louisville is just cool. · in 2016, omni louisville hotel, opened in 2018, and lynn family...

Louisville is just cool. It’s cool because the people who live there are proud of where they live, and are constantly working to make the city the best it can be. Whether you’re visiting briefly or have lived there for years, this community spirit is palpable.” — “Top 100 Places to Live,” Livability

It’s not bragging if you can back it up.” — Muhammad Ali

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Cover photo courtesy: Louisville Tourism

The start of a new decade is a great time to review our progress and look ahead. This is something we do regularly at Metro Government, where we believe in learning from the past, living in the present and preparing for the future.

That approach, along with hard work and a long list of community partners, has helped produce an incredible economic and cultural renaissance in

Louisville. You can see evidence downtown with new landmarks like the Abraham Lincoln Bridge, opened in 2016, Omni Louisville Hotel, opened in 2018, and Lynn Family Stadium, which opens in 2020 as the new home of Louisville City FC and the future home of Proof Louisville FC.

You can see this renaissance all over the city, from the Norton Sports Health Athletics & Learning Complex being built in west Louisville, to the restored Colonial Gardens in south Louisville, and the gorgeous trails of the Parklands of Floyds Fork in the east.

There are many ways to quantify our city’s progress, including 83,000 new jobs and 3,000 new businesses since 2011, and $15 billion in capital investment since 2014, including about $1 billion in west Louisville.

There’s a tremendous sense of optimism here in Louisville, which is emerging as one of the world’s next breakout cities. Over the pages of this report, you’ll see why that is.

Like every city, we have challenges, including the need to ensure our success is shared by all. That’s why we’re working to become a city of greater equity and compassion, where everyone in every neighborhood has every chance to reach their full potential.

We’ve invested $45 million in affordable housing over the last five years, and we’re working to eliminate disparities in health outcomes among different neighborhoods. We’ve launched initiatives like Lean Into Louisville and the Synergy Project, to help strengthen our city through honest conversations about race, police-community relations and other aspects of our shared history. And we’re working to sharply increase local efforts to address the global climate emergency.

Importantly, we’re working with Metro Council, our Governor and the state legislature to resolve the budget challenges resulting from the Kentucky Retirement Systems’ mandated increase in our pension obligation, and to find common ground to pass common-sense legislation to make our city safer.

As we have in the past nine years, we will work to meet any challenge and create every opportunity by working together — building the city that the people of Louisville demand and deserve.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your mayor.

2019 PROGRESS REPORT | 1

Economic Development/Innovation & TechnologyBuilding the economy of the future• Microsoft announced Louisville

will become one of its regional hubs for artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and data science.

• Louisville joined New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and 11 cities as founding members of the Open Mobility Foundation, which works to develop open-source urban mobility tools for transportation challenges.

• The Louisville Metro Office for Civic Innovation & Technology and the University of Louisville’s Christina Lee Brown Envirome

Institute launched Louisville Data Commons, an open-data website designed to store and share data generated by com-munity members and non-prof-it organizations.

• Entrepreneur-focused Center by SIDIS — the new home for several innovative businesses — officially opened in Nulu.

• Tech company El Toro announced a new $10.5 million headquarters in Nulu, with plans to add 400 employees, including software engineers, programmers, data scientists and sales positions.

Cheers!• Louisville ranked 12th out of 100+ active cities on the Sunlight Foundation’s Open Data City Census

• Louisville named No. 5 on Financial Times’ Top 10 list of large business-friendly North American cities

Coming up: The Louisville Fiber Information Technology initiative will expand our fiber network by more than 400 percent — through a $5 million investment in partnership with KentuckyWired — will be completed in 2020.

Microsoft partnership signing

2 | LOUISVILLE METRO GOVERNMENT

Radically scaling tech talent pipeline• In July, the Mayor announced

creation of LouTechWorks to work more strategically with our education, nonprofit and employer partners to rapidly expand Louisville’s tech talent pipeline.

• JPMorgan Chase’s AdvancingCities initiative awarded Louisville a $3 million grant to boost digital inclusion initiatives in low-income neighborhoods and build economic resilience.

• KentuckianaWorks announced creation of Tech Louisville, a new IT Support training program funded through the AdvancingCities grant, and located at the Nia Center in west Louisville.

• Code Louisville placed its 400th graduate in a new tech career. The free coding training program has now placed participants at more than 200 companies.

• Mayor Fischer took part in UofL’s announcement of a partnership with IBM to create the IBM Skills Academy, providing training to faculty in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, Internet of Things and more.

Cheers!• CBRE named Louisville an “up-and-coming tech talent market”

• SmartAsset listed Louisville among “Top 10 places for new businesses”


Tech Louisville

Economic Development3,000 new business, 83,000 new jobs since 2011 $15 billion in capital investment since 2014

• UPS Worldport increased its commitment to Louisville by announcing a $750 million investment that will result in 1,000 new jobs.

• Ford announced a $550 million investment in Louisville in preparation for a new Escape and Lincoln Corsair, bringing

its investment to its two plants in Louisville to $2.95 billion since 2007.

• Business owners Mike and Medora Safai transformed the old Axton Candy and Tobacco Warehouse into the bustling Logan Street Market, a 27,000-square-foot urban

market in Shelby Park. The city provided a $81,500 facade loan through METCO, its small business loan program.

Cheers!• Louisville was named the fifth most business friendly large American city of the future by fDi Intelligence magazine

• Louisville Forward, the city’s economic and community development arm, was recognized for the fifth consecutive year as a “Top Economic Development Group” by Site Selection magazine


Logan Street Market

• Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, is expanding its historic racetrack with a $300 million investment in a new hotel, additional seating and a historical horse-race gaming venue.

• International industrial engineering group Fives Intralogistics Corp. is adding as many as 370 jobs as part of a $15 million expansion project.

• Recognizing the growth and needs in nursing careers, Galen College of Nursing broke ground on a new campus and national headquarters in east Louisville.

• The University of Louisville Trager Institute for Optimal Aging began renovating a new space to accommodate its leading-edge research, care coordination, physical and mental health clinical practice and educational programming.

• The restored Colonial Gardens opened across from Iroquois Park, bringing exciting new local restaurants to south Louisville.

• Spalding University opened a seven-acre athletic complex in Limerick that will be home to its men’s and women’s soccer and softball teams.


West Louisville• The Mayor, Louisville Urban

League and community leaders broke ground on the Norton Sports Health Athletics & Learning Complex, a transfor-mative project coming in 2020 to the Russell neighborhood.

• In March, the Mayor joined community members to break ground on Phase 1 of the Beecher Terrace rede-velopment, transforming it into mixed-income housing, funded by a $29.5 million Choice Neighborhoods grant. In December, the city received an additional $4 million federal grant to further the redevelopment.

• The Republic Bank Foundation YMCA opened at 18th and Broadway, a critical inter-section the city realigned to boost investment in west Louisville. The intersection is also now serviced with TARC’s Bus Rapid Transit line.

• OneWest community development corporation announced an investment in the former Goldsmith build-ing at the corner of 18th Street and Broadway to drive com-mercial and retail development.

• Housing Partnership Inc. announced plans to redevelop a long vacant warehouse at 1405 W. Broadway into a $28 million mixed-use development.

• The city sold the Doerhoefer- Hampton House to Theta Omega Inc. for its headquar-ters, as well as for office and meeting space for the local Omega Psi Phi Fraternity chapter, Omega Psi Phi’s Men of Quality Mentoring Initiative, and the Summer Leadership Academy for young men.

The Republic Bank Foundation YMCA


• Louisville Central Community Center broke ground on the Grand Lyric, a 350-seat community theater in Russell.

• Cellar Door Chocolates announced it was expanding operations into the Heine Brothers’ Coffee corporate office in Portland.

• Louisville Knot, an interactive public art installation, transformed the Ninth Street underpass into a welcoming pedestrian thoroughfare de-signed to help bridge the gap between downtown’s Museum Row and west Louisville.

Russell: A Place of Promise, a justice-based initiative focused on generating investment in the people and places of Russell, received several grants to further its work, adding staff to support workforce development and community outreach.

Louis Coleman SmART Bus Stop in Russell


Tourism/Bourbonism$534 million total economic impact; 16.4 million annual visitors; 27,500 Louisvillians make their livelihood in tourism

• Louisville’s airport was renamed Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport to honor our city’s most famous son.

• American Airlines launched nonstop services between Los Angeles International Airport and Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in April.

• The Louisville City FC owner-ship group and the Mayor announced the city will get a National Women’s Soccer League franchise, Proof Louis-ville FC. The top-tier pro team starts play at Lynn Family Stadium in 2021.

• Through its first year following a $207 million renovation and expansion, the Kentucky In-ternational Convention Center hosted more than 130 groups and generated more than $92 million in estimated economic impact.

• The 23-acre Waterfront Botanical Gardens celebrated the opening of the Graeser Family Education Center and Mary Lee Duthie Gardens.

Coming soon!This spring, Lynn Family Stadium opens in Butcher-town as the new home of Louisville City FC, the future home of Proof Louisville FC, and anchor of a new entertainment district.

Cheers!• TripAdvisor calls Louisville a top place to visit in the U.S.

• Expedia names Louisville an “awesome one-week vacation destination”

• USA Today lists Louisville among “best weekend get-aways for families in the U.S.”


More than 289,000 people attended Louisville’s new Trifesta, three back-to-back weekends of outdoor music festivals – Hometown Rising, Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life – held at the Kentucky Exposition Center in September. Music fans from across the U.S. heard top-flight acts, including Foo Fighters, Guns N’Roses, Robert Plant, Ice Cube, Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw and more, and enjoyed tastes of Louisville’s famed bourbon and food scene.

Trifesta is a big part of our strategy to bring young people to live in our city …Well over half of the people were from out of town, so it showcases our city and we just continue to hear people say, wow, we had no idea Louisville offered all of this, I’m going to come back.” —Mayor Fischer

• Kentucky Performing Arts opened Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, a $12 million, 28,000-square-foot music and entertainment venue that can accommodate as many as 2,000 patrons.

• Two much-anticipated boutique hotels, Moxy and Hotel Distil, opened down-town along Whiskey Row.

• Michter’s Fort Nelson Distillery became the latest bourbon attraction to open on historic Main Street, bringing the total of bourbon attractions to nine.

• The Bourbon City Cruisers tuk tuk tour launched downtown giving visitors a new way to experience Louisville’s urban bourbon distilleries.

• Breweries coming soon in Butchertown and West Sixth in Nulu.

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Safer City• The Louisville Metro Police

Department is using nearly $1.4 million in federal grants to boost its victim advocates team to eight full-time staffers, and to provide training and emergency housing assistance for victims, along with a greater focus on human trafficking.

• Louisville Division of Fire de-buted the new Quint 7 in the Highlands and received $12 mil-lion in federal grants to replace a fireboat and radios division-wide.

• Emergency Medical Services graduated its first Advanced EMT class.

• Metro moved its backup 911 Center to a fully renovated space at the Jefferson County Government Center on Outer Loop.

• Emergency Services and other public safety agencies have coordinated active shooter training and preparedness, including a federally funded Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attack exercise, a full-scale training exercise

at MSD, and professional development with officials who experienced mass shootings in Orlando and Las Vegas.

• Louisville was among 16 cities selected by the U.S. Department of Justice and Arnold Ventures to expand medication-assisted treatment for Corrections inmates in a bid to make opioid-use-disorder screening, treatment, medications and support a part of routine medical care.


Safer City• Thanks to a grant from the U.S.

Department of Labor and the Compass Rose Collaborative, the city’s Reimage program be-gan offering paid career train-ing in manufacturing, construc-tion, IT and social services to youth who have been involved in the court system.

• In the most recent program year of Reimage, coordinat-ed by the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods and KentuckianaWorks, more than 140 young people complet-ed job readiness training, 87 were placed in employment, and 55 gained new credentials or jobs.

• Corrections is partnering with Goodwill for a job readiness initiative, enrolling inmates in Goodwill’s Soft Skills Academy who upon graduation are assisted with obtaining good-paying jobs.

• In a partnership between Jefferson County Public Schools, the Office for Safe & Healthy Neighborhoods, Louisville Urban League and other or-ganizations, more than 40,000 Louisville youth took part in nearly 100 activities, trainings, art projects and anti-violence campaigns during National Youth Violence Prevention Week.

• 10 young men were selected to participate in the THRIVE Fellowship, a three-year restorative justice pilot program incorporating a case management system and leadership training in an effort to put justice-involved youth on a new path.

Members of the Mayor’s Youth Implementation Team, who act as advisors to the Mayor, elevat-ed the local conversation about youth vaping and prompted a unanimous resolution from the U.S. Conference of Mayors calling for action to drastically reduce youth e-cigarette use.

The 2019 team (pictured above)is the most inclusive cohort yet with 22 students, representing 16 schools and 13 council districts.

We owe it to our youth to do all we can as a community to keep them, their families and our neighborhoods safe, because witnessing violent crime, worrying about violent crime or being part of a violent crime should never be normal for any child.”

— Mayor Fischer

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More than 50 representatives from 13 key community partners have begun training in the Trauma Resilient Community model as part of a $5 million, 5-year federal grant the city was awarded in late 2018 to promote resilience and equity among Louisville families and young people most affected by trauma, inequity, and violence in west and south Louisville. The city-wide effort is being led by the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods (OSHN).


Youth Implementation Team

Compassion• In August, Dare to Care part-

nered with Kroger to open the new Zero Hunger Mobile Market, part of an ongoing city effort to address food insecurity.

• In partnership with the city and the Novak Family Founda-tion, Dare to Care also broke ground on its new Community Kitchen in Parkland — tripling the size of its current facility.

• After a Hindu Temple in Buechel was vandalized in February, more than 1,000 people responded to Mayor Fischer’s request that the community paint over the hate and show solidarity with neighbors.

• YouthBuild received a $1.5 million federal grant to continue assisting homeless young people.

• The 2019 Mayor’s Give A Day Week of Service logged 235,000 volunteers and acts of compassion, including thousands of students who generated more than 44,600 hours of local and global service.

• In October, the Mayor celebrat-ed the grand opening of the new Louisville Metro Animal Services shelter at 3516 Newburg Road. The facility features all climate-controlled kennels with isolation rooms to prevent the spread of illness, a modern veterinary wing that exceeds industry standards, and more. The new shelter also places all Animal Services team members on the same campus, improving efficiency.

• For the second year in a row, Louisville Metro Animal Services achieved the status of a no kill shelter for time and space.

• More than 450 residents age 55 and over with Louisville Metro’s Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, or RSVP, logged 65,000 hours of volunteerism.

• More than 6,000 students received backpacks and other school supplies and resources at the Back to School events held across the city coordinated by Neighborhood Place and JCPS.

In August, the Louisville Zoo celebrated the birth of the second African elephant calf in the Zoo’s 50 years. Fitz came into the world Aug. 2 after a 22-month gestation for mom Mikki. And, as it celebrated its 50th anniversary, the Zoo opened two new exhibits: Snow Leopard Pass near Glacier Run and Colobus Crossing, which includes an expanded Outpost desk where visitors can see the Zoo’s two new monkey species, colobus and red-tailed, zip around the exhibit.


• Louisville’s Office of Resilience & Community Services is collab-orating with the Coalition for Homeless and other partners to help people experiencing homelessness, including several measures funded through a $1 million city allocation in FY20, building on work begun with a $500,000 allocation in the previous fiscal year:

• Transitional storage at the Salvation Army where individuals can keep belongings when they go into shelter or apply for jobs.

• Funding for three low-barrier shelters.

• Funding for street outreach teams enhanced by social workers and other profes-sionals who can provide mental health counseling,

substance use disorder assessments, legal expertise and more.

• Continued funding for rapid re-housing services and emergency shelter for homeless families, provided by Volunteers of America.

• With support from the city, the Healing Place completed a $29 million project to expand homeless and addiction treat-ment services for men.

• Improvements in the Low Income Home Energy Assis-tance Program, or LIHEAP, led to an increase in the number of low-income households assisted — 15,088 unique households from November 2018 through April 2019.

Resilience & Community Services

Resilience strategyMayor Greg Fischer and The Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) released Louisville’s first citywide Resilience Strategy, a new approach to address the city’s most pressing and interconnected challenges.

Everyone countsIn preparation for the 2020 Census, the Mayor has estab-lished a Municipal Complete Count Committee, which is made up of city team members and partners from educa-tion, higher education, faith, non-profit, business and immigrant communities. Participation in the Census is critical to ensuring we get the federal funding our city deserves and needs, as well as determining how our electoral districts are drawn.

Thanks to the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness and the willingness of multiple city departments to work together with outreach workers and shelter providers, we are creating new solutions that are helping us to identify those in greatest need and find housing and support to change their lives.” —Natalie Harris, Executive Director of the Coalition for the Homeless

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Globalization• Louisville was proud to host

Define American’s inaugural national summit, bringing more than 400 leaders from across the nation and across the political spectrum to fight for more accurate and more humanizing media coverage about immigration and citizenship.

• In partnership with Jewish Family & Career Services, the Louisville Metro Office for Globalization piloted

the Immigrant Professional Midternship Fellow program this summer to provide an American work experience to new residents.

• The Office for Globalization helped re-establish the previously inactive Kentuckiana Hispanic Business Council, bringing together Hispanic entrepreneurs and professionals to help businesses grow and succeed.

• Certified community devel-opment financial institution LHome launched the JobUp! Loan to provide low-interest loans to help immigrants and refugees cover costs of recerti-fication in professions such as medicine and education.

• Faith leaders and community members collaborated to launch a local chapter of the Muslim Jewish Advisory Council.

• 125,000 people celebrated Louisville’s many cultures at WorldFest

• Nearly 2,000 people gathered at Iroquois Park for The Big Table, an annual welcom-ing event supported by the Global Human Project and the Office for Globalization aimed at bringing people together to share food and conversation.


Equity/Lean Into LouisvilleIn January, Mayor Fischer launched Lean Into Louisville, an unprecedented series of activities, art exhib-its, conversations and presentations to explore and confront the history of and legacy of all forms of discrimination and inequality.

Lean Into Louisville initiatives have included:

• Synergy Project, a community engagement initiative aimed at further strengthening police and community relationships grounded in trust and legitimacy.

• Check Your Blindspots, a bus tour intended to help people recognize, acknowledge and therefore minimize, uncon-scious bias.

• Hosting speakers including author Farah Pandith, storyteller Carolyn Finney and

former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu to discuss their perspectives on societal divisions and what must be done to confront discrimination.

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Cheers!For the fifth year in a row, Louisville scored a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index.

Louisville celebrated 20 years of its Fairness Ordinance this year with a celebration outside Metro Hall and special exhibit and forum at the main Louisville Free Public Library. The Mayor also helped celebrate the launch of the city’s first LGBTQ chamber of commerce, Civitas.

Recognizing the positive effect that promoting inclusion has had on its economy and neighborhoods, Louisville, Kentucky has become a leader in the welcoming movement.” — Welcoming America


Quality of lifeIn partnership with the Olmsted Parks Conservancy, Metro Parks & Recreation renovated the historic lodge at Victory Park; began upgrades at Tyler Park; and completed a new music garden at Shelby Park.

• With assistance from the Louisville Parks Foundation, new turf soccer fields were completed in William Harrison and Wyandotte parks, as well as a nature play area in Russell Lee Park.

• Parks & Recreation celebrated the 50th anniversary of the iconic Dirt Bowl basketball tournament at Shawnee Park.

• When budget cuts forced the closing of city pools, Parks & Recreation teamed with the

Papa John’s Foundation For Building Community, the Jamon Brown Foundation, Jefferson County Public Schools and the YMCA of Greater Louisville to provide alternative summer swimming options for area youths.

• The online RecTrac registration portal has been implemented, allowing users to reserve shelters, sign up for sports leagues and exercise classes for the first time.


The Dirt Bowl

Clean, green and sustainable• Mayor Fischer declared a Climate Emergency during a local, youth-led Global Climate Strike event in September and called for more urgent action to combat climate change.

• The Office of Advanced Planning and Sustainability in November released a draft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan with strategies that will serve as a foundation for how Louisville will aggressively reduce its emissions in the coming years. It also is developing a climate adaptation plan, Prepare Lou-isville, to address existing and anticipated effects of climate change.

• TreesLouisville, University of Kentucky, Michelin North America and Waste Man-agement Inc. announced a major donation to begin work to reforest a 75-acre site on Camp Ground Road, near the American Synthetic Rubber Co.

• More than 1.2 million square- feet of cool roofs have been installed through the city’s Cool Roof Rebate Program or on city-owned property during the past three years.

• Louisville MSD and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers took a big step in improving the Beargrass Creek watershed, announcing plans for the Three Forks Beargrass Creek Ecosystem Restoration Fea-sibility Study to be funded in part by the federal government.

• Overall air quality continues to improve. Louisville had a 4 percent decrease in ozone in the three-year period ending in 2019, compared to the previous three-year period, according to state and local air monitoring systems.

• The Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies (AAPCA) gave the Air Pollution Control District a “best practices” award for its workshop series to help the public learn more about air quality.

• Louisville Metro closed on two agreements through its Energy Project Assessment District program, which con-nects developments to outside financing for green building. The loans, totaling $2 million, will be invested in wind, solar and energy-efficiency projects.

Brightside planted 262,700 daffodils along local interstates, welcoming commuters as they enter and exit downtown.


• The St. Matthews Library re-opened after a $10-million ren-ovation, adding 7,800 square- feet and a new entrance.

• The city and partners continued to build Evolve 502, a nonprofit initiative established to help provide comprehensive wrap-around services to help stu-dents be prepared for school, along with a two-year schol-arship to help students with college tuition.

• In partnership with the National Center for Families Learning, Bloomberg Philanthropies and others, the city launched Say and Play with Words, a re-search-backed initiative that

provides resources to help family members and caregivers help young children be school-ready by building vocabulary through everyday interactions.

• The Academies of Louisville ini-tiative, a Jefferson County Public Schools program that counts KentuckianaWorks as a partner, has expanded to include 15 high schools, more than 17,000 students and more than 100 business partners.

• Nearly 3,000 people were connected with college services through the KentuckianaWorks College Access Center.

• The city’s signature Cultural Pass program resulted in 39,294 free visits by young people and their families to area cultural insti-tutions. The city and Fund for the Arts also announced a pilot program to expand the Cultural Pass to select cultural experi-ences through the year.

Lifelong learning

The 40,000-square-foot Northeast Regional Library opened in Lyndon, offering 120,000 books and materials, an innovative maker space, a Quill’s coffee shop and more. It’s the final of three new regional libraries in Louisville Free Public Library’s Master Facilities Plan.

6,909 SummerWorks set a new record for total youth employed through its Champion Employers.


Health• Healthy Start, which focuses on

infant and maternal mortality, birth outcomes, and family-well-being in five ZIP codes in west Louisville, was recognized with $5.3 million in federal grants, including funding to integrate mental health services into home visits.

• Louisville achieved a gold medal from CityHealth for its strength-ened Complete Streets policy. CityHealth, an initiative of the de Beaumont Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, ranks the nation’s top 40 largest cities on how they stack up in policymak-ing shown to improve people’s health and quality of life.

• Public Health & Wellness re-leased a Health Impact Assess-ment of the Kentucky Pregnant Workers Act, which went into effect in July and is meant to help ensure that any pregnant woman can work to support her family without risking her health and that of her developing child.

• In partnership with the Univer-sity of Louisville, Public Health & Wellness’ new Academic Health Department status ensures that public health students are learn-ing relevant, practical skills and the health department stays current with new public health research.

• More than 10,000 women and children were provided supple-mental nutrition and nutrition education through the WIC pro-gram, which has proven results in reducing obesity rates for children ages two to four. A new Journal of American Medicine study has also shown that children of low-income mothers participating in WIC are one-third less likely to die during their first year of life than babies born to mothers without WIC benefits.

• Public Health & Wellness joined Jefferson County Public Schools, the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, Kentucky Youth Advocates, the YMCA, the American Lung Association and many other community partners to educate parents and youth about the health dangers of vaping and e-cigarettes.


Paving/Sidewalks/Infrastructure• The $35-million New Dixie

Highway Project wrapped up most major construction, with TARC launching Louisville’s first Bus Rapid Transit line.

• In addition to its work on re-aligning 18th and Broadway in west Louisville, Metro invested $19.5 million to repave 180 lane miles of roadway and up-date 1,300 sidewalk ramps to be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant throughout the community.

• The city invested $1.2 million to repair 500 sidewalks, and connected sidewalks through-out the city, including sections of Six Mile Lane, Crums Lane, Taylorsville Road, South 45th Street and Ormsby Lane.

• Public Works completed the South Fourth Street street-scape project, improving sidewalks, granite curbs, tree wells, and updated street lighting between Chestnut and Broadway.

• The city also redeveloped side-walks on Hill Street between Sixth and Seventh streets, where pedestrians who have dealt with a closed sidewalk under the CSX Railroad tracks for years can now pass safely.

• Third Street between Broadway and Muhammad Ali has been converted to two-way traffic to improve vehicular access, reduce speeds and safety, and reduce driver confusion as the city attracts more tourists.

Cheers! For the second year in a row, Louisville Metro won an AARP grant for improving pedestrian services. Public Works used the funding to build a sidewalk and new ramp connecting to Califor-nia Park, along with additional markings and traffic control measures.


Performance ImprovementLouisville Metro Government was one of only four U.S. cities to achieve 2019 What Works Cities Gold Certification, a national standard of excellence in city governance. Awarded by Bloomberg Philanthro-pies’ What Works Cities initiative, the exclusive certification is based on an evaluation of how well cities are managed by measuring the extent to which city leaders incorporate data and evidence in their decision-making. The certification work was led by the Office for Performance Improvement and the Office for Civic Innovation & Technology.

• OPI launched LouieStat 2.0, a more comprehensive version of Louisville Metro Govern-ment’s system for streamlining processes, identifying gaps, re-solving problems, and making data-driven decisions.

• OPI launched the Data Acad-emy, a new series of classes for Louisville Metro employees that aims to improve services residents receive and to save taxpayer dollars through train-ing in Excel, PowerBI and data visualization.

• OPI training and consultation resulted in:

• Metro Parks and Recreation reduced mowing cycle times from over 30 days to 10 days this summer.

• The surplus property dispos-al process was reworked to create new efficiencies.

• Public Health and Wellness’ Healthy Start program reduced the time it took from an initial contact with a client to the first appointment from over one month to a matter of days.

• New evaluation plans for the Office of Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods’ Ambassador Institute Programs and Resilience and Community Services’ Community Financial Empowerment Certification led to cost-saving for both programs.

• The Criminal Justice Commis-sion and the Domestic Vio-lence Prevention Coordinating Council received assistance in crafting its process for taking its Community Needs Assessment from 83 recommendations to one strategic plan.

“What Works Cities Gold Certification demonstrates that our city government is performing among the very best in the U.S. and that our work to use innovation and data to more efficient-ly expend tax dollars is a national model.” — Mayor Fischer


Money Matters OverviewQuick facts:• Structurally Balanced Budget

– The 2019-20 budget under-took the difficult work of im-plementing $25 million in cuts to meet the growing pension obligation from the Kentucky Retirement Systems. After almost three dozen public meetings throughout the com-munity, the Mayor presented a data-based budget with a com-mitment to equity. The primary principles were to preserve public safety, maintain basic city services, and minimize the pain on Louisville’s most vulnerable residents.

• More than half of the budget’s General Fund dollars are allo-cated to public safety agencies. A scaled-back capital spending plan invests $5 million in the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and $24 million for infrastruc-ture improvements.

Meeting Financial Challenges – Metro’s vibrant economy and strong financial management allowed the city to maintain its positive credit rating from the three nationally recognized credit rating agencies: Fitch Ratings, Inc. (AAA); Moody’s Investors Service (Aa1) and Standard & Poor’s (AA+). Metro’s rainy day fund was increased by $1.5 million in FY19, bringing the funding level to $70.9 million.

Continued Excellence in Finan-cial Reporting – Metro received its ninth consecutive “Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting” for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report from the Government Finance Officers Association of the U.S. and Canada. The asso-ciation also presented Metro’s sixth consecutive “Distinguished Budget Presentation Award” for the 2018-2019 budget.

Mayor Fischer’s vision of an equitable and vibrant Louisville continues to garner positive results when we go to the capital markets.”

—Metro CFO Daniel Frockt

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Where the Money Comes From

Where the Money Goes

Occupational taxes $ 372.3 57.3%

Property taxes 175.2 27.0%

Payments made to city for various services 17.7 2.7%

Dividend payment from Louisville Water Co. 19.1 2.9%

Intergovernmental revenue 16.3 2.5%

Fees from permits, licenses issued by the city 19.7 3.1%

State municipal aid/road aid 12.9 2.0%

Federal Community Development Block Grants 11.7 1.8%

Other 4.8 0.7%

Total $ 650 100.0%

Public Safety $ 343.0 52.8%

Community Building Agencies 82.2 12.7%

Central Government Services 98.0 15.1%

Public Services 56.1 8.6%

Offices of Mayor, Metro Council, County Attorneyand other elected officials 31.9 4.9%

Economic, real estate and workforce development 24.1 3.7%

Capital/Building Projects and annual Debt Payment 14.1 2.2%

Total $ 650 100.0%


Get involvedHow can we help you?

Finish your degree: Join the 55K Degrees movement, 55000degrees.org

Earn a credential or trade certification for a good job or career: Go to kentuckianaworks.org for more information about training, referrals

Other questions? Call:211 for free, confidential health and human services information.

311 to connect with city government and report non-emergency issues.

911 for emergencies requiring assistance from police, the fire department or emergency medical personnel.

574-LMPD (5673) to report a crime or anonymous tip

574-2111 for non-urgent police response

Go to louisvilleky.gov for information about every city department and initiative

Follow Mayor FischerFacebook.com/MayorGregFischer

Twitter.com/louisvillemayor

Instagram.com/mayorgregfischer


How you can helpVolunteer for Give A Day: The 2020 dates are April 15-25, 2020. Go to mygiveaday.com to get involved.

Apply for a board or commission: louisvilleky.gov/boards

Become a One Love Louisville Ambassador to mentor youth: Call (502) 574-1903

Become a Reimage mentor: Call (502) 574-4115 or apply online at kentuckianaworks.org

Hire a young person for the summer: [email protected]

Plant a tree: louisvilleky.gov/Brightside

Other: louisvilleky.gov/city-services/volunteer-donate

Assist the homeless: louhomeless.org

Help the community achieve a complete count in the 2020 Census: louisvilleky.gov/census


Go to louisvilleky.gov for information about every city department and initiative

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