LOUISVILLE, Ky. — State lawmakers are getting ready to push for a bill that would allow areas within Jefferson County to form into cities.
It's a change from the current law, which allows certain areas to merge into already existing cities within the county.
Jerry McGraw supports the bill. He said he feels Lake Forest, a 40-year-old suburb east of Louisville near Middletown, doesn't get the attention it needs and deserves.
"I feel neglected by Metro Government,” McGraw said. “They get our tax money and then we don't exist."
McGraw, a Lake Forest homeowner, said the Home Owners Association pays for some of the services Metro Louisville Government is supposed to provide, like mowing the grass in the medians of the streets owned by Public Works.
In turn, he says the HOA also has to pay the sales tax.
Another example: McGraw said Lake Forest is responsible to plow most of their own streets. He said last year they got a bill for $100,000 and had to pay the sales tax on it.
"So there's just a number of issues that since we don't get the services from Metro Government, we have to pay for those ourselves,” McGraw said.
He said Lake Forest even pays for its own private security because of a lack of police presence. In addition, McGraw said he feels they have to beg for the services they do get.
"It basically comes down to begging county government, or metro government,” McGraw said.
It's a few of the reasons McGraw supports a bill that would allow for the creation of small cities within Jefferson County.
Representative Jason Nemes is one of the bill’s sponsors. He lives in Middletown and said he sees the benefits of a small city.
"More local control. The things that we need out here aren't the exact same things we need in other places,” Nemes said.
In 2003, Louisville and Jefferson County merged. Louisville Metro Councilmember Paula McCraney reminds people that marriage was created after a metro-wide vote, and she thinks this bill should be the same.
“It's not up to a council,” McCraney said. “It's not up to a state legislature. It should be the voice of the entire community.”
She said if the bill were to pass, she wonders what the future will look like.
"That's going to be less tax revenue for the entire Louisville Metro and I don't know what that would leave us with,” McCraney said.
She said residents should voice their concerns before jumping ship, especially because she said forming an independent government is a huge task.
McGraw said he knows it'll be hard work, but he thinks Lake Forest, and other areas are ready.
The bill would also remove veto power from Metro Council. Currently, the council can vote down a neighborhood’s plan to merge into an existing city.
Nemes says the bill is expected to be heard in the next few weeks.
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