Louisville Metro Budget Committee Hearing on Economic Development and Codes and Regulations - May 28, 2026
Louisville Metro Budget Committee Hearing on Economic Development and Codes and Regulations - May 28, 2026
The Budget Committee of the Louisville Metro Council held a hearing on Thursday, May 28, 2026, at 3:06 PM, chaired by Councilman Kevin Kramer (R-11). The meeting focused on the proposed FY 2026-2027 budgets for the Economic Development department and the Codes and Regulations department. No votes were taken; the hearing consisted of department presentations and council member Q&A.
Discussion Items
Economic Development (ID 26-0136)
- Sports Commission Funding: A proposed $1,170,000 increase to the Louisville Sports Commission, primarily attributed to hosting the 2028 Women's Gymnastics Trials. Jeff O'Brien, Executive Director of Economic Development, noted that this is an international event and that future funding levels for major events remain uncertain.
- One Louisville/One Louisville Transition: A proposed $3 million allocation to One Louisville (merger of LEDA and GLI) includes $1.5 million in operational support and approximately $880,000 to cover seven positions transferring from Metro government to One Louisville. Six previously unfilled positions ($671,000) are also accounted for. Vice Chair Markus Winkler and Council Member Lyninger questioned the clarity of the personnel cost breakdown.
- South End Fund: $3 million in capital funding was allocated in the previous year. As of the hearing, about $1 million in grants and loans had been deployed (e.g., Longhorn Steakhouse on Dixie Highway, Valley Dairy Freeze). Remaining funds ($2 million) are available for corridor investments.
- METCO Loans: The program issued $4.1 million in FY24 (a record) and $2.3 million in FY25. Current portfolio is $17.8 million. Staffing shortages were resolved; improved accounting practices are expected to normalize lending at $2.5–3 million annually.
- Other: Ambassador program (Block by Block) at $2.2 million – a 2% cost-of-living increase with no new areas. Sister Cities funding eliminated because a staff position now handles that work internally.
- Committee Concerns: Councilmember Jennifer Chappell requested a detailed breakdown of how the $3 million to One Louisville is spent and expressed skepticism from her district. Councilmember Tammy Hawkins noted the lack of African American representation on the One Louisville executive committee. Councilmember Piagentini asked about possible 1% cuts.
Codes and Regulations (ID 26-0137)
- Personnel and Overtime: The proposed budget is $19.2 million. The department plans to eliminate 20 positions (12 filled, 8 vacant). Overtime is proposed at $615,000 (up 50% from FY26). Vice Chair Winkler and Councilmember Piagentini questioned the relationship between staff cuts and rising overtime, suggesting better budget discipline.
- Vacant Lot Abatement and Graffiti: Vacant lot mowing covers approximately 1,300 private and 938 Metro-owned properties, with additional work orders totaling 17,585 cuts/cleanings projected for FY26. Graffiti abatement funding is $50,000 for supplies; four-person crews handle removals.
- Contractual Services: A line item for temporary services rose from $18,500 in FY26 to $259,600 in FY27, attributed to contracted boardings and second-story work.
- After-Hours Enforcement: Councilmembers Joseph and Hawkins requested funding for staggered shifts (after 5 PM) to address nuisance properties. Director Robinson noted that collective bargaining agreements would require negotiation. A targeted approach using overtime was suggested; committee asked for cost estimates for such operations.
- Civil Penalties Revenue: Projected to increase by nearly $1 million due to improved collection on fines and liens. Councilmember Chappell questioned whether this is sustainable given staffing cuts.
- Technology: GovStream AI tool is being introduced to streamline permit processes, funded through Metro Technology Services.
- Committee Concerns: Councilmember Lyninger asked about resources to track LLC owners behind code violations. Councilmember Hawkins questioned the overlap between Codes and Regulations and Housing department on boarding/grass work (different property categories).
Key Outcomes
- No motions or votes were taken; the hearing was informational.
- Committees requested additional data from both departments: detailed justification of One Louisville costs, breakdown of temporary services contract, after-hours enforcement cost estimates, and updated mowing lists by district.
- The hearing adjourned at 5:01 PM, with the next hearings scheduled for Monday, June 1, 2026, covering Corrections, Public Health and Wellness, and Libraries.
Meeting Transcript
And while I get that sliced up for us, Jessica is going to make us a bourbon peach cocktail. Today I'm going to be making a peach bourbon sour. We're going to be using peach liqueur, bourbon, some fresh squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, and fee foam. So I'm gonna go ahead and fill this all to a cocktail shaker with ice. I'm gonna do two ounces of bourbon. We're gonna do three quarters of an ounce of this peach liqueur. And I've got three-quarters of an ounce of fresh squeezed lemon juice. And I'm gonna do half an ounce of simple syrup. And then we're just gonna do about two or three dashes of this fee foam. And what this is is it's um like an eggless cocktail foam alternative. So instead of putting an egg white into our cocktail shaker and doing like the dry shake, adding ice and shaking again, we're just using this, and this is basically like odorless and tasteless, but it's gonna give you that great like foamy velvety texture still without any uh the egg kind of smell or things like that. Alright. We're just gonna give all this a good shake. That's great. Alright, and finally, I am just going to strain this into a coop glass. Alright, and there you have it. It's our peach bourbon sour. So Jessica, it's peach season, right? And you know how we often talk about recipes that we grew up with, right? Because they were were from that Kentucky can. Well, I don't know if this is a particularly Kentucky cannon kind of thing. Definitely southern. Right. Yeah. And certainly something you do when you have an abundance of peaches. But for me, I can tell you this is literally something I had growing up by the time I was like a preteen. And there's a reason behind this. Okay. So I thought I'd share it with you. So my brother always had for his birthday, he wanted, quote, yellow cake with black icing. Okay. Boring. Oh, I hate hated it. Um, so I started asking for something different when I was a little girl, and that was strawberry cake. But my mom found a recipe, it must have been like an old Southern Living magazine or something, for this peach chiffon pie, and I loved it. So somewhere in the 80s. I was gonna say it sounds so 80s, peach chiffon pie. Somewhere in that time frame, she began making this on my birthday, and which is in September, top of September, she's still summer close. And it for since that time, this has been my birthday pie. Well, I can't wait to try it. And actually, that kind of goes perfectly with a little bit of a retro whiskey sour cocktail. So we just peachified a little bit. So it turned out to be a great combo. And I really think that they use this fee foam for if you especially if it's warm outside. You know how an egg white can like kind of get a little bit of a smell too. If it doesn't have that warm, so it's perfect for summer too, especially. And even easier. Cheers to an old find and a new find. Cheers, and we'll see you next time on bourbon and biscuits. Cheers.
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