Angela Downes

The Health and Education Committee reviewed pending legislation, recommending approval for two resolutions sent to the Consent Calendar. The first resolution authorizes the Mayor to accept a donation of 75 car seats, valued up to $6,000, for the Giving Infants and Families Tobacco Free Starts (GIFTS) Program, to be administered by the Department of Public Health & Wellness. The second resolution authorizes the Mayor to accept a grant of $1.2 million from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, to be administered by the Office for Safe & Healthy Neighborhoods (OSHN). A third resolution, supporting medical cannabis legalization in Kentucky, was Held in Committee.

The key discussion topic for the Planning/Zoning, Land Design and Development Committee meeting concerned Ordinance O-261-15. This ordinance proposed changing the zoning designation for property located at 4646 - 4650 Cane Run Road, encompassing 34.53 acres, from R-4 and R-5 Residential Single Family to R-7 Residential Multi-Family and C-1 Commercial. Following presentations, a motion was made to recommend the ordinance for approval, but a subsequent motion was made to table the ordinance.

The committee meeting focused on recommending several resolutions for approval, which were subsequently sent to the Consent Calendar. Key discussions involved approving funding for a noncompetitively negotiated professional service contract with the University of Louisville ($80,000.00) for a Director of the Office of Youth Development role. Another resolution involved approving a contract extension ($64,250.00) with the University of Louisville for a Health Economist to implement research and evaluate economic impacts for LMPHW. Furthermore, the committee discussed a sole source contract for Metro Safe with Motorola Solutions, Inc. ($623,681.00) for the maintenance and upgrades of its newly upgraded radio system. Finally, the committee reviewed and recommended approval for funding a contract ($108,000) with Commonwealth Economics Partners, LLC, for financial advice and counsel concerning complex financial arrangements and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for Louisville Forward.

The committee meeting included a special discussion regarding Parks Deferred Maintenance, where Metro Parks presented on the estimated $176 million in deferred maintenance needs across 120 parks, covering approximately 500 structures. Key discussion points included prioritizing life safety issues, roof replacement schedules, tracking maintenance costs, and the potential eligibility of repair projects for American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding. Under pending legislation, the committee discussed Ordinance O-242-21, which aims to regulate temporary closures of Metro Park roads to vehicular traffic, including clarifications regarding which roads are covered and whether Iroquois Park should be excluded. The committee voted to amend and recommend this ordinance for approval. A resolution to dedicate the Herpaquarium Building as the "John Walczak Herpaquarium" was held in committee, as was Ordinance O-227-21 concerning temporary road closures specifically within Iroquois Park.

The Public Safety Committee meeting primarily featured a special discussion regarding the Group Violence Intervention Program, presented by representatives from the National Network for Safe Communities. Key discussion points included the program's focus on high-risk individuals, its three core elements (criminal justice, service and support, and community voices), and the recommendation that the program should not be housed within a criminal justice agency. The committee also reviewed pending legislation, specifically an Ordinance (O-060-21) to prevent the unauthorized publication of personally identifying information, commonly known as 'doxing,' which was held in committee.