LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg unveiled his priorities for the upcoming session of Kentucky's General Assembly at a news conference Wednesday.
Greenberg said his priorities include actions to reduce violent crime, stronger incentives for downtown investment and $250 million for improvements across the city.
According to a news release, the mayor announced that he would continue working with members of the General Assembly to fight violent crime in the Metro.
Officials said Greenberg wants to provide Louisville Metro Police (LMPD) with the autonomy to destroy guns seized by police that were used to injure or kill people in Louisville. Those firearms are currently required to be sold by the Kentucky State Police (KSP) at auction.
The mayor said he wants to provide state funding for new resources to local police departments to improve clearance rates for violent crimes and implement more technology like license plate readers, flock cameras and gunshot detection systems.
He wants to enact a state wiretapping law, because Kentucky is one of the four states that doesn't have this. The mayor also wants to enact legislation to make carjacking and stealing a vehicle by means of "force or fear" a state crime, as well as create a pre-trial diversion program for minors convicted of first-time carjacking offenses.
“Since day one my team and I have been committed to making Louisville a safer city,” Greenberg said. “We’ve hired a top-notch Chief of Police and announced new investments in affordable housing and infrastructure. To continue our progress, we need the Kentucky General Assembly to help us keep guns out of the hands of those who seek to harm others.”
The release states that the mayor is encouraging the legislation to invest in more affordable housing across the city. This includes a request of $50 million for the Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The fund helps create new housing for working families, people with disabilities and veterans.
Greenberg's priorities also includes a $20 million request a year - for two years - to help establish Kentucky's first pilot program, the universal Pre-K initiative. The initiative will provide free education to every 3 and 4-year-old in Louisville.
“Parents of young children need more preschool options so they can re-enter the workforce,” he said.
Greenberg is requesting $250 million to complete several projects across Louisville.
Here's a full breakdown of where all of the money will go:
- $50 million - Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund, with at least $20 million going toward building affordable housing for first-time buyers
- $22.5 million - Capital improvements at the Community Care Campus
- $42 million - Metro Parks & Recreation Capital needs such as:
- Design and construction of a newly envisioned Belvedere ($20 million)
- Enclose the new Algonquin Park Aquatics Center ($7 million)
- Add seating and improve safety at the Iroquois Amphitheater, with an orchestra pit conversion project ($200,000)
- Natatorium and public pool in south Louisville ($15 million)
- $30 million - Spur conversions of downtown office buildings to residential and other non-office (hotels, retail, entertainment) uses
- $30 million - Ohio Riverfront Investment Strategy. This funding will be used for:
- Riverport infrastructure ($9 million)
- Shawnee Park Nature Center ($7 million)
- Louisville Loop infrastructure in Eastern Jefferson County ($8 million)
- Ohio River Northeast project connecting Lewis & Clark Bridge to US42 ($1 million)
- Enhanced Waterfront Development Corporation operations ($2.5 million per year)
- $17 million - The design and construction of new infrastructure for the LouMed district
- $12 million - Infrastructure improvement to support the development of an entertainment and residential district surrounding Lynn Family Stadium
- $35 million - One-time grant funds for the planning and construction of transportation and other infrastructure improvements needed to support smart growth in the less densely populated portions of Louisville
- $11 million - The Public Library Facilities Construction Fund program to complete the Fern Creek, Portland and Parkland libraries
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