City Of Louisville: Metro Leaders Address Public Safety, Homelessness And Affordable Housing, Public Health And Premium Pay For Public E ...

Press release from the City of Louisville:

October 26, 2021

Call the LOU HEALTH helpline 502-912-8598.

Mayor Greg Fischer today was joined by Metro Councilmembers to outline an ordinance proposing to spend $262.9 million of federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding on critical initiatives to address public safety challenges and homelessness, build more affordable housing for the community, continue to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, and recognize the efforts of public employees.

“It is critical that we use these federal funds to address some of our most pressing needs,” said Mayor Fischer. “Working with Metro Council, we have identified multiple initiatives to make our city safer through our whole-of-government approach, as well as provide more temporary shelter, permanent supportive housing and affordable housing for our most vulnerable residents. In addition, we propose to use funding for Public Health to continue to address needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic, a minimal amount of funding to be used for administration of funds, as well as premium pay to public employees of Metro Government and other related government entities, who served with great distinction during unprecedented times.”

Louisville Metro Government (LMG) has been allocated $388 million in ARP Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, approved by Congress to meet the most urgent needs of communities across the country as they rebuild from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The ordinance introduced today outlines the second round of ARP spending proposed by Mayor Fischer and Metro Council. The first round went to COVID-related emergency needs, including $45.2 million for Public Health and eviction prevention, and was approved by Metro Council in June. Metro Council and Mayor Fischer developed priority areas for ARP spending: Public Safety; Public Health; Homelessness and Affordable Housing; Workforce Development; and Healthy Louisville/Healthy Neighborhoods. Louisville Metro Government/Metro Council workgroups developed the proposals in the ordinance submitted today. 

“The ordinance filed today is the next step in taking advantage of this remarkable opportunity to meet Louisville’s needs,” said Metro Council Budget Committee Chairman Bill Hollander. “Over the summer, Metro Council listened to residents at public forums and through an on-line form. After passing a resolution with priority areas in August, Council members have worked with the administration on various options. Everything proposed today has been discussed in a relevant work group, each of which included multiple members, of both parties. We’ll now move forward with this proposal in the Budget Committee and then the Council and hope to put these federal funds to work soon. In the meantime, discussions will continue about programs in other priority areas.”    

Proposed Public Safety Funding: $78 million

LMPD Technology: $6 million will be provided to LMPD for new Equipment and increased storage capacity.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to have federal dollars to invest in our community for the safety of our citizens, which is the number one responsibility of government," said Metro Council President David James. “The proposal includes funding from police reforms to improved and enhanced technology and community-based data driven programs to make Louisville a better place.”

Proposed Homelessness & Affordable Housing: $100 million

“We recommend using a good amount of the ARP funding to significantly reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness,” said Mayor Fischer. “That includes permanent supportive housing and other forms of affordable housing, particularly directed at Louisville’s lowest-income residents and those suffering from mental health and substance use disorder, who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 public health emergency.”

Premium Pay:

“Many of your city government employees have risen to the occasion of serving our city with great distinction during the depths of the pandemic,” said the Mayor, adding that in keeping with U.S. Treasury guidelines, “we’re recommending that some of the ARP funding goes to provide premium pay to city government workers needed to maintain critical operations, including in public health, safety and sanitation, during the COVID-19 health emergency.”

Premium pay for Metro Employees: $21 million would be provided to certain public employees. Specifically:

Employees who receive the maximum payment of $500 will receive that amount after showing proof of full COVID vaccination or authorized waiver. All other recipients will receive one-half of their payment immediately and the other half on June 1, 2022, after showing proof of full vaccination or authorized waiver. 

Premium pay to the following related entities: Up to $7.3 million would also go to some non-Metro employees, including Suburban Fire, assuming LMG can arrive at a cost-sharing formula with respective local governments. Payment would be contingent upon acceptable cost sharing with other localities, as well as similar vaccination requirements set for Metro employees.

“The FOP supports the administration’s initiative to reward the hard work of front line, essential workers for their dedication to the community with a premium pay incentive,” said River City FOP Lodge 614 President Ryan Nichols.

Other

Public Health Contingency: $27.6 million has been included in contingency funding, focusing on COVID essentials.

Metro Government/Jefferson County Public Schools Collaboration

Louisville Metro Government and Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) work in partnership to address children’s needs inside and outside of school. That partnership is furthered by this ordinance, which addresses two areas of challenge to JCPS children and families: support for at-risk children and housing.

“Keeping our children safe and on a path to success is the goal of our ongoing partnership to collaborate and align our work with that of JCPS,” Mayor Fischer said. “The funding for the Office of Youth Development will help better coordinate our efforts to keep at-risk students from going down a path of violence and enhance our collaboration and communication. In addition, far too many students in JCPS and their families are housing insecure; this ordinance works to address that challenge with proposed funding for both short- and long-term housing solutions.”

“Addressing the needs of our students extends beyond our schools and requires full community collaboration,” said JCPS superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio. “One of the most important factors around a student’s success is ensuring they have stable housing. Last year, thousands of students experienced housing instability in JCPS.”

Next Steps

This ordinance will be heard and considered by the Metro Council Budget Committee on Nov. 4, 2021. Assuming the ordinance passes out of committee, it could be voted on by the full Council on Nov. 11, 2021. Early next year, after continued coordination and discussion with Metro Council and community partners, Mayor Fischer and Metro leaders will propose an ordinance for additional ARP funding to address workforce development and healthy neighborhoods, mindful that if this ordinance is passed as is, $80 million remains to be invested. In addition, Metro Government continues to monitor developments with the proposed federal Build Back Better and infrastructure legislation, to identify potential related opportunities to improve the lives of Louisvillians. 

“I am deeply appreciative of the partnership with Metro Council to use this transformational funding to tackle some of our community’s most pressing challenges,” Mayor Fischer said. “This funding, working to address our public safety challenges and to shelter our most vulnerable, will truly change lives.”

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This press release was produced by the City of Louisville. The views expressed here are the author’s own.