LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Mayor Craig Greenberg pitched his $1.1 billion city budget to Metro Council on Thursday with an emphasis on investing in the future of Louisvillians.

Greenberg said his budget addresses the "urgent priorities of residents," such as public safety, early childhood education, affordable housing, homelessness, economic development, government services and quality of life.

"This budget required tough decisions, but decisions that will move our city forward in a new direction and benefit every single resident and neighborhood," Greenberg said in an embargoed version of his budget address Thursday afternoon.

$448 million investment in public safety

Of the proposed $1.1 billion budget, Greenberg wants to put $448 million into making the city a safer place by working to decrease violence and protect lives. 

The mayor said he wants to continue the progress made last year, when he said the city saw a decrease in homicides, non-fatal shootings and carjackings.

Greenberg cited the more than 260 vacancies at LMPD and the need for more EMTs as reason the city should "make first responder wages competitive."

If approved, the millions of dollars in funding for public safety would go toward initiatives such as:

  • New license plate readers
  • MetroWatch cameras for the Louisville Metro Police Department
  • New technical search and rescue gear for the Louisville Fire Department
  • Upgrades to the emergency operations center
  • Addressing staff shortages in public safety

"We must invest in the resources needed to identify the people taking part in these crimes so that we can get them off the streets, protect more lives and ultimately make Louisville a safer city," Greenberg said.

The proposal, the mayor added, aims to invest in first responder contracts to close gaps in pay in an effort to retain more police officers, EMTs, paramedics, firefighters and corrections officers.

Greenberg cited the more than 260 vacancies at LMPD and the need for more EMTs as reason the city should "make first responder wages competitive." 

"The answer is clear: we must offer competitive salaries and bring their pay in line with areas throughout the region," Greenberg said.

Additionally, the proposed $448 million investment in public safety would provide funding for more equipment, homicide investigations, new staff, repairs to firehouses, and more.

It would also go toward consent decree monitoring. In February, officials with the city and LMPD began negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice — which remain ongoing — to put the city's police department under a mandated contract for police reform. That process began more than a year ago, when the DOJ came to the city and released a scathing report into the police department with its findings from a yearslong investigation prompted by the March 2020 police killing of Breonna Taylor.

In the report, the DOJ said they believe LMPD and Metro Government engaged in practices that violated the U.S. Constitution and federal law for years, including excessive use of force and searches based on invalid search warrants. The DOJ ordered Louisville's police department to enter a consent decree. The oversight agreement sets tangible requirements for change, metrics to measure improvement and timelines to achieve them. It's all approved by a federal judge, legally binding and then overseen by a independent monitor who must regularly report progress or any problems to the public.

$32 million to create more affordable housing, address homelessness

The budget includes nearly $32 million to create more safe, affordable and quality housing. The goal, Greenberg said, is to create or preserve 15,000 units of affordable housing across the city by 2027.

"Affordable housing helps our people thrive and it also benefits our economy and the health of our community," he said. "From creating more quality homes to finding ways to end homelessness, we are taking a holistic approach to finding real solutions to our biggest challenges."

Part of the millions of dollars proposed for affordable housing, $238,000 in funding would be provided to the Louisville Metro Housing Authority in an effort to solve "urgent issues" at public housing complexes Dosker Manor and Avenue Plaza, as well as create additional Section 8 vouchers. 

"While LMHA is not a city department, we will not stand on the sidelines while some of our most vulnerable Louisvillians live and sleep in dangerous mold, bug and rodent filled apartments — it's a disgrace," Greenberg said.

Residents of Dosker Manor, specifically, have complained they have been living with mice, mold, bed bugs and crime for too long and have been pushing for change. 

For months, WDRB has reported on the conditions with public housing and Dosker Manor. When the new LMHA director, Elizabeth Strojan, was appointed to her position in November, she toured the buildings to see the issues up close and asked for patience so they could make improvements.

A Louisville Metro Council committee voted in February to order an investigation into LMHA. Some councilmembers at the time said Dosker Manor made LMHA look like a slumlord.

"Calls for change have been made for years with growing urgency," Greenberg said. "And we're working with our partners to make sure those calls are answered."

Addressing the city's unhoused population, Greenberg said, "requires a long-term strategy." He cited ongoing progress on the city's Community Care Campus in Old Louisville, which will house 34 families facing homelessness at a time and also provide medical services.

Additional efforts to address homelessness include programs that will include hotel stays for those ages 18-24 who are transitioning to stable housing, case management, and support services to those affected. The funding would also go toward establishing a shelter facility for individuals and families, and the creation of 20 transitional housing options through efficiency units or OVC huts. It's an effort Greenberg said would "put the pieces together to end homelessness in Louisville."

$5 million investment into early childhood education

The mayor said he's still focused on making "generational change" through free, universal pre-K for every 3- and 4-year-old in Louisville with an "initial investment" of $5 million in Thrive by 5.

Thrive by 5 is a local nonprofit working to implement a 5-year plan creating a pathway to universal pre-K in Louisville. 

The nonprofit, which Greenberg announced last month, will operate independently from Metro Government and Jefferson County Public Schools, using public and philanthropic funding to recruit and retain early learning teachers and staff, improve facilities and programs, and provide financial assistance for preschool.

"The facts are clear: children who attend high-quality preschool are more likely to graduate from high school, earn more money, live longer and healthier lives and are 70 percent less likely to be arrested for violent crimes," Greenberg said.

The $5 million is aimed at providing the nonprofit with "a strong platform from which to grow."

To learn more about the nonprofit, click here. To learn more about its 5-year plan, click here.

$50 million to improve quality of life for Louisvillians 

Greenberg is proposing $50 million for paving, sidewalk repairs, guardrail replacements, "traffic calming solutions" and more, as well as funding three projects that will help complete the Louisville Loop.

The mayor said improving upon the quality of life of Louisville residents is "vital" to the city's success and growing economy, investing in residents and the city's future.

Part of the $50 million proposal includes more than $7.1 million for parks repairs to "further enhance" the city's parks and outdoor spaces, which Greenberg said are among the reasons why people love Louisville.

An additional $2 million of the proposed $50 million would raise salaries for Public Works employees and fund operations for areas including new library openings, a new Park Ranger program, reopening the Baxter Community Center and more.

"So often we go about our days taking for granted the key things we rely on. From safe streets to the streetlights at a local park, these services are dependent on the Public Works team members who keep our city moving," Greenberg said.

Economic development through the 'Growing Louisville Together' plan

The mayor discussed plans to build on $1 billion in funding secured last year and the announcement of 2,300 new jobs.

Greenberg said this year's proposed budget puts funding toward ongoing economic capital projects and the creation of the new economic development authority he proposed in his "Growing Louisville Together" plan, introduced last December.

The authority, the mayor said, will be a public-private partnership working with Metro Government, Greater Louisville Inc., Kentuckiana Works, and other stakeholders in an effort to "maximize" the city's "potential to attract and develop business, partnerships and people more effectively."

To read more about the "Growing Louisville Together" plan, click here.

The mayor said this budget comes on the tail end of the city emerging from a time where American Rescue Plan funding from the federal government helped "fuel progress," following the Kentucky General Assembly's more than $700 million investment in Louisville.

Greenberg said there is a need to "continuously review" how the city is incorporating the city's priorities "by making strategic and bold investments, while also embracing efficiency, accountability and transparency."

In order to do so, the mayor said investments in skilled city employees, who are dedicated to the work, have to be made.

"We are in the service business, and we owe it to every family across Louisville to deliver excellence in the most basic — and most essential — government services through a well-paid, highly qualified team that is motivated to serve our community," Greenberg said.

The full Metro Council will now review the budget, moving it through a review process with hearings and a vote before July 1.

This story may be updated.

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