO YOU MEET. THEY MEET TYPICALLY ONCE A MONTH. BUT IT KIND OF DEPENDS ON CASELOAD. IF THERE ARE A LOT OF CASES, THEY MAY MEET MORE THAN THAT. IF WE DON'T HAVE MANY APPLICATIONS, THEY MAY NOT MEET AT ALL. DO YOU NORMALLY HAVE A QUORUM? YES. OKAY. IS IT VIRTUAL? IS IT IN-PERSON? HYBRID? WE GENERALLY DO. IN-PERSON IS HYBRID IN THE OLD JAIL, BUT WE GENERALLY HAVE IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YEAH. ANYONE ELSE QUESTIONS, COMMENTS AND CONCERNS I THINK EVERYONE'S CELEBRATING SECRETLY, BUT DON'T DO IT OUT LOUD. IT WOULD BREAK MY HEART. ALRIGHT. WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE AND YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT DAY. THANK YOU. GREAT NIGHT. ALRIGHT, NEXT. HOW'S ABOUT WE HAVE MISS FLEISCHAKER COME UP AND TALK ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT. I FEEL LIKE SHE KNEW THAT I WAS GOING TO CALL HER, WHO IS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT REVIEW OVERLAY BOARD AND A MEMBER OF COPA. BUT THIS IS WHILE SHE'S PULLING THAT UP. THIS IS UNDER CRZ STATUTE AND LOCAL ORDINANCE. THEY MEET QUARTERLY. AND THIS IS ACTUALLY ONE OF OUR LARGEST BOARDS WITH 25 MEMBERS. AND TWO OF THOSE MEMBERS ARE SITTING RIGHT HERE WITH US, COUNCILMAN LEININGER AND COUNCILMAN HERNDON. SO WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO YOU, MISS FLEISCHAKER. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO I'LL GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND. DO I NEED TO, LIKE, START? WE ARE ENABLED BY STATUTE. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU SAID THAT CREATED IN 1990 AND THEN ORDINANCE FOLLOWED THEREAFTER. AND THE DOWNTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA REALLY FOR. OH, COULD YOU PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD? SORRY, I THOUGHT REBECCA FLEISCHAKER. I'M EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF LOUISVILLE DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP. FORGIVE ME. AND IT'S NICE TO BE HERE WITH WITH ALL OF YOU. SO [00:50:05] THE MISSION REALLY THE REASON THAT THE THE STATE CREATED A STATUTE AND THE METRO COUNCIL CREATED THIS ORDINANCE IS BECAUSE DOWNTOWN IS A SPECIAL DISTRICT THAT WE WANTED SPECIAL ATTENTION WHERE CITY SERVICES WERE NOT ENOUGH FOR THE WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO PROMOTE IN DOWNTOWN. SO WE USE THE MONEY THAT IS DERIVED FROM PROPERTIES IN THE BID FOR SAFE, CLEAN AND WELCOMING HOSPITALITY. THIS IS A MAP OF THE BID. IT IS VERY DEFINED. WE ACTUALLY CAME TO YOU EARLIER THIS YEAR TO EXPAND IT BY A FEW BLOCKS. WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO EVERYWHERE WE CAN BE ABLE TO PROVIDE OUR SERVICES. IT IS IMPORTANT FOR REALLY THE ENVIRONMENT. IN YOUR EXPERIENCE AS YOU'RE WALKING THROUGH DOWNTOWN, THE MOST VISIBLE THING YOU WILL SEE IS OUR AMBASSADORS WHO ARE IN ORANGE AND WHO CLEAN THE SIDEWALKS. THEY DO NOT CLEAN THE STREETS BECAUSE THE CITY PAYS FOR THAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. BUT WE ALSO HELP THE CITY WITH GRAFFITI. WE'RE THERE FOR WELCOMING SERVICE AND ALSO BUSINESS INTERACTIONS WHERE WE CHECK ON PEOPLE. LOTS OF SPECIAL PROJECTS THAT WE DO. SO WE DO WEED ABATEMENT EVERY YEAR. WE PICK UP LEAVES EVERY YEAR, REMOVE SNOW AT THE INTERSECTIONS, AND MY FAVORITE ONE IS SIDEWALK PRESSURE WASHING. I DO WANT TO GO BACK. EVERY YEAR WE COME TO YOU. WE ARE REQUIRED BY STATUTE AND ORDINANCE TO PRESENT AN ECONOMIC IMPROVEMENT PLAN. YOU GOT. YOU SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN THAT WITH WITH YOUR MATERIALS THAT I'M NOT GOING TO HOLD IT UP. BUT ANYWAY IT IT INCLUDES OUR BUDGET AS WELL, WHICH REALLY SAYS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR WITH THE MONEY THAT WE GET. AND THAT REALLY IS FUNDED PRIMARILY THROUGH OUR ASSESSMENTS ON PROPERTIES IN THAT BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT. THOSE ASSESSMENTS FOR THIS NEXT YEAR, WE ARE BUDGETING $1.8 MILLION. OUR BUDGET IS ESPECIALLY BIG THE LAST TWO YEARS BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN THE LUCKY RECIPIENTS OF DONATIONS FROM LOUISVILLE TOURISM AND FROM HUMANA, AND EXTRA MONEY FROM LOUISVILLE METRO. SO THANK YOU. THAT FUND ADDITIONAL AMBASSADORS FROM WHAT OUR ASSESSMENT ACTUALLY AFFORDS AND OUR BOARD OVERSEES THIS BUDGET. WE DO GET AUDITED EVERY YEAR. SO WE KNOW WE'RE KEEPING KEEPING THE MONEY IN SPENT THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE SPENT BID SERVICES. I JUST WENT THROUGH THAT. WE ALSO ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO CONTINUE TO INCREASE THOSE REVENUE SOURCES, SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF AMBASSADORS. THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME. I DON'T WANT TO SLIP BACKWARD. WE WERE LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO DOUBLE THE NUMBER A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. BUT HOW DO WE KEEP KEEP INCREASING PLACE MAKING IS ONE OF THE THINGS WE WORK ON. THIS IS A VERY BIG DEAL FOR WHAT YOU ACTUALLY SEE. WHAT IS TANGIBLE IN THE DOWNTOWN STREETSCAPES AND WHAT YOU S ALONG THE SIDEWALKS. FLOWER POTS IS A SPONSORED PROGRAM, BUT WE DO PUT SOME OF OUR MONEY, MONEY TOWARD THAT. WE'VE GOT ALLEY AND STREET GALLERY PROGRAMS CREATED BY OUR COUNCILMAN, KEN HERNDON, MANY YEARS AGO. BUT THEN WE HAVE ROTATING PUBLIC ART, TEMPORARY ART, PUBLIC INSTALLATIONS. WE HAVE STREET BANNERS THAT WE'RE PUTTING UP ON THE LIGHT POLES. WANT TO START A MURAL PROGRAM? WE ACTUALLY PUT FOUR NEW PIANOS OUT ON THE DOWNTOWN STREETS THIS YEAR. WE'LL BE EXPANDING THAT TO EIGHT NEXT YEAR, AND A CITY SPOT NETWORK, AND ALSO SOME NEW LIGHTING THAT WE HOPE TO PUT OUT. I DO WANT TO MAKE THE DISTINCTION. LOUISVILLE DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP IS AN UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION, SO WE'RE ONE SIDE OF THE HOUSE IS THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT THAT IS PAID FOR THROUGH MONEY THAT WE GET FOR CONTRACT FOR SERVICE, BUT ALSO THE ASSESSMENTS. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HOUSE IS DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. SO WE'VE GOT TWO BOARDS, TWO BUDGETS. THE THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT IS THE QUASI GOVERNMENTAL ONE THAT WE PRESENT TO YOU EVERY YEAR. THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HAT. WHEN I'M OUT THERE TALKING TO YOU GUYS, ASKING FOR MONEY, OR IN FRANKFORT ASKING FOR MONEY OR ADVOCATING FOR A NEW PROGRAM OR INCENTIVES, THAT REALLY IS WHAT THE DDC HAT ON. THAT IS NOT WHAT I DO FOR WITH LGMD. WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE CLEAN, SAFE BEAUTIFICATION. THAT'S HOW WE USE THAT MONEY. BUT I DO WANT YOU TO KNOW, JUST BECAUSE IT'S THE SAME STAFF DOING BOTH SIDES OF THE OF OUR ORGANIZATIONS WORK, THAT WE DO DO A LOT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ADVOCACY. WE PUT ON A LOT OF EVENTS, AND WE DO A TON OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS ABOUT THOSE EVENTS AND WHAT WE'RE DOING IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY. SO A COUPLE THINGS THAT WE'LL BE WORKING ON NEXT YEAR. THIS IS ALSO IN OUR ECONOMIC IMPROVEMENT PLAN THAT WE PRESENTED BEFORE LABOR AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND THESE ARE OUR BOARD MEMBERS FOR THIS CURRENT YEAR. I THINK ONE, ONE OF THEM MAY HAVE ROLLED OFF OR THIS MAY NO. THIS IS OUR CURRENT BOARD AND THAT'S IT. I'M TRYING TO RUSH BECAUSE I KNOW WE ARE OVER ON TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO GOT A COUPLE PEOPLE IN THE QUEUE. MY FIRST QUESTION THOUGH, WITH 25 CURRENT MEMBERS, 2325 IN THE [00:55:05] ORDINANCE, I QUICKLY LOOKING THROUGH IT. IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S ONLY 12 THAT ARE SPECIFIED. VERY SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS. AND THIS BOARD HAS THE ABILITY TO HAVE UP TO 45 MEMBERS. WHEN WE LOOK AT EFFICIENCY OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, YOU KNOW, I HATE THAT I'M SAYING THIS BECAUSE WE'RE ALWAYS TRYING TO GET PEOPLE INVOLVED, BUT IS IT AN EFFICIENT COMMITTEE? ARE YOU ALL ABLE TO MAKE DECISIONS? ARE THERE SUBCOMMITTEES THAT ARE DIVVYING UP WORK? YOU KNOW YEAH. WHAT DOES THAT WHAT IS THE MAKEUP OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE NOT SPECIFICALLY OUTLINED IN THE ORDINANCE. AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THEM ONE BY ONE, BUT THE ONES THAT ARE OUTLINED ARE EX OFFICIO. SO THAT IS NOT EVERYBODY, OBVIOUSLY NOT EVERYBODY, BECAUSE WE HAVE TWICE THAT NUMBER. BUT YOU DO HAVE TO BE REPRESENTATIVE OR AN ACTUAL PROPERTY OWNER THAT REPRESENTS HOTEL, RESIDENTIAL BUSINESS. SO THAT WE'RE WE'RE BASED THE THE DECISION MAKERS ON THE BOARD ARE WHO AFFECTING WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE SPACE WHERE THEY OCCUPY. SO I WOULD SAY THE OTHER BOARD THAT JUST FOR REFERENCE, THE DDC BOARD, THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION BOARD HAS 40 PEOPLE. THIS ONE IS SMALL AND VERY MANAGEABLE IN COMPARISON. I NEVER WANT TO GET UP TO 45 SO THAT THAT CEILING IN THIS ORDINANCE IS I MEAN, IT'S JUST SOMETHING I'M NOT EVER GOING TO TRY TO BOUNCE UP AGAINST. BECAUSE TO YOUR POINT, IT'S HARD TO MAKE THEM FEEL LIKE THEY'RE ENGAGED IN DOING WORK AT THAT NUMBER. I WOULD SAY THAT THIS BOARD IS VERY ENGAGED. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM IS IN DOWNTOWN, HAS A FINANCIAL INTEREST THROUGH THEIR EITHER PERSONALLY BECAUSE OF THEIR INVESTMENT OR BECAUSE OF THEIR BUSINESS AND CARES ABOUT THE DECISIONS THAT WE'RE MAKING THAT IMPACT THE DOWNTOWN. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN REED. EXCUSE ME. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. HI, REBECCA. HI. SO YOU MENTIONED THE MONEY FROM TOURISM. HOW MUCH DID THEY PROVIDE THIS YEAR? WE ENTERED INTO A ONE YEAR CONTRACT AND I THINK IT WAS AROUND $90,000. IT IS TO PAY FOR THAT. CAN'T BE RIGHT. IT'S FOR THREE, THREE AMBASSADORS. SO LET ME DO THE MATH. $180,000 ISH, MAYBE 190,000. THAT'S WHERE I'M GOING. AND THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR THAT THEY'VE DONE THAT. NO, NO, THIS IS WE'RE IN THE THIRD ACTUALLY. YEAH. AND IT WILL EXPIRE. OKAY. AND HOW HOW DOES THAT COMPARE RELATIVE TO WHAT LOUISVILLE METRO GIVES YOU? LOUISVILLE METRO GIVES IN A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT WAYS. YOU ALL DO APPROVE A FEE IN LIEU EVERY YEAR, WHICH IS BECAUSE YOU'RE NON-ASSESSABLE. YOUR PROPERTIES ARE NON-ASSESSABLE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUT IN TOWARDS THE BID, SO YOU ALL CHOOSE TO ACTUALLY PUT SOME MONEY IN. I THINK THAT'S $240,000. AND THEN YOU ALL HAVE DONE AN ADDITIONAL $800,000 FOR THE LAST, I THINK, THREE YEARS. AND THAT IS PAYS FOR OUR SAFETY AMBASSADOR TEAM, WHICH REALLY ALLOWED US TO EXPAND THE NUMBER OF HOURS AND THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE ON THE STREET TILL MIDNIGHT, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. AND WE HAD NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND LAST, YOU MENTIONED THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT BOARD. HOW DOES THIS BOARD POTENTIALLY OVERLAP WITH THEM? WHICH WITH WHICH BOARD? DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT, DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. IT'S SUPER CONFUSING. I KNOW, I KNOW, WE'RE ALL LETTERS AND LOTS OF DOWNTOWN WARDS, THAT THERE ARE A COUPLE COMPANIES THAT MAY HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE ON EACH BOARD. I'M TRYING TO THINK RIGHT NOW. I MEAN, TWO THAT I CAN THINK OF, BUT NO ONE PERSON IS THE SAME. THOSE ARE BUSINESS LEADERS AND DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH WHETHER OR NOT THEY OWN PROPERTY SO THAT THEY'RE MORE 20,000 FOOT. VIEW STRATEGIC VISION. THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO ATTRACT MORE DEVELOPERS, INVESTORS, EMPLOYEES, EMPLOYERS, HOTELIERS, RESIDENTS, THAT KIND OF THING. OKAY. THANK YOU. YEAH. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN BRATCHER. REBECCA, DO YOU THINK THAT YOUR YOUR MISSION STATEMENT. LET'S SEE IF I CAN FIND IT. CALL PROMOTE DOWNTOWN'S QUALITY OF LIFE BY CREATING SAFE, CLEAN AND ENJOYABLE ENVIRONMENT. DO YOU THINK YOU'RE ON THE TREND UP ON THAT OR THE TREND DOWN ON THAT? I DEFINITELY THINK WE ARE UP AND GOOD AND CONTINUING TO MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION. I TOOK THIS JOB AT THE END, SO I TOOK THIS JOB AT THE LIKE THE LAST WEEK OF 2021, THINGS WERE NOT GOOD. THINGS WERE PRETTY BLEAK. I MEAN, IN EVERY DOWNTOWN, THIS IS NOT UNIQUE TO LOUISVILLE. PEOPLE WERE STILL, FOR THE MOST PART, I MEAN PRIMARILY WORKING AT HOME. THERE WAS A LOT OF UNEASE ABOUT COMING DOWNTOWN, AND THINGS HAVE CHANGED DRASTICALLY IN THE ALMOST FOUR YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN IN THIS [01:00:02] JOB, IN TERMS OF PEOPLE PUTTING WALKING THE TALK, PEOPLE COME TO THE OFFICE. MORE INVESTMENT IN DOWNTOWN, EVEN MORE DONATIONS TO OUR OUR ORGANIZATION IN ORDER TO GET MORE BEAUTIFICATION ON THE STREET. DO YOU? DOES IS THE GOAL TO BRING PEOPLE THAT LIVE AROUND LOUISVILLE INTO DOWNTOWN LOUISVILLE, OR IS IT MORE TOURISTS OR BOTH? IT'S BOTH. I MEAN, THE REASON DOWNTOWN'S UNIVERSALLY ARE SO SPECIAL IS BECAUSE IT IS THE ONE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IS FOR EVERYBODY. SO WHEN YOU GO VISIT ANOTHER CITY, CHANCES ARE YOU'RE STAYING IN DOWNTOWN AND OR VISITING A LOT OF THINGS IN DOWNTOWN, BECAUSE IT IS. IT'S WHERE WE TELL OUR STORY. IT'S OUR CULTURAL CENTER. IT'S WHERE OUR ATTRACTIONS ARE. IT'S WHERE OUR ARCHITECTURE'S LEGACY IS. YOUR BUSINESS CENTER, YOUR TOURISM CENTER. SO FOR FOR ANY DOWNTOWN, I THINK BECAUSE YOU HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING THROUGH. AND BY THE WAY, WE'RE SUPER LUCKY THAT WE HAVE URBANISM. I MEAN, THAT'S REALLY DONE WONDERS FOR GETTING PEOPLE FROM OUT OF TOWN INTO TOWN. MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE, I BELIEVE, IS GETTING LOUISVILLIANS INTO DOWNTOWN. IT IS NOT PEOPLE FROM OUT OF TOWN AND IT'S BEEN A PROBLEM MY LIFETIME. I REMEMBER THE GALLERIA WAS MADE IN THE 70S. I GUESS YOU REMEMBER THAT I YOU'RE AGING ME. AND THE GALLERIA WAS TO BRING PEOPLE DOWNTOWN, BUT IT JUST NEVER SEEMS TO HAPPEN. YOU GO TO PITTSBURGH AND AND I'VE BEEN TO, YOU KNOW, DENVER AND OTHER ONES. AND THERE'S PEOPLE DOWNTOWN AT NIGHT AND THERE'S JUST NOBODY DOWN HERE. IT SEEMS TO ME AT NIGHT I DON'T SEE IF MAYBE NULU ON A WEEKEND. YEAH, BUT I MEAN, YOU NEED TO GO TO MAIN STREET ON A THURSDAY, FRIDAY OR SATURDAY OR EVEN A SUNDAY AFTERNOON. IT IS VERY CROWDED. A LOT OF PEOPLE IS TOURISTS. NO, IT'S PROBABLY BOTH. IT'S PROBABLY BOTH. I THINK WE SHOULD GO GET A DRINK AT SOMEWHERE ALONG MAIN STREET. AND WE CAN WE CAN SEE IT. WELL, I SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON MAIN STREET BECAUSE I JUST LIKE TO WALK AROUND IT AND IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL, BUT IT JUST SEEMS EMPTY ALL THE TIME TO ME. WOW. WELL, THAT IS NOT MY EXPERIENCE. BUT I GO OUT AND ASK PEOPLE IN FERN CREEK AND AND J-TOWN AND MIDDLETOWN AND THEY JUST SAY THEY DON'T FEEL SAFE OUT THERE. THAT IS. AND I HAVE A COUSIN WHO LIVES DOWNTOWN AND IN THE I FORGOT THE NAME. REAL NICE CONDOS. AND I ASKED HIM, WHERE IS EVERYBODY? AND HE SAYS, PEOPLE JUST DON'T FEEL SAFE DOWN HERE. I THINK THERE'S A AND I HAVEN'T SEEN AN AMBASSADOR SINCE I'VE BEEN IN. I TRY TO WALK 2 OR 3 TIMES A WEEK DOWN MAIN STREET, JUST I'M DOING A WALKING PROGRAM AND I HAVEN'T SEEN AN AMBASSADOR. I DON'T KNOW IF I'M MISSING IT OR AT THE RIGHT TIMES OR WHAT. I JUST DON'T SEE THEM. I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW THE TIMES THAT YOU'RE WALKING TO HERE, THAT YOU HAVEN'T SEEN AN AMBASSADOR AND THAT NOBODY'S OUT IS SURPRISING. BUT WE CAN GET YOU A HEAT MAP TO SHOW YOU WHERE OUR AMBASSADORS ARE WALKING. MAIN STREET IS THE MOST POPULATED STREET OF OUR DOWNTOWN, SO I. AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE I MEAN, WHEN WE SEND OUR AMBASSADORS OUT ON THEIR ROUTES, THAT IS THE ONE THAT ALWAYS IS THE MOST CROWDED. THAT LAST BUDGET I DID IN FRANKFORT. HOW MUCH DID WE GIVE YOU? THE STATE GIVE YOU GUYS THE PARTNERSHIP. DO YOU REMEMBER THE PARTNERSHIP HAS NEVER RECEIVED DIRECT DOLLARS FROM THE STATE WE DID WORK WITH. THERE WAS SOME BIG OUTLAY LAST TIME. WELL, THE THERE WAS $100 MILLION GIVEN TO THE MAYOR FOR DOWNTOWN PROJECTS. IS THAT WHAT YOU MEAN? HOW MUCH DID YOU GIVE OF THAT? WE DID NOT GET ANY OF THAT. WELL, WHY WERE YOU IN FRANKFORT ALL THE TIME? BECAUSE I'M. I'M TRYING TO GET A I'M GLAD YOU NOTICED. A PROPERTY TAX ABATEMENT PROGRAM EXPANDED FROM A FIVE YEAR PROGRAM TO A 15 YEAR PROGRAM. THAT'S WHY I'M UP THERE AND TO TO WHICH IS A RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT TOOL. THAT IS MY BIGGEST PUSH RIGHT NOW FOR PROBABLY THE NEXT 5 TO 10 YEARS, ABOUT HOW WE CAN GET MORE TOOLS AND EITHER OUR BUILDINGS CONVERTED FROM OFFICE TO RESIDENTIAL OR BUILD NEW RESIDENTIAL. HOW WE CAN GET SURFACE PARKING LOTS DEVELOPED. WHAT ARE THOSE TOOLS? WHAT'S THE MONEY THAT WE NEED FOR IT TO MAKE SENSE FOR OUR DEVELOPER TO DO THAT? THAT'S WHY I'M IN FRANKFORT. WELL, I THINK THAT'S GREAT. 100 MILLION AND AND I WENT TO IT WAS NAMED FOR SIX SPECIFIC PROJECTS. BELVIDERE. BELVIDERE. YOU'RE GOING TO TEST ME HERE. LUMEN INFRASTRUCTURE, BELVIDERE. THE LOUISVILLE GARDENS BUTCHERTOWN SOCCER STADIUM DISTRICT, A RESIDENTIAL CONVERSION FUND. AND COMMUNITY CARE CAMPUS. WELL, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO. AND WE REALLY NEED LOUISVILLE TO BE VIBRANT, IN MY OPINION. YES, SIR. FOR SURE. YES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND FOR THOSE WHO THINK DOWNTOWN ISN'T SAFE, I INVITE THEM TO COME DOWNTOWN. I'LL WALK WITH YOU. THANK YOU. SPEAKING OF THE GALLERIA, BECAUSE I AM OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER FIELD TRIPS THERE, DOES CORDISH STILL OWN FOURTH STREET LIVE? YES. DO THEY HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE ON YOUR BOARD? THEY DID. AND HE ACTUALLY, HE [01:05:05] LEFT TOWN AND WE'RE WAITING TO GET A A NEW A NEW PERSON TO REPRESENT THEM. GREAT. I GUESS THAT'S IN THE 23 THAT YOU HAVE LISTED HERE. BUT IT SAYS YOU HAVE 25. I'M ASSUMING THAT IS ONE OF THE HOLES. AND THEN ALSO THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, WHICH IS, YEAH, A VACANT POSITION, THAT VACANT POSITION. BUT WE'VE GOT COUNCILMAN HERNDON AND COUNCILMAN LINDINGER. SURE. AND AS A EMPLOYEE, CONTRACTOR AND NOW MEMBER OF BOTH BOARDS, VERY PROUD OF MY HISTORY WITH WITH THIS ORGANIZATION AND THE WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE. I LIVE IN NULU, BUT I'M DOWN HERE, OF COURSE, REPRESENT DOWNTOWN. I KNOW YOU AND I HAD A DRINK SCHEDULED AND HAD IT CANCELED BEFORE, SO MAYBE THE THREE OF US CAN COME DOWN HERE AND I, I AGREE ON ON THURSDAY, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHTS IT'S ROCKS, ESPECIALLY MAIN MARKET. BUT BUT DURING THE DAY WE WE AS EVERY DOWNTOWN HAS HAD, WE'VE HAD OUR ISSUES. BUT WE'RE GETTING THERE. WE'RE TURNING THE CORNER WITH THE YOUNG THING AND SOME OTHER THINGS HAPPENING. I WANT TO JUST JUST TOUCH BASE QUICKLY ON THE SIZE OF THE BOARD, THE 45 MEMBERS. I'M NOT SURE WHO DID THAT IN THE LEGISLATION EARLY ON, BUT HISTORICALLY, SINCE I'VE BEEN THERE, IT'S MOST BOARDS HAVE ALL OF JEFFERSON COUNTY TO CHOOSE FROM. THIS BOARD DOES NOT. AND POPULATING A BOARD OF THAT SIZE IN THIS CONFINED AREA HAS ALWAYS BEEN DIFFICULT. SO THERE'S NEVER BEEN AN ATTEMPT TO, TO, TO FILL OUT THAT BOARD. AND IT PROBABLY SHOULD BE CHANGED JUST TO CHANGE IT. BUT IT'S NEVER HAPPENED AND I REALLY SHOULDN'T. IT'S JUST TOO UNWIELDY. SO YEAH. AND A QUESTION TO THAT POINT. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN, FOR BRINGING THAT UP IS TERM LIMITS. HOW MANY TERMS A BASED ON METRO'S BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ORDINANCE IS THAT? WE FIND IT EVEN HARDER BECAUSE AFTER SOMEONE'S SERVED THREE TERMS THEY CAN'T SERVE AGAIN. SO THAT LIMITS OUR POOL EVEN. AND WE MIGHT IF YOU HAVE SOME SUGGESTIONS OF FIXING THAT, MAYBE ADDING ANOTHER TERM OR SOME WAY TO TO HELP MAKE THAT EASIER. I'D BE GLAD TO BE PART OF THAT DISCUSSION BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT. AND YOU ALSO HAVE THE CATEGORIES YOU MUST FILL IN, RIGHT AND IN LIMITED BASE. SO IT COULD BE TOUGH TO TO FILL THAT PROPERLY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN WENNINGER. THANK YOU AND GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. I APOLOGIZE FOR BEING A FAIRLY ABSENTEE BOARD MEMBER OF THIS BOARD. I STILL GET ALL THE INFORMATION I DO, AND I DO READ THE EMAILS. I DO TRY TO KEEP UP. I HAVE ONE AN OBSERVATION ON THE QUESTION OF THE UTILITY OF DOWNTOWN, AND IT IS AN ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT AND BRINGING PEOPLE IN. I DO THINK THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB OF BRINGING PEOPLE INTO DOWNTOWN, AND IT CERTAINLY IN THE PAST 4 OR 5 YEARS HAS FILLED OUT. AND I'M REALLY GLAD THAT YOU'VE BEEN A PART OF THAT. I THINK SPECIFICALLY TO WHAT COUNCIL THE CHAIR JUST MENTIONED THE CORDISH PROPERTY AT FOURTH STREET LIVE. THAT DOES SEEM TO BE KIND OF A GAPING HOLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION. I DO WISH THAT WE HAD MORE GOING ON THERE. I THINK THAT'S WHERE IT DOES START TO FEEL A LITTLE LIKE, WHERE IS EVERYONE? YEAH, BUT WHAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN AMBASSADOR PROGRAM ARE THE ARE THE AMBASSADORS FULL TIME EMPLOYEES? FULL TIME EMPLOYEES? YES. WITH BENEFITS, WITH BENEFITS. AND HOW DO THEY COMPARE TO PUBLIC WORKS EMPLOYEES IN TERMS OF THEIR COMPENSATION? WELL, I DON'T KNOW WHAT PUBLIC WORKS EMPLOYEES ACTUALLY EARN, BUT WE DID INCREASE THE BEGINNING PAY FOR AMBASSADORS TO $2,020 AN HOUR OR 21, 20, 50, MAYBE AN HOUR IN 2022 WHEN I GOT THERE. AND DEPENDING ON THE SAFETY AMBASSADORS, MAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE, OKAY, I GUESS. AND MAYBE I CAN LOOK THROUGH IN MY EMAILS TO FIND THIS, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHAT THEIR THEIR COMPENSATION PACKAGE ENTIRELY LOOKS LIKE. AND IF I CAN'T FIND IT, I'LL EMAIL YOU. SURE, WE CAN SHARE THAT. THAT'S THROUGH OUR CONTRACT WITH BLOCK BY BLOCK. SO THEY ARE ACTUALLY BLOCK BY BLOCK EMPLOYEES THAT WE CONTRACT WITH AS LDP, LOUISVILLE DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP AMBASSADORS. AND AND THEN MY OTHER QUESTION ABOUT THE AMBASSADORS, THEY'RE NOT THEY'RE NOT UNIONIZED EMPLOYEES, ARE THEY. NO. NO, SIR. NO. OKAY. THANK YOU. YEAH. WE'RE ACTUALLY A FEW MINUTES OVER. SO THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. AND WE WILL MOVE ON. WE'VE GOT TWO MORE BOARDS. THANK YOU ALL FOR STICKING WITH US. WE'RE GOING TO MAKE THROUGH REALLY FAST OF THE TWO BOARDS THAT HAVE LEFT, IS THERE ANYONE THAT REALLY, REALLY IS ITCHING TO GO NEXT? OKAY. WELL, WE'LL HAVE THE WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION COME UP NEXT IF THAT WORKS. THANK YOU, MR. BATTLE, FOR YOUR PATIENCE. BUT THIS ACTUALLY IS A BOARD. WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION HAS THREE STATUTES SURROUNDING IT, AS WELL AS CODE OF ORDINANCES. LOCALLY, THEY MEET MONTHLY. AND THERE'S NINE MEMBERS. AND ONE OF THOSE MEMBERS IS PRESIDENT BRANT ACKERSON. SO I WILL LET YOU TAKE IT OVER, MISS SMITH. YEAH. [01:10:05] OKAY. HI. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. I'M ASHLEY SMITH, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT WITH THE WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. WE DBA WE'RE WE'RE NOW IDENTIFYING AS WATERFRONT PARK. WE, THE WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION WAS FORMED IN 1986 BETWEEN AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY, JEFFERSON COUNTY AND THEN CITY OF LOUISVILLE. WE HAVE A 15 MEMBER BOARD, SIX MEMBERS ARE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR AND INCLUDE THE GOVERNOR, HIS OR HER DESIGNEE, AND FIVE ADDITIONAL MEMBERS. WE HAVE NINE MEMBERS APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR THAT INCLUDE THE MAYOR, HIS OR HER DESIGNEE, METRO COUNCIL PRESIDENT, HIS OR HER DESIGNEE, AND A MEMBER OF THE FRIENDS OF THE WATERFRONT AND AUXILIARY. TRUE 501C3 NONPROFIT BOARD THAT SUPPORTS WATERFRONT PARK AND SIX OTHER MEMBERS. THAT WAS THE MAYOR HAD THAT MANY APPOINTEES AFTER MERGER OF COURSE, AND COUNCILMAN HERNDON IS NOW REPRESENTING COUNCIL PRESIDENT ACKERSON ON OUR BOARD. SO THE WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION WAS FORMED, OF COURSE, BECAUSE BACK IN THE 1980S, OUR WATERFRONT WAS NOT INVITING. IT WAS INDUSTRIAL USE. AND IT WAS SUCH A LARGE PROJECT WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT PROPERTY OWNERS THAT THE THE BOARD WAS FORMED TO, WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT IT WOULD TAKE A VERY LONG TIME TO BUILD THE WATERFRONT PARK, WHICH IT DID. WE STARTED IN 1986. WE HAD OUR FIRST DEDICATIONS IN THE LATE 90S, AND THEN IT WENT ON THE FIRST. THE FIRST 85 ACRES WERE NOT THE FIRST. THE ORIGINAL MASTER PLAN WAS NOT COMPLETE UNTIL 2014, IN FACT. SO TO TODAY WE MANAGE. THE AREA FROM. THE WELL. I'M GOING TO GO FROM THE EAST. NOW WE MANAGE FROM THE RIVERFRONT PARK PLACE APARTMENTS NEAR FRANKFORT AVENUE, ALL THE WAY WEST TO THE WHARF AND JOE'S CRAB SHACK. AND THEN OF COURSE, WE ARE BUILDING A NEW SECTION, A 22.5 ACRE EXPANSION, OF WHICH WE OPENED THREE AND A HALF ACRES THIS PAST MARCH. THAT'S PLAY PORT AT WATERFRONT PARK. SO THAT PICKS UP AGAIN AT 11TH STREET AND WILL EVENTUALLY EXTEND TO 14TH STREET. SO WE ARE SEPARATE FROM METROPARKS. WE ARE OUR OWN. WE HAVE OUR OWN MAINTENANCE STAFF. WE MANAGE EVERYTHING IN THAT IN THE PARK WITH BOTH MAINTENANCE. WE ARE OF COURSE, DEVELOPING THE NEW SPACE. WE PROGRAM ALL OF THE SPACE AS WELL. SO THE PARK IS NOW THE FRONT LAWN TO THE COMMUNITY. WE HAVE RECEIVED EVERY MANNER OF ACCOLADE, THE MOST RECENT OF WHICH IS THE BEST RIVERWALK IN THE UNITED STATES. AND WE HAVE ABOUT 2.5 MILLION VISITORS TO THE PARK EACH YEAR, OF WHICH WE KNOW THAT EVERY METRO COUNCIL DISTRICT IS REPRESENTED. WE HAVE VISITORS FROM ALL SEVEN COUNTIES IN THE REGION, AND 24% OF OUR VISITORS ARE FROM OUT OF THE REGION. WE PROGRAM AROUND 300 OR SO. WE HAVE ABOUT 300 GIVE OR TAKE EVENTS, MAJOR EVENTS PER YEAR. AND WE ESTIMATE THAT THAT CONTRIBUTES ABOUT $40 MILLION TO THE DOWNTOWN ECONOMY. WHICH JUST WILL MENTION THAT WE ALSO MANAGE THE BIG FOUR BRIDGE AS PART OF THAT, WHICH WAS THE LAST PIECE WHICH WAS DEDICATED IN 2014. MANY PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT. WE ALSO MANAGE THE BIG FOUR BRIDGE AND. AND, AND ALSO A NUMBER OF PEOPLE ALSO DON'T KNOW THAT WE METRO GOVERNMENT IS OUR LARGEST APPROPRIATION IN OUR ANNUAL BUDGET. BUT WE DO EARN, GIVE OR TAKE, ROUGHLY TWO THIRDS OF OUR ANNUAL OPERATING INCOME ON ANY GIVEN YEAR. IT'S ROUGHLY TWO THIRDS. I THINK IT'S A LITTLE LESS THIS YEAR. ANY QUESTIONS? GOT A COUPLE OF PEOPLE IN THE QUEUE, BUT I DO JUST WANT TO SAY SOMETHING THAT YOU HAD SAID THAT THERE'S 15 MEMBERS ON YOUR BOARD AND THIS ISN'T ANYTHING TOWARDS YOU. I JUST WANT TO POINT IT OUT TO MY FELLOW COMMITTEE MEMBERS THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE COME UP AS AN ISSUE TIME AND TIME AGAIN, BECAUSE IN ON LOUISVILLE METRO'S WEBSITE, IT SAYS THAT THE SIZE OF THIS BOARD IS NINE [01:15:04] MEMBERS AND IT HAS A MEMBER ROSTER OF THOSE NINE MEMBERS. AND IF THERE ARE 15 MEMBERS, THAT MEANS THAT WE DON'T HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF THOSE MEMBERS. AND THIS IS SOMETHING WHERE WE'VE BEEN TOLD BY THE MAYOR'S OFFICE THAT THEY ONLY KEEP UP WITH THE PEOPLE THAT THEY APPOINT, WHICH IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS IS THE CASE, BUT IT'S ALSO THE JOB THAT WE LEARNED EARLY ON OF OUR CLERK, OUR LOUISVILLE METRO CLERK'S OFFICE, TO MAINTAIN THESE RECORDS. SO I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT AGAIN THAT THERE IS A DISCREPANCY ONLINE AND WHAT'S BEEN SAID. AND THAT IS A NO FAULT OF OUR SPEAKER, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CERTAINLY NEED TO ADDRESS BECAUSE TRANSPARENCY IS VERY IMPORTANT. WE NEED TO KNOW WHO'S SERVING ON THESE BOARDS. SO COUNCILMAN BRATCHER. THANK YOU. WHY IS THE THE BOAT DOCKS CLOSED RIGHT NOW? WELL, IF YOU MEAN THE THE THE THE HARBOR INLET, WE HAVE TWO. WE ACTUALLY HAVE THREE. WELL, THREE BOAT DOCKS. WE HAVE THE HARBOR INLET, WHICH IS IN BETWEEN THE GREAT LAWN AND THE HARBOR LAWN, WHICH IS MAYBE THE ONE THAT YOU'RE REFERENCING THAT IS CLOSED. AND WE HAVE BOAT DOCKS THAT ARE NEAR THE BROWN-FORMAN AMPHITHEATER. AND THEN WE HAVE AND THOSE ARE REALLY PRIMARILY FOR MOTORIZED BOATS. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER SET OF BOAT DOCKS WHICH ARE WELL, WE HAVE ACTUALLY FOUR BECAUSE THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE HAS THEIR ROWING PROGRAM. THEY HAVE SOME DOCKS THERE. AND THEN THERE'S ALSO A COMMUNITY BOAT DOCK, WHICH IS FOR KAYAKERS. IT'S USED BY KAYAKERS. CANOERS, DRAGON BOAT TEAM, ADAPTIVE ROWING AND. I THINK I NAMED THEM. OH, AND OF COURSE LOUISVILLE HIGH SCHOOL COMMUNITY ROWING PROGRAMS, WHICH ARE PRIMARILY HIGH SCHOOL CREW PROGRAMS. ARE THEY ADAPTABLE FOR LIKE DISABLED? YES. THEY ARE NOT ADA ACCESSIBLE, BUT THEY THE ADAPTIVE ROWING PROGRAM DOES USE THEM. DO YOU KNOW WHO I'M TALKING ABOUT WITH THE I DO I THINK SO JENNY SMITH YEAH, I BELIEVE SO. YES. WE I CAME AND SPOKE WITH YOU ABOUT. YOU DID. YES. OKAY. I'M SORRY. YEAH. NO WORRIES, NO WORRIES. NO. ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING FOR. I DON'T KNOW IF SHE'S JUST A ONE OFF OR WHAT. WELL SO. THOSE BOAT DOCKS ARE. WE. THEY WERE. WE INHERITED THEM. WE INHERITED THEM. AND WE ASKED FOR A GRANT TO REHAB THEM. THEY ARE OLD. THEY NEED TO BE COMPLETELY REHABBED OR IF NOT REPLACED, THEY SUFFERED A LOT OF DAMAGE FROM FLOODS. WE DID GET SOME MONEY. THANK YOU. WE ASKED FOR SOME MONEY AND WE RECEIVED SOME MONEY TO RENOVATE THOSE DOCKS. I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY WERE GOING TO BE COMPLETELY BROUGHT UP TO ADA STANDARDS. WE WERE GOING TO TRY TO GET IT AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE. AND THEN WE DISCOVERED A MAJOR PROBLEM IN THE BOATHOUSE ITSELF THAT WAS A MAJOR STRUCTURAL PROBLEM. SO WHEN WE CAME BACK TO METRO COUNCIL AND WE ASKED IF WE COULD APPLY THE MONEY TO THE FIXING THE BOATHOUSE, AND SO WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO USE IT EITHER WAY. AND RIGHT NOW WE ARE SHORING UP THE STRUCTURAL ISSUES WITH THE BOATHOUSE. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING, AND THERE'S PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BE ANY MONEY LEFT OVER FOR THE BOAT DOCK. SO WE PROBABLY NEED TO RAISE SOME MORE MONEY TO DO THAT. OKAY. AND JUST ONE OTHER QUESTION. AGAIN, LIKE THE SAFETY ISSUE, ARE YOU ALL RESPONSIBLE FOR SAFETY ON YOUR PROPERTIES DOWN THERE? WELL, IT WE ARE A PUBLIC FACILITY. SO ULTIMATELY LOUISVILLE METRO POLICE DEPARTMENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SAFETY AT THE AT THE PARK. SO THEY WE HAVE A WONDERFUL RELATIONSHIP WITH LOUISVILLE METRO POLICE DEPARTMENT. WE DO HAVE A OFF DUTY PERSON THAT IS THERE EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK WHEN OUR STAFF IS NOT PRESENT. WE ARE IN THE PARK SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, 363 DAYS A YEAR. SO WE BECAUSE WE'RE THERE EVERY DAY, WE PROVIDE A LOT OF SECURITY IN THAT WAY. IF THERE'S ANYTHING AMISS, WE NOTICE IT. AND SO AND THEN WE OUR OFF DUTY SECURITY THAT WE EMPLOY, IT'S JUST ONE PERSON THEN COMMUNICATES WITH US, GIVES US A NIGHTLY REPORT. SO THAT'S HOW WE MONITOR WHAT [01:20:01] HAPPENS DURING OUTSIDE OF BUSINESS HOURS. THANK YOU. AND SINCE WE ARE OVER ON TIME I DO WANT TO HONOR OUR QUEUE. SO COUNCILMAN REED, THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AND THANK YOU FOR COMING. DOES THE STATE STILL GIVE YOU MONEY? NO, NOT FOR OPERATING. OKAY. THEY THE STATE DID GIVE US A GRANT FOR THE PARK EXPANSION. OKAY, SO IT WASN'T THAT LONG AGO THAT THE STATE DID PROVIDE MONEY FOR THE OPERATING BUDGET. CORRECT? 2014 WAS THE LAST WAS THE YEAR THAT IT STOPS. OKAY. HAVE YOU CONTINUED ASKING? YES. AND HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL. WE WILL ALWAYS ASK. THIS IS GOING TO BE THE YEAR. WELL, MAYBE COUNCILMAN BRADSHAW CAN WEAVE SOME OF HIS OWN MAGIC IN FRANKFORT AND HELP YOU GET SOME EXTRA MONEY. I WAS JUST CURIOUS. YES. YEAH. I MEAN, FOR SURE, WE THINK THAT WE'RE VERY OBVIOUSLY A VERY WORTHY INVESTMENT. THERE ARE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT INVEST IN THE PARK, BOTH TO BUILD THE PARK AND THEN FOR THE ONGOING MAINTENANCE. WE ARE LITERALLY FUNDRAISING FOR $5 TO HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON A DAILY BASIS. SO IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL IF WE HAD ANOTHER A REINSTATEMENT OF OPERATING FUNDING FROM. AND HOW MUCH WERE THEY PROVIDING AT THE AT THE ZENITH, I SUPPOSE. I THINK IT WAS ABOUT A THIRD OF OUR OPERATING BUDGET WAS ELIMINATED. THANK YOU. YES. ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. YEAH. THANK YOU FOR HAVING A GREAT EVENING. THANK YOU FOR WAITING. AND THEN LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, WE HAVE MR. CLEO BATTLE, WHO IS REPRESENTING THE LOUISVILLE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU. AND WE THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THIS IS A BOARD THAT HAS CRS STATUTE AND IS UNDER LOCAL CODE OF ORDINANCES. INTERESTINGLY, MY NOTES SAY THAT YOU MEET ROUGHLY BI MONTHLY, WHICH I'M SURE YOU'LL EXPLAIN. THERE ARE TEN MEMBERS TOTAL AND ONE VACANCY. AND AGAIN, JUST FOR HOUSEKEEPING PURPOSES, I BELIEVE ONLINE THERE'S ONLY FIVE MEMBERS THAT ARE STATED. SO IF THERE ARE NINE, THERE ARE FOUR MISSING. AND OF COURSE, THAT IS NOT YOUR FAULT, MR. BATTLE. BUT HOUSEKEEPING THAT SHOULD BE PAID ATTENTION TO. SO I'LL LET YOU TAKE IT FROM HERE. GOOD EVENING COUNCIL, I'M TRYING TO FIND THE PRESENTATION. IT'S. I DON'T THINK IT'S ON HERE. DID YOU? YEP. SHE DID. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A COUPLE DAYS AGO YESTERDAY. IF NOT, I CAN. I BROUGHT I BROUGHT MY PRESENTATION SO I CAN JUST GIVE IT TO YOU AND I CAN JUST DO IT THAT WAY. YEAH, AND YOU ARE RIGHT. AND IT WAS SENT TO US ON TUESDAY AT 247, AND THE CLERK'S OFFICE WAS COPIED ON THAT. YOU SEE. IT'S TITLED THE LOUISVILLE METRO COUNCIL BOARD OVERSIGHT PRESENTATION. THIS ITEM HERE. SURE. THAT EASIER? SURE. I WISH THAT WE COULD WE CAN LOOK AT THAT. BUT I WISH THAT THE FOLKS WATCHING ONLINE COULD SEE IT TOO. BUT THAT AGAIN, NOT YOUR FAULT. OKAY. AND I WILL I'LL TRY TO GET THROUGH IT AS QUICKLY AS I CAN. WELL GOOD EVENING AGAIN. I'M CLEO BATTLE, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF LOUISVILLE TOURISM. AND SO WHAT YOU HAVE ON THE FIRST SHEET THERE, JUST LOUISVILLE TOURISM. AND OUR JOB IS TO DRIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH THROUGH TOURISM. ON THE SECOND PAGE, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY. YOU KNOW LOUISVILLE, THE OUR ORGANIZATION WAS ORIGINALLY CALLED THE LOUISVILLE CONVENTION AND PUBLICITY LEAGUE. IN 1910, WE BECAME INCORPORATED BY STATUTE IN 1968 AS LOUISVILLE, JEFFERSON COUNTY CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU. AND AT THAT TIME THERE WAS A 2% HOTEL TAX THAT WAS APPROPRIATED FOR OUR OPERATION. TODAY, LOUISVILLE TOURISM, WE ARE A QUASI GOVERNMENT NONPROFIT STILL FUNDED PRIMARILY THROUGH HOTEL TAXES, A LITTLE OVER 90%. AND TODAY WE RECEIVE 4.5% OF THE TRANSIENT ROOM TAX. WE HAVE 69 FULL TIME EMPLOYEES AND ABOUT 27 PART TIME THAT TRAVEL THE GLOBE TO SELL LOUISVILLE TO MEETING PLANNERS, CONVENTION ORGANIZERS AND LEISURE LEISURE TRAVELERS. WE SPEND OUR TIME [01:25:02] TRYING TO BOOK CONVENTIONS, AS I SAID BEFORE MEETINGS, CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS, WE TAKE CARE OF GUESTS AT OUR VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER DOWNTOWN AT FOURTH STREET, OUR BOURBON CITY WELCOME CENTER OUT AT THE AIRPORT, AS WELL AS OUR MOBILE VISITOR CENTER TO CONNECT WITH CONSUMERS AND GUESTS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY. OUR MISSION. THE MISSION OF LOUISVILLE TOURISM, IS TO POSITION LOUISVILLE AS A PREMIER MEETING, CONVENTION AND LEISURE DESTINATION FOR THE ECONOMIC GROWTH OF OUR COMMUNITY. ON THE NEXT PAGE, YOU SEE STATE STATUE AND THE SECTIONS. THE COMMISSION IS COMPRISED OF TEN MEMBERS. SIX OF THOSE MEMBERS ARE APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR. THREE OF THOSE MEMBERS ARE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR, AND THEN ONE IS A LEGISLATIVE APPOINTMENT THAT WAS ADDED ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO, WHICH IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE KENTUCKY VENUES. ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE, YOU SEE THE MEMBERS, THEIR TERMS OF APPOINTMENTS, EXPIRATION DATE AND THE APPROVING AUTHORITY ON THE NEXT PAGE FOR COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS. FOLLOWING THAT, THE LOUISVILLE TOURISM IS PRIMARY FUNDING THROUGH THE 4.5% OF LOUISVILLE'S TRANSIENT TAX. SO LOUISVILLE GETS 4.5%. THERE'S 3% FOR THE BONDS FOR THE KENTUCKY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER DOWNTOWN, 1% GOES TO THE KENTUCKY PERFORMING ARTS, AND 1% IS TO STATEWIDE LODGING TAX MATCHING FUNDS. AND THEN THERE IS THE TOURISM IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, WHICH IS 1.5%. SO THE TRANSIENT ROOM TAX IS 11%. AND THEN YOU ADD 6% STATE SALES TAX AND 0.666% SALES TAX. ON THE TRANSIENT TAX, THE TOTAL WHEN YOU CHECK OUT OF A HOTEL IS 17.66%. THE NEXT PAGE YOU SEE THE BONDS THAT WERE ISSUED IN 2016. AT THAT TIME, IT WAS A $148 MILLION. THIS WAS FOR THE RENOVATION AND EXPANSION OF THE KENTUCKY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER. LOUISVILLE TOURISM IS THE SOLE HAS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THOSE BONDS FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER. THE NEXT PAGE YOU SEE COMPETITIVE SET ROOM TAX COMPARISON. THIS IS ALWAYS AN IMPORTANT THING FOR US TO SEE HOW OUR COMPETITIVE SET COMPARES TO OUR ROOM TAX. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'RE ABOUT IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR COMPETITIVE SET IN TERMS OF OUR 17.66% ROOM TAX. THE NEXT PAGE IS THE POWER OF TRAVEL. AND THIS TALKS ABOUT THE 19 MILLION VISITORS THAT COME TO LOUISVILLE EVERY YEAR, A $4.4 BILLION ECONOMIC IMPACT TO JEFFERSON COUNTY. IT'S THE THIRD LARGEST INDUSTRY IN JEFFERSON COUNTY, WITH 72,000 TOURISM RELATED JOBS HERE IN THE AREA. TAXES FROM TOURISM SAVES EACH JEFFERSON COUNTY HOUSEHOLD $800 IN LOCAL AND STATE TAXES. THE NEXT PAGE IS THE ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS. OUR FIRST GOAL IS MEETING CONVENTION, BRINGING MEETINGS, CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS, AND THE ASSOCIATED HOTEL ROOM NIGHTS WITH THOSE EVENTS. OUR GOAL FOR THE YEAR THAT WE'RE IN IS 930,000 ROOM NIGHTS. THE NEXT GOAL IS MUSEUM AND ATTRACTION ATTENDANCE, AND THAT'S 3.96 MILLION FOLKS GOING THROUGH MUSEUMS AND ATTRACTIONS. AND THEN OUR THIRD OVERALL GOAL IS TOTAL HOTEL ROOMS SOLD IN JEFFERSON COUNTY, WHICH IS 4 MILLION ROOMS FOR THE 2526 YEAR. GIVE YOU SOME PERSPECTIVE AS THE PAST YEAR FOR OUR ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS, OUR MEETINGS AND CONVENTION EVENTS. HOTEL ROOMS SOLD WAS 971,000, WHICH WAS 119% OF GOAL. OUR MUSEUM ATTRACTION ATTENDANCE WAS 3.78 MILLION, WHICH WAS 101% OF GOAL, AND OUR TOTAL ROOM SOLD IN JEFFERSON COUNTY WAS 4,000,012, WHICH WAS 96% OF GOAL. FOR THE PAST YEAR. THE NEXT PAGE THERE SHOWS THE GOVERNOR, THE FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS, THE TOURISM INDUSTRY NOT ONLY IN THE STATE OF KENTUCKY BUT IN LOUISVILLE, HAS HAD RECORD YEARS FOR TOURISM. THIS IS THE THIRD YEAR THE GOVERNOR HAS COME OUT AND TALKED ABOUT RECORD TOURISM REVENUES HERE IN JEFFERSON COUNTY, AS WELL AS THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. AND NEXT [01:30:01] PAGE TALKS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW WE DO IT. STRATEGIC MARKETING CAMPAIGNS, DIGITAL PRINT, OUT OF HOME BROADCASTS. OUR SALES TEAMS TARGET LEISURE GROUPS AND CONVENTIONS AND TRADE SHOWS, PARTNERSHIPS, RESEAR DRIN STRATEGIES AND DATA. AND WE DO A LOT OF EXPERIENCE AND DEVELOPMENT AND STORYTELLING. THE NEXT FEW PAGES ARE JUST SOME EXAMPLES OF SOME OF THE ADS, SO YOU CAN GET A SENSE OF WHAT WHAT WE DO OUT OF MARKET TO BRING PEOPLE TO LOUISVILLE. THOSE FIRST PAGES ARE SOME OF OUR CONVENTION ADS. THE NEXT PAGE YOU SEE HERE, THIS IS NEW YORK, IS A NEW MARKET FOR US, NEW YORK CITY. AND THESE ARE ADS THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO NEW YORK CITY. THE NEXT PAGE IS JUST SOME GENERAL ADS. I LOVE. ONE OF MY FAVORITE ADS IS THE NAPA BONITO. BUT THIS JUST GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF OF OUR ADVERTISING. AND THAT FINAL PAGE, BOURBON IS ONLY THE BEGINNING. THAT IS OUR TAGLINE THIS YEAR IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE DOING OUT IN THE MARKET. NEXT FEW PAGES. YOU SEE THESE ARE OUR TRADE SHOW BOOTHS. WHEN WE ARE OUT NATIONALLY AT TRADE SHOWS TO MARKET LOUISVILLE. SO IT GIVES YOU A SENSE OF WHAT WE'RE DOING AND WHAT WE LOOK LIKE WHEN WE'RE AT A TRADE SHOW. AND SOME OF THE ENGAGEMENT WE HAVE IN OUR BOOTH AT A TRADE SHOW. IF YOU TURN A FEW PAGES, YOU'LL SEE LOCAL CLIENT ACTIVATIONS. WHEN WE BRING CLIENTS TO LOUISVILLE AND OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH THEM HERE IN LOUISVILLE. NEXT COUPLE OF PAGES TALKS ABOUT RECENT WINS. I THINK MANY OF YOU KNOW, WE JUST GOT THE TEN YEAR CONTRACT DONE FOR DANNY WIMMER PRESENTS. SO THAT'S GOING TO BE HERE ANOTHER TEN YEARS. WE JUST BOOKED THE INTERNATIONAL THESPIAN FESTIVAL THAT WILL START IN 2027 FOR THE NEXT SIX YEARS, CONNECT SPRING MARKETPLACE AS A SHOW WILL HOST NEXT YEAR. WE JUST LAUNCHED OUR MOBILE VISITOR CENTER AND WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE ACE HARDWARE HERE NEXT APRIL AS A MAJOR CONVENTION. WHAT'S AHEAD? AS I JUST MENTIONED, WE ARE TRYING TO OPEN THE THE NEW YORK MARKET FOR LEISURE AND MEETING CONVENTION AND EVENTS. WE'RE TRYING TO ESTABLISH A VIABLE FILM INDUSTRY HERE IN LOUISVILLE. I WILL CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR NEW CONVENTION HOTELS IN OUR MARKET, BECAUSE WE ARE BEHIND IN HOTEL DEVELOPMENT COMPARED TO OUR COMPETITIVE SET, AND THEN PURSUING ADDITIONAL DIRECT FLIGHTS FOR OUR COMMUNITY. LAST THREE PAGES LOUISVILLE TOURISM HAS, I GUESS, WHAT I WOULD CALL THREE COMPONENT PARTS RELATED TO OUR ORGANIZATION. ONE IS THE LOUISVILLE SPORTS COMMISSION THAT IS IN OUR OFFICES. WE PROVIDE THEM SOME FUNDING TO THEIR BUDGET. THE LOUISVILLE FILM OFFICE, WHICH IS ALSO HOUSED IN OUR OFFICE, AND WE PROVIDE SOME FUNDING FOR THEIR BUDGET. AND THEN THE LOUISVILLE HOTEL PARTNERSHIP, NOT IN OUR OFFICES, BUT LOUISVILLE TOURISM HAS BEEN HIRED BY THE HOTEL PARTNERSHIP TO MANAGE THEIR OPERATION. AND THAT'S THE LAST OF THAT. AND I TRY TO GO THROUGH IT VERY QUICKLY. I'M SORRY THAT I DIDN'T HAVE IT AS A AS AN OVERHEAD. IT PROBABLY LOOKS BETTER AS AN OVERHEAD VERSUS ME TURNING PAGES, BUT I'D CERTAINLY LOVE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS. WELL, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. AND AGAIN, I'M SORRY THAT WE DON'T HAVE THIS PRESENTATION BECAUSE IT IS BEAUTIFUL. AND I ALSO WANT TO ENCOURAGE ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES TO GO TO I FORGET WHAT YOU CALL IT, BUT IT WAS JUST AT ACTOR'S THEATER AND IT WAS LIKE THE OVERVIEW OF LOUISVILLE TOURISM. AND IT'S A REALLY GREAT OVERVIEW, BUT IT'S ALSO A PANEL DISCUSSION. AND SO REALLY DIVES INTO A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE. ONE QUESTION THAT I HAVE, YOU HAD MENTIONED YOUR BOARD ROSTER AND. SINCE WHAT'S ONLINE IS KIND OF DIFFICULT FOR ME TO SEE. ARE ANY OF YOUR CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS A MEMBER OF 502 FILM LOUISVILLE LOUISVILLE FILM COMMISSION LIKE, IS THAT MANDATED THAT ONE OF THEM BE? NO. IN THAT ARE THERE ANY SEATS THAT YOU FEEL LIKE SHOULD DO YOU FEEL LIKE TEN SEATS ARE SUFFIENT AND DO YOU FEEL SHOULD BE DED? NO, I DTHINATS THAT THIS IS, YOU KNOIT TH OTHYE AG WN 10ER W NE MEMBERS FORUITE SOME E BOARD IS VERY SUPPORTIVE. I'VE CERTAINLY WORKED WITH THE [01:35:08] MAYOR AND GOVERNOR TO. PROVIDE SOME INPUT AS TO MEMBERS WE'D LIKE TO SEE ON THE BOARD, BUT THEY'VE BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE. WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GROW TOURISM IN THIS MARKET. SO I DON'T KNOW THAT I, I, I HAVE MUCH PUSHBACK ON ON WHO MY BOARD MEMB ARE AT THIS TIME. OKAY, GREAT. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY YOU'VE ONLY GOT TWO GALS ON THERE RIGHT NOW, SO I SURE HOPE TO SEE THAT BALANCE OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE. YEAH. AND WE'VE AND WE'VE BEEN THROUGH THAT AND I, I CERTAINLY HAVE I, I HAD A CHAIR THAT WAS A FEMALE ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO. AND SO WE GOT TO CYCLE THROUGH IT. THAT'S WHY TOURISM IS DOING SO WELL. ALL RIGHT. COUNCILMAN HERNDON, JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE, FOR THE RECORD, THAT THIS FIRST BOARD ON OUR LIST IN A LITTLE WHILE THAT I'M NOT A MEMBER OF, NOT THAT I WOULDN'T BE HONORED TO BE. BUT THE IN MY CAPACITY BOTH WITH THE DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP FOR MANY YEARS AND NOW AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, I'VE WORKED WITH YOUR OUTSTANDING STAFF FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. GREAT CREW, DO GREAT WORK, AND I JUST WANT TO COMMEND YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? WELL, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE AND STICKING IT OUT. NO PROBLEM. MAJORLY. APPRECIATE IT. YOU GO ON AND HAVE A GREAT EVENING AND JUST A LITTLE HOUSEKEEPING. OUR NEXT MEETING, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A SPECIAL MEETING ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH AT 5 P.M. THAT'S BECAUSE THE LAST ONE GOT CANCELED. AND SO WE JUST STILL HAVE MORE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS WE'RE WORKING THROUGH. AND THEN AFTER THAT, WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER MEETING ON OUR REGULAR SCHEDULED TIME ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH AT 5 P.M. SO WE'VE GOT THREE WEEKS IN A ROW, GUYS. SO HOPE YOU CAN [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.] HOPE YOU CAN BE HERE FOR IT. SO THANK YOU. AND WE ARE ADJOURNED. ON NOVEMBER 11TH. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.