OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Louisville Metro Budget Committee Hearing: FY 2026-2027 Budget Reviews - May 21, 2026

Metro Council & Committees — Thursday, May 21, 2026
BodyLouisville, Kentucky
SessionMetro Council & Committees
DateThursday, May 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:37:36

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

375.

0:01

Then once we get the chicken in, we're gonna want to make sure it stays somewhere between 300 and 325.

0:07

So while our grease is heating in the cast iron skillet, we're gonna make our breading.

0:12

Now, as I said, Kentucky is famous for its fried chicken because of Colonel Sanders, of course, and his mega empire, but we are not using his secret seven herbs and spices or 11 or whatever it was.

0:25

My grandmother just used simple salt and pepper in hers.

0:30

So we're gonna add oh we'll we'll tell you how many teaspoons in the recipe on the screen.

0:35

I'll just kind of do it by feel.

0:39

And we need salt and crushed brown pepper.

0:42

And this was just really all the seasoning.

0:46

Grandma Fanny thought she needed, and that was just fine with us.

0:50

So we're just gonna mix that around.

0:53

And then I've got a buttermilk uh wash that we're gonna dredge the chicken in.

1:00

Sometimes, nanny, that's what I call her, Nanny Fanny.

1:02

If she didn't have buttermilk, um she would just use water also, which was just just as wet.

1:08

So the next thing we're gonna do is take our pieces of chicken.

1:10

I'm gonna start with the smaller ones.

1:12

I'm gonna uh we've got a lot of drumsticks.

1:14

So I'm just gonna dredge that in the buttermilk like that.

1:18

And dredge it in our flour mix.

1:22

It real good.

1:26

I'm gonna lay it on this platter till I get enough on the platter that's gonna fill the cast iron skillet because we want them all to be um cooking at about um an equal amount of time.

1:36

So um I'm gonna finish out the chicken.

1:45

Alright, our drumsticks are breaded, the grease is ready, we're ready to fry some chicken.

1:58

Gotta monitor this the whole time because you don't want it to drop um below 300, or you're gonna have uh, well, you're not gonna have crispy fried chicken, and if it goes over uh 375, 400, then we're gonna burn it.

2:12

So we wanna keep it right in that 300 to 325 bar for the prime.

2:18

Okay, we've had this cooking for about five minutes.

2:21

I put a lid on, called my mom to make sure I needed to do that.

2:26

Said that was a good idea, especially on your first batch.

2:30

So I'm just gonna check the bottom of this one, and I think this is a perfectly golden brown color that we're looking for.

2:38

Make it a little deeper if you like it.

2:40

These drumsticks have been on about five minutes, I guess.

2:45

And again, it's it's all about the look and feel more than the time.

2:53

Alright, we're gonna put this lid back on again.

2:56

Like I said, my mom suggested that this helps heat up, especially that first fat.

3:02

Alright, I'm gonna cook up this next batch of chicken, and you're gonna go watch Jessica make an old fashioned.

3:08

Since Stacey's making such an iconic Kentucky dish, I wanted to make an equally as iconic cocktail.

3:14

So we're making Louisville's official cocktail, the old-fashioned.

3:18

It was declared our official cocktail by our mayor in 2015 because it was actually invented right here in Louisville, Kentucky, at a downtown club that was founded in the 1800s that still exists today.

3:28

It's a really simple cocktail.

3:30

We're using Jim Beam signature craft, old-fashioned bitters, cherries, orange, and a little bit of sugar.

3:37

So what we're gonna do first is muddle our fruit, sugar, and bitters together.

3:42

Got an orange slice here.

3:43

I'm just gonna drop that in the bottom.

3:45

I'm gonna sprinkle in a little bit of sugar, and this is really your preference for how sweet you like your cocktails, or if you just want it more spirit forward.

3:55

And then I've got a couple of dashes of bitters right in there.

3:59

And add a little bit of water.

4:01

This is just gonna dilute it.

4:03

Um get that bring the flavor of the bourbon out even more.

4:07

And so I think the secret here to a really good old-fashioned is to give this orange a good solid muddling.

4:13

So get really hard into the bottom of the glass.

4:16

You wanna get the peel so that the citrus oils come out, and then get the pulp of the fruit and try to get the sugar a little dissolved in here and mixed really well with the bitters.

4:30

So cocktails kind of came about before prohibition.

4:34

Your spirits might not necessarily have been consistent in quality or particularly good.

4:39

So they started adding a little sugar, bitters, and fruit.

4:44

But this version, um, the delicious bourbon old fashioned that we all know and love was made famous here in Livel at the Pendennis Club.

4:52

So that's our great tie-in.

4:54

Alright, that looks sufficiently muddled.

5:00

So I'm gonna go ahead and throw in one of my big ice cubes here to keep the cocktail from diluting too much more quickly.

5:06

And I'm gonna pour in just about two ounces of bourbon.

5:25

And then we're just going to garnish with our cherry.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety███████████████████████████████████35%
Animal Welfare██████████████████████22%
Fiscal Sustainability███████████████████19%
Technology and Innovation███████7%
Miscellaneous██████6%
Personnel Matters█████5%
Procedural██2%
Engineering And Infrastructure██2%
Budget Equity Analysis█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Louisville Metro Budget Committee Hearing: FY 2026-2027 Budget Reviews

May 21, 2026, 3:01 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

The Budget Committee, chaired by Kevin Kramer (R‑11), held its sixth day of budget hearings for Fiscal Year 2026‑2027. The committee reviewed the proposed operating and capital budgets for three departments: Louisville Metro Fire Department, Emergency Services, and Louisville Metro Animal Services. The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format, with most members in chambers and Councilmembers Parrish‑Wright and Piagentini attending virtually. Ben Reno‑Weber was absent.

Discussion Items

Louisville Metro Fire Department

  • Chief Brian O’Neill addressed the department’s $85.6 million operating and $5.8 million capital budgets.
  • Station replacement (Engine 23): Land‑purchase issues have delayed the project; the first‑choice site was lost and a second site is being pursued.
  • Fleet condition: Of 31 front‑line apparatus, 9 are older than the NFPA 15‑year standard; 14 are due for replacement. Lead time for new apparatus is approximately 4 years. A sustainable model of purchasing 2 per year was discussed.
  • Overtime: Scheduled overtime is built into the 56‑hour work week. Unscheduled overtime has declined as vacancies dropped from 75 to 28, thanks to annual academy classes. Large‑scale events (e.g., Derby, flooding) can still cause overtime, but Churchill Downs and the State Fair Board reimburse those costs.
  • Facilities maintenance: Six active firehouses are over 100 years old. The department prioritizes full renovations (e.g., Engine 17, Engine 20) rather than piecemeal repairs. Roofs and HVAC are replaced on schedule.
  • Budget reductions: Decreases in contractual services ($262,900) and equipment capital outlay ($106,000) were attributed to re‑categorization of expenses rather than actual service cuts. Fuel costs are expected to exceed the reduced budget.
  • Grant match: A $93,800 port security grant from the Coast Guard is pending.
  • Bond accounting: Councilmember Piagentini questioned how fire‑related bond payments are allocated between the Urban Services District (USD) property tax and the general‑fund occupational tax. OMB Director Dunn explained that bonds are issued citywide, with a proportional expense calculated for the USD to offset occupational tax use. A follow‑up reconciliation was requested.
  • Workforce: Starting pay for a recruit is $67,000; after 5 years it reaches ~$78,000. One academy class (≈25 recruits) is held annually.
  • Third‑party staffing study: Chief O’Neill confirmed no outside study has been commissioned, but the department uses predictive software based on actual run data and social vulnerability index.
  • PFOS in gear: All new gear retains PFOS only in the outer layer; fully PFOS‑free gear is currently not cost‑effective or durable enough for widespread use.

**Emergency Services (Metro EMS)**n- Executive Director Jody Meiman presented a $64 million operating and $4.4 million capital budget.

  • Drone as First Responder: The program has completed over 500 flights. Five pilots are being hired from this budget; 8 additional drone locations are planned, with partnerships with JCPS to use school sites. Drones have aided in locating suspects and rescue victims.
  • E MS staffing: Goal is 20 ambulances on the road daily. A recent recruit class of 31 is in field training. No comprehensive staffing study has been done, but turnover has improved.
  • Ambulance fleet: $1.5 million in the budget for new ambulances or refurbishments. Some vehicles are 10–15 years old but many are refurbished.
  • Suburban EMS billing: A $6 million allocation for suburban fire responses inside the Urban Services District is held in the OMB ‘general adjustments’ line. Councilmembers questioned whether this should be funded from USD property taxes rather than general funds. Director Meiman offered to share cross‑agency response statistics.
  • Radio infrastructure: A $20 million, multi‑year project to replace tower‑site equipment (some dating to 2006‑07) and upgrade to digital. Phased implementation will not disrupt operations.
  • Opioid settlement funds: EMS will receive $3.1 million for a deflection program and $2 million for call‑center expenses.
  • 911 center: Average answer time is 9 seconds (goal: 90% within 10 seconds). Eight new dispatcher positions were added but require 6–9 months to train. Text‑to‑911 and video‑sharing have been enabled. AI is being tested for non‑emergency call filtering through the 311 system.
  • 911 fee revenue: Landline‑based fees have declined; current annual revenue is approximately $4 million. Council members expressed interest in state legislative updates to address the shift to wireless.
  • Contractual services: A $2 million decrease requires further review to confirm it does not affect service levels.
  • If a 1% cut were needed: Director Meiman stated personnel and existing contracts leave little room without affecting operations.

**Louisville Metro Animal Services (LMAS)**n- Director Andy McClinton presented a $6.5 million operating budget.

  • Employee turnover: Reduced from 36.5% (when director arrived) to ~25%. Initiatives include monthly professional development days (closing the shelter for training), a 90‑day new‑hire orientation, and expanded training.
  • Budget savings: Delayed filling three adoption‑coordinator positions for three months to save $26,700, justified by historically high turnover in that role. Other staff and a temp agency will cover.
  • Receipts: Agency receipts budget was decreased by ~$300,000 because the department now budgets actuals rather than anticipated revenue.
  • Animal intake: 9,746 animals were taken in during 2025 (a record), but the live‑release rate was 93.7%, well above the national average. Fosters increased by 652 animals, and adoptions rose significantly. The shelter currently has 15–20 open kennels, but summer is the busy season.
  • Spay/neuter: A $178,800 budget for FY26 will be largely spent; FY27 budget is $0, relying on a third veterinarian (starting July) to reduce outsourcing costs. Director expressed comfort with this approach.
  • Owner surrender: Accepted by appointment. Emphasis on providing resources (pet pantry, medical vouchers, behavior support) to keep pets in homes.
  • Pet licensing: Switched to DocuPet in November 2025; licenses have increased by 1,200 over the prior period. Lifetime licenses ($25, with spay/neuter, microchip, and rabies requirements) are offered as an incentive. The department is focused on positive incentives rather than penalties.
  • Public confusion: LMAS is actively countering misinformation about Jefferson County Animal Control (a separate for‑profit entity) through social media and community outreach.
  • Future needs: Director expressed desire for a standalone website to improve user experience.
  • If a 1% cut were needed: Director would look to increase revenue rather than cut personnel.

Key Outcomes

  • No formal votes were taken; hearings were informational. Budget recommendations will be incorporated into the full Metro Council budget process.
  • Several follow‑up items were requested:
    • OMB to provide a reconciliation of how Urban Services District property taxes offset bond payments for fire apparatus.
    • OMB to clarify the funding source and accounting for the $6 million suburban EMS billing allocation.
    • EMS to share cross‑agency response statistics and provide detailed fleet age and cost data.
    • LMAS to provide a cost‑per‑animal breakdown and a fee‑vs‑cost analysis.
  • The meeting adjourned at 5:30 p.m. without objection.

Meeting Transcript

375. Then once we get the chicken in, we're gonna want to make sure it stays somewhere between 300 and 325. So while our grease is heating in the cast iron skillet, we're gonna make our breading. Now, as I said, Kentucky is famous for its fried chicken because of Colonel Sanders, of course, and his mega empire, but we are not using his secret seven herbs and spices or 11 or whatever it was. My grandmother just used simple salt and pepper in hers. So we're gonna add oh we'll we'll tell you how many teaspoons in the recipe on the screen. I'll just kind of do it by feel. And we need salt and crushed brown pepper. And this was just really all the seasoning. Grandma Fanny thought she needed, and that was just fine with us. So we're just gonna mix that around. And then I've got a buttermilk uh wash that we're gonna dredge the chicken in. Sometimes, nanny, that's what I call her, Nanny Fanny. If she didn't have buttermilk, um she would just use water also, which was just just as wet. So the next thing we're gonna do is take our pieces of chicken. I'm gonna start with the smaller ones. I'm gonna uh we've got a lot of drumsticks. So I'm just gonna dredge that in the buttermilk like that. And dredge it in our flour mix. It real good. I'm gonna lay it on this platter till I get enough on the platter that's gonna fill the cast iron skillet because we want them all to be um cooking at about um an equal amount of time. So um I'm gonna finish out the chicken. Alright, our drumsticks are breaded, the grease is ready, we're ready to fry some chicken. Gotta monitor this the whole time because you don't want it to drop um below 300, or you're gonna have uh, well, you're not gonna have crispy fried chicken, and if it goes over uh 375, 400, then we're gonna burn it. So we wanna keep it right in that 300 to 325 bar for the prime. Okay, we've had this cooking for about five minutes. I put a lid on, called my mom to make sure I needed to do that. Said that was a good idea, especially on your first batch. So I'm just gonna check the bottom of this one, and I think this is a perfectly golden brown color that we're looking for. Make it a little deeper if you like it. These drumsticks have been on about five minutes, I guess. And again, it's it's all about the look and feel more than the time. Alright, we're gonna put this lid back on again. Like I said, my mom suggested that this helps heat up, especially that first fat. Alright, I'm gonna cook up this next batch of chicken, and you're gonna go watch Jessica make an old fashioned. Since Stacey's making such an iconic Kentucky dish, I wanted to make an equally as iconic cocktail. So we're making Louisville's official cocktail, the old-fashioned. It was declared our official cocktail by our mayor in 2015 because it was actually invented right here in Louisville, Kentucky, at a downtown club that was founded in the 1800s that still exists today. It's a really simple cocktail. We're using Jim Beam signature craft, old-fashioned bitters, cherries, orange, and a little bit of sugar. So what we're gonna do first is muddle our fruit, sugar, and bitters together. Got an orange slice here. I'm just gonna drop that in the bottom. I'm gonna sprinkle in a little bit of sugar, and this is really your preference for how sweet you like your cocktails, or if you just want it more spirit forward. And then I've got a couple of dashes of bitters right in there. And add a little bit of water. This is just gonna dilute it. Um get that bring the flavor of the bourbon out even more. And so I think the secret here to a really good old-fashioned is to give this orange a good solid muddling. So get really hard into the bottom of the glass.

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