OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Budget Committee Community Budget Hearing for FY 2026-2027 - May 13, 2026

Metro Council & Committees — Wednesday, May 13, 2026
BodyLouisville, Kentucky
SessionMetro Council & Committees
DateWednesday, May 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:07:10

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Utility partners and all emergency personnel.

0:04

Your work is often unseen but never unfelt.

0:07

You bring calm to chaos, hope to crisis, and strength to moments when it's needed most.

0:14

May we leave here today reminded of your courage, inspired by your service, and forever grateful for the heroes you stand watch over our community.

0:25

Thank you so much.

0:26

Thank you, Mayor Greenberg, for celebrating this day with us.

0:29

Thank you, first responders.

0:36

Hi, I'm Kayla with Louisville Water, and this is Made with Pure Tap, a special segment where we're highlighting some amazing local businesses that use water to make their products.

0:46

Here in Louisville, we're proud of our water.

0:48

Louisville Pure Tap is an anchor for the small business community and an important ingredient and some tasty products.

0:54

Today we're at River Green Cocktails.

0:56

Let's go see how they're using Louisville PureTap.

0:58

Hi, my name is Danielle Nan, and I'm the owner of River Green Cocktails.

1:02

We are a local canned cocktail company.

1:04

Right here in Louisville, Kentucky, we make all of our canned cocktails with premium gin, real fruit juices, natural sweeteners, and Louisville Pure Tap water.

1:12

A good water source is really important for our canned cocktails.

1:15

We use about eight to nine ounces in each 12 ounce can, and so it's important to us that we have a really good water.

1:20

When we started this business and we're creating the cocktails, we considered filtering the water.

1:26

So a lot of canned cocktail companies will use filtered water, and we said, well, why would we do that?

1:31

Louisville Pure Tap Water is the best water in the country.

1:35

So we are a registered Kentucky Proud Company.

1:37

It's really important for us to use as many local ingredients as possible.

1:40

For example, we have a bee's knees cocktail.

1:42

It's made with premium gin, real lemon juice, and a honey that we get from a bee farmer out of Columbia, Kentucky.

1:48

River Green Cocktails are available throughout the state of Kentucky.

1:51

Danielle, we're proud to give River Green Cocktails the Made with Pure Tap seal of approval.

1:56

Thank you for your commitment to quality and using Louvre Pure Tap.

1:59

Cheers.

2:10

I take a lot of calls from folks, and it seems like we've had an uptick of folks where the landlord decides, you know, I need to increase their payment.

2:22

Is there any reaction to that?

2:26

Do you all have any suggestions for that?

2:29

It's a national problem.

2:31

Rents are going up way faster than incomes are going up.

2:36

Home prices are going up.

2:37

I mean, it is we need much more rental assistance.

2:47

It is just it's skyrocketing, it really is.

2:51

And it's a it's a national issue.

2:53

Yeah, we live in a in a state where rent controls are illegal, right?

2:57

So there's not something we can do there.

2:59

Yeah, it's in the constitution.

3:01

Um so you know, the they're very little about controlling those rents, right?

3:06

Uh they'll say the you know the the the market is the best decider there, right?

3:10

To where if people aren't renting them, the rent will probably, you know, the rental costs will go down, but in an environment where we had don't have the supply that we need, we need more units.

3:19

And this is where you need to talk to the state individuals, uh, your elected officials, because if you uh don't do something about the cost of uh rent going up, then they will truly be forced to a nursing home.

3:33

If you want to shoot your budget, shoot yourself in the foot with about the budget, Chad.

3:37

100,000 a year.

3:39

I mean, you know, the federal government pays a lot of that, but still can take a base a lot.

3:44

So you you better take a long look at the long long haul picture of that because it could be very, very much more negatively uh impactful to your budget than trying to actually increase it.

3:56

I understand landlords have to make a living, and I don't begrudge that, but to what extent is you know fair for those individuals.

4:04

So uh it's something they really need to take a look at because if they don't have a roof over the head, they're gonna be going uh state custody or something like that.

4:12

So it can be a lot more costly.

4:15

For so long we've looked at this as like what can we afford to do?

4:18

How much Section 8 can we afford?

4:20

How many low-income housing tax credits can we afford?

4:23

How much design change can we afford?

4:25

And at some point the conversation has to be what can we afford not to do?

4:30

Like what like what are we giving up if we don't do these things?

4:33

And it's increased nursing homes, increased emergency room visits, increased homelessness, um, stagnating economies.

4:42

The city of Austin took a different approach, and they built, built, built, and their rents are going down, down, down because they increase their supply.

4:49

So that's something that we we all have to keep in mind.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Youth Programs███████████████15%
Homelessness█████████9%
Community Engagement████████8%
Arts And Culture███████7%
Budget Equity Analysis███████7%
Environmental Protection███████7%
Affordable Housing██████6%
Public Safety█████5%
Hunger Relief████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Budget Committee Community Budget Hearing for FY 2026-2027

The Louisville Metro Budget Committee held a community budget hearing on May 13, 2026, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers and virtually. Vice Chair Markus Winkler presided. Over 30 public speakers provided testimony on the proposed FY 2026-2027 executive budget, expressing concerns about cuts to various services and requesting funding for community programs.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Catherine Shake (Jefferson County Cooperative Extension District) opposed the proposed $150,000 allocation, stating it would not cover required staff. She noted the district served 51,000 people and supported 896 farms. She requested restoration of funding.
  • Elia Fox (Family and Children's Place) requested $150,000 for the children's advocacy center, noting only 30% of abused children receive help due to capacity constraints.
  • Carrie Gerard (Association of Community Ministries) requested at least $2.15 million (current level) and ideally $2.5 million, citing a 30% increase in housing assistance needs.
  • Lorena Hood (Uniting Partners Up for Women and Children) opposed a 50% cut ($155,000) and requested $100,000 restoration, as the shelter serves 100 women and children daily.
  • Vincent James (Dare to Care Food Bank) requested $1.5 million for food purchasing and $5 million matching grant for a hunger relief center, noting impending federal food cuts of $4.5 million.
  • Henry Lasher (Jim King Senior Wellness Center) requested restoration of $15,000 (zero in proposed budget), highlighting the center's role for over 100 seniors.
  • Quintina McDowell (Project Community Center) requested EAF funding (scored 91/100 but not recommended) to sustain summer camp and tutoring.
  • Philip Coster (Waterfront Botanical Gardens) requested $250,000 for catastrophic plumbing repairs due to landfill settlement.
  • Layla Kershaw (Louisville Nonprofit Coalition) urged strategic multi-year investments in nonprofits, noting the sector employs 56,000 in Jefferson County.
  • Tawanda Usley (Hosparus Health) requested $500,000–$1 million capital for a new hospice care center, having raised $10.6 million of $13 million goal.
  • Nick Clark (suburban fire districts) requested $115,000 restored for special teams, training, and dispatch software.
  • Todd Moore (Dream Center Academy) requested capital support for a school in West Louisville.
  • Denise Sears (SOS) requested $150,000 (no funding proposed) to continue providing medical supplies, warning of 50% service cuts.
  • Susan Buccino (Care/Arthur Street Hotel) requested $1 million, noting 89% of exits go to housing and the hotel prevents higher jail costs.
  • Brett Shepherd (Fund for the Arts) supported increased cultural pass funding and urged arts investment.
  • Ricky Santiago (Americana Community Center) requested EAF funding for youth development, citing a 94.3 score and letters of support.
  • Thomas Edison (urban farmer) supported full funding for Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District (JCSWCD), opposed 50% cut.
  • Sarah Beth Salmons (JCSWCD supervisor) requested full funding ($219,000), highlighting partnerships and programs.
  • Sandra Scott (VOCAL Kentucky) supported Arthur Street Hotel funding, sharing her personal success story.
  • Mary Barnes (constituent) opposed transit cuts and criticized the mayor.
  • Sherry Churchill (Churchill's Lighthouse) requested funding for a home for first-time mothers.
  • Galen Savala Sherby, Chris Mann, Desiree Parker, David Kalen, Bradley Williams, Helen Gabsis, Nikki Lanier, and others spoke in support of full funding for JCSWCD, noting its role in conservation, native plant workshops, and cost-share programs.
  • Delisha Graham (Lavish Hope Foundation) requested $40,000 for beauty trade and mentorship programs.
  • Sean Spencer (West Louisville Dream Team) requested $1.28 million capital for NIA Center revitalization.
  • Heather Ruth opposed the Jefferson County Master Plan and canopy walk.
  • Elizabeth Haig (LFPL employee) opposed library funding cuts, noting staff do not earn living wage.
  • Stacy Bailey (Bridge Kids International) requested EAF funding (scored 95.7 but not funded) for youth programs.
  • LaShea Calvin (Auntie's House) requested $75,000 for youth workforce and community programs.
  • Will Pitts (Willennium Enterprise Foundation) requested addition to budget.
  • Kristen Hill (St. John Center) requested restoration of $234,000 funding, noting increased demand.
  • Lamont Chandler (CIG Foundation) requested support for seniors.
  • Adrian Eisenminger (Kentucky Refugee Ministries) requested funding for Art Makes Home program (not recommended despite good score).
  • Ed Robinson (Algonquin Community United) requested $250,000 for youth programs and food.
  • Jackie Mayfield (SANFAN Corporation) requested funding for red line corridor revitalization.

Key Outcomes

  • No votes or decisions were taken during the hearing. The meeting was solely for public input on the FY 2026-2027 budget.
  • Chair Kevin Kramer adjourned the meeting at 7:56 PM without objection.
  • The Budget Committee will consider the testimony in subsequent budget deliberations.

Meeting Transcript

Utility partners and all emergency personnel. Your work is often unseen but never unfelt. You bring calm to chaos, hope to crisis, and strength to moments when it's needed most. May we leave here today reminded of your courage, inspired by your service, and forever grateful for the heroes you stand watch over our community. Thank you so much. Thank you, Mayor Greenberg, for celebrating this day with us. Thank you, first responders. Hi, I'm Kayla with Louisville Water, and this is Made with Pure Tap, a special segment where we're highlighting some amazing local businesses that use water to make their products. Here in Louisville, we're proud of our water. Louisville Pure Tap is an anchor for the small business community and an important ingredient and some tasty products. Today we're at River Green Cocktails. Let's go see how they're using Louisville PureTap. Hi, my name is Danielle Nan, and I'm the owner of River Green Cocktails. We are a local canned cocktail company. Right here in Louisville, Kentucky, we make all of our canned cocktails with premium gin, real fruit juices, natural sweeteners, and Louisville Pure Tap water. A good water source is really important for our canned cocktails. We use about eight to nine ounces in each 12 ounce can, and so it's important to us that we have a really good water. When we started this business and we're creating the cocktails, we considered filtering the water. So a lot of canned cocktail companies will use filtered water, and we said, well, why would we do that? Louisville Pure Tap Water is the best water in the country. So we are a registered Kentucky Proud Company. It's really important for us to use as many local ingredients as possible. For example, we have a bee's knees cocktail. It's made with premium gin, real lemon juice, and a honey that we get from a bee farmer out of Columbia, Kentucky. River Green Cocktails are available throughout the state of Kentucky. Danielle, we're proud to give River Green Cocktails the Made with Pure Tap seal of approval. Thank you for your commitment to quality and using Louvre Pure Tap. Cheers. I take a lot of calls from folks, and it seems like we've had an uptick of folks where the landlord decides, you know, I need to increase their payment. Is there any reaction to that? Do you all have any suggestions for that? It's a national problem. Rents are going up way faster than incomes are going up. Home prices are going up. I mean, it is we need much more rental assistance. It is just it's skyrocketing, it really is. And it's a it's a national issue. Yeah, we live in a in a state where rent controls are illegal, right? So there's not something we can do there. Yeah, it's in the constitution. Um so you know, the they're very little about controlling those rents, right? Uh they'll say the you know the the the market is the best decider there, right? To where if people aren't renting them, the rent will probably, you know, the rental costs will go down, but in an environment where we had don't have the supply that we need, we need more units. And this is where you need to talk to the state individuals, uh, your elected officials, because if you uh don't do something about the cost of uh rent going up, then they will truly be forced to a nursing home. If you want to shoot your budget, shoot yourself in the foot with about the budget, Chad. 100,000 a year. I mean, you know, the federal government pays a lot of that, but still can take a base a lot. So you you better take a long look at the long long haul picture of that because it could be very, very much more negatively uh impactful to your budget than trying to actually increase it. I understand landlords have to make a living, and I don't begrudge that, but to what extent is you know fair for those individuals. So uh it's something they really need to take a look at because if they don't have a roof over the head, they're gonna be going uh state custody or something like that.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com