In an effort to help everyone slow down and handle the chaos of Kentucky Derby Week and everyday life, there is an event which can help show you a way to take a step back and take a deep breath.

Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith (D-4) is encouraging everyone to participate in the 2nd Annual “Quiet Louisville” on Tuesday, April 30th.

The event is sponsored by the Passionist, Earth & Spirit Center of Louisville. It’s an hour-long meditation event that will combine meditation, music, community and wellness to cultivate calm minds and compassionate hearts in a turbulent world.     

“As a student of mindfulness meditation, I can attest to the powerful calmness one achieves as we care for the Earth, our soul and the community,” says Sexton Smith.

This is the second year for the event.

The Mission statement of the Passionist, Earth and Spirit Center is to cultivate a community of transformative learning service, committed to spiritual development social compassion and care for the earth.

“We are proving that you can find calm in a hectic world, by hosting a free meditation at the busiest season, during the busiest time of the year at 4th Street Live,” says Tom Kerrigan of the Center.

“Quiet Louisville” is free an open to the public. There is no registration required for those who wish to attend.

To learn more about the Passionist, Earth and Spirit Center of Louisville, go to their website at: https://earthandspiritcenter.org/

Louisville Metro Council’s Budget Committee has released its schedule for reviewing Mayor Greg Fischer’s proposed 2019 -2020 Capital and Operating Budgets.

The Committee will review the proposal over the months of May and June. The Metro Council extended the budget review process by an extra month beginning in 2017, in order to hear from the public and thoroughly review and discuss the needs of each department and agency of Metro Government.

“Increased pension costs make this an extraordinarily difficult budget, with reductions and significant changes proposed throughout Metro Government. The Committee is looking forward to continuing to hear from the public and various departments and agencies before the Council adopts a final budget on June 25,” says Councilman Bill Hollander (D-9), Chair of the Committee.

“The need to find approximately $35 million in operational savings has helped encourage hundreds of people to offer ideas on how we can reduce spending and improve the delivery of services. These hearings will offer more opportunities for people to speak with their elected officials and offer their vision, ideas and suggestions for the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Budget” says Councilman Kevin Kramer (R-11), Budget Committee Vice Chair.

The Committee begins budget hearings on Monday, May 6th at 3:30 pm with a presentation on projected Revenue, Operations, Capital and Debt, followed by a presentation on Human Resources.

The Committee schedule includes three opportunities for the public to speak about the budget.  Public hearings are scheduled for May 7 at 6:15 pm; May 16 at 6:00 pm and May 20 at 6:00 p.m. 

The May 7 public hearing follows a discussion about funding for External Agencies. A sign-up sheet will be available on the third floor of City Hall beginning at 5:15 pm on May 7 and all applicants for External Agency funding who wish to speak about their applications or funding (it is not required) are strongly encouraged to speak on May 7.  

The May 16 public hearing will be open to all speakers on the budget.  On May 20, no External Agency applicants will be permitted to speak and the committee hopes to hear from the public about more general aspects of the budget. 

Sign-up sheets for the May 16 and May 20 meetings will be available one hour prior to the public hearings.

Here are highlights of the 2020 Budget Hearing Schedule:

• Metro Parks & Recreation – Wednesday, May 8 at 4:30 pm
• Louisville Forward, to include Economic Development, Develop Louisville, Codes & Regulations and the Affordable Housing Trust Fund – Monday, May 13 at 3:30 pm
• Louisville Fire – Tuesday, May 21 at 5:30 pm
• Safe & Healthy Neighborhoods – Wednesday, May 22 at 4:30 pm
• Louisville Free Public Library – Wednesday, May 29 at 3:30 pm
• Public Works and Assets – Wednesday, May 29 at 4:30 pm
• Emergency Services – Thursday, May 30 at 3:30 pm
• LMPD – Thursday, May 30 at 4:30 pm
• Public Health & Wellness – Monday, June 10 at 3:45 pm

For a complete schedule of meetings, current as of today, click here!

All Metro Council Committee meetings are carried live on Metro TV, Spectrum Cable Channel 184 and UVERSE Channel 99. The meetings are also available online at the Metro Council home page at http://louisvilleky.gov/government/metro-council/metro-council-clerk by clicking on the “Watch Meetings Online” button.

It is the classic play of political ambition that leads to murder and tyranny. Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith (D-4) invites the community to a free presentation of “Macbeth”, this year’s Shakespeare in the Parks event presented by Kentucky Shakespeare.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the great work of Kentucky Shakespeare and the arts cannot find a better audience than the people of our neighborhoods,” says Sexton Smith. “The arts enhance our quality of life and when you have the chance to experience a classic play such as this, I hope everyone will take advantage of it.”

Macbeth is Kentucky Shakespeare’s 6-actor, 90-minute production which will have toured 28 parks and locations in Metro Louisville and Southern Indiana from April 6th to May 25th.

It tells the story of a brave Scottish general named Macbeth who receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia that to more murder and his becoming a tyrannical ruler.

This Sunday, it is a free performance in Smoketown at the Muhammad Ali Boxing Glove Monument beginning at 2:00pm. In the event of rain, the location will be moved to the Smoketown Wellness Center.

“So please come and join us. Bring a chair, blanket, or plan a picnic for this free, family-friendly community event,” says Sexton Smith.

For more information about Shakespeare in the Parks in Smoketown, contact Councilwoman Sexton Smith’s office at 574-1104.

Bloomberg Philanthropies announced that Louisville Metro Government is one of seven cities to achieve 2019 What Works Cities Certification, a national standard of excellence in city governance. What Works Cities Certification evaluates how well cities are managed by measuring the extent to which city leaders incorporate data and evidence in their decision-making.

Louisville achieved Certification at the gold level, moving up from the silver level in 2018. In announcing Louisville’s increased level of Certification today, What Works Cities pointed to efforts led by the Office for Performance Improvement & Innovation to create on-demand traffic studies in partnership with the Waze app in place of more costly, slower-to-develop traditional traffic studies. What Works Cities also cited the city’s ongoing efforts to improve its engagement and quality of publicly open data.

“What Works Cities Gold Certification means our city government is performing among the very best in the U.S. and that our work to use innovation and data to more efficiently expend tax dollars is a national model,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “There are always more efficiencies to implement, more breakthrough innovations to explore — and we have the right team to guide us in the Office of Performance Improvement & Innovation, led by Grace Simrall and Carmen Moreno-Rivera.”

Mayor Fischer created the Office of Performance Improvement & Innovation in 2012 to guide Louisville Metro Government in improving the use of evidence, data and innovation to achieve more efficient and effective services for residents. OPI2 has helped the city increase revenue, reduce staff time, increase program reach and avoid costly consultants. This includes:

• A 29% reduction in repair time at Louisville Metro Parks’ Central Services repair facility.
• Savings of $72,000 by taking over the Employee Engagement survey from an outsourced company while substantially increasing the participation rate.
• Hackathons that drew in community partners to help us better use our data.
• Getting more people involved in the digital platforms that are essential for the economy of today and tomorrow. That includes more than 500 low-cost internet sign ups with local providers and distributed more than 350 refurbished donated computers for residents in need in 2018.
• Bringing in more than $13.5 million in grants.

“We are proud to celebrate Louisville and the other certified cities and recognize their achievements for others to learn from,” said Simone Brody, Executive Director of What Works Cities. “These well-managed cities are better solving the problems facing their communities and addressing residents’ needs. They are stretching every dollar by using data to set priorities, budget effectively, and ensure investments are yielding desired results. They are also putting data at the core of their efforts to prepare for future challenges.”

What Works Cities Certification evaluates how well cities are managed and how city leaders incorporate data and evidence in their decision-making. Cities are evaluated on factors such as whether they have dedicated staff responsible for helping departments use data to track their progress; whether contracts are awarded based on past performance; meetings are focused on numbers; key datasets are open to the public; and whether there is transparency both in the goals set and the progress toward achieving them. Cities must demonstrate that they have policies in place to manage the risks associated with sophisticated data practices. The program also requires that cities publicly communicate their use of data best practices and engage community stakeholders in the process.

The Certification program launched in April 2017, and U.S. cities with populations of 30,000 and higher are eligible to participate. Cities are awarded silver, gold, or platinum Certification depending on their level of data sophistication. The Certification program was developed by a team of experts in close consultation with the What Works Cities Certification Standard Committee, which comprises leaders in the field from more than a dozen organizations that support cities. What Works Cities experts, along with members of the Standard Committee, then join in-person site visits to the highest-performing cities to determine the city’s Certification level. The seven 2019 certified cities were identified from over 90 assessments.

To date, a total of thirteen cities have achieved Certification:

Arlington, TX (2019 Silver), Boston, MA (2018 Silver), Kansas City, MO (2019 Gold, 2018 Silver), Los Angeles, CA (2018 Gold), Louisville, KY (2019 Gold, 2018 Silver), Memphis, TN (2019 Silver), New Orleans, LA (2018 Silver), Philadelphia, PA (2019 Silver), San Diego, CA (2018 Silver), San Francisco (2018 Silver), Scottsdale, AZ (2019 Silver), Seattle, WA (2018 Silver), and Washington, DC (2019 Gold, 2018 Silver)

With volunteers cleaning neighborhoods, donating bikes to refugees, building beds for local youth and collecting canned goods and personal care items, Mayor Greg Fischer’s eighth annual Give A Day Week of Service made a big impact on the city and amounted to more than 235,000 acts of volunteerism and compassion during the week that ended Saturday, April 20, 2019.

That surpassed Louisville’s own 2018 world record of about 205,000 volunteers and acts of compassion.

The Mayor, who started Give A Day in 2011 and has since expanded it to eight days that now occur as part of the Kentucky Derby Festival, said seeing the city join together to help each other out was inspiring and encouraging.  

“What we saw this week was a true outpouring of compassion and shows the big impact each of us can have on our community by simply showing up and helping someone out,” Mayor Fischer said. “I’m inspired each year by seeing the new and creative ways people can chip in to keep our Give A Day effort growing, and by living our city core value of compassion during our week of service, and 365 days a year.”

The annual count is an estimate based on volunteers and groups who reported their work and acts of compassion, such as donated meals and other items. The success of Give A Day would not be possible without the support and coordination of Metro United Way, which matches volunteers with projects and organizations through the website, www.mygiveaday.com.

“Service is at the heart of what Metro United Way does every day, and we’re so proud to partner with Mayor Fischer for his Give a Day Week of Service,” said Theresa Reno-Weber, President and CEO of Metro United Way. “Uplifting this week of service is critical to our community, but we also understand that service is necessary and needed all year long. Continuing to build a stronger, more vibrant community through service will help every person live life to its fullest potential.” 

The 2019 Give A Day numbers included more than 17,000 volunteers who joined the Brightside & Passport Health Plan Spring Community-Wide Cleanups, removing litter and debris from neighborhoods, parks and schools.

60,000 Jefferson County Public Schools students and teachers joined together for a variety of projects throughout the week from cleaning up playgrounds and collecting donations for Louisville Metro Animal Services to volunteering at Family Scholar House.

Random Acts of Kindness, a nonprofit started by JCPS student Andrew Dunn, joined the Mayor, the Kentucky Derby Princesses and more than 700 Barret Middle School students, parents and staff to make 3,361 breakfast burritos to be delivered to homeless and local food pantries.

WE Day’s Walk for Compassion drew 4,100 students and teachers from across the Commonwealth who participated in service projects and donated 72,500 personal care items for the creation of 18,125 personal care kits.

Now more than ever, the Mayor said, he was proud of the local companies and employees that stepped up to volunteer and host events during the week.

Texas Roadhouse partnered with the Louisville Parks Foundation and Summer Blessings to fill 8,000 bags of food that will be handed out to children at Louisville community centers during the summer. Volunteers from GE Appliances, Walgreens, Kentucky Distillers Association, Brown-Forman, Republic Bank, Enterprise and Heine Brothers’ Coffee made repairs and spruced up the Volunteers of America’s Shelby Street Campus. And 42 volunteers from Michelin/American Synthetic Rubber Corporation joined New Directions Housing Corporation to bring much-needed home repairs to a homeowner in south Louisville.

Presbyterian Center USA brought 500 volunteers to assemble 1,500 hygiene kits, while the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary sent 300 student volunteers on cleanups throughout the city. Dare to Care collected 38,000 pounds of food from local Kroger stores. 

2019 Give A Day week of service — Notable Numbers:

• 327,699 total volunteer hours given to projects during Give A Day Week 2019
• 38,000 pounds of food donated through Kroger and Dare to Care food drives
• 17,456 Brightside volunteers cleaned up neighborhoods and parks in Louisville
• 4,400 thank you notes written by Global Game Changers
• $800 raised by Lucy Lu Bakes’ online bake sale with proceeds going to Scarlet’s Bakery
• 198 units of blood donated at Red Cross blood drives
• 158 beds built for JCPS students

Mayor Greg Fischer today announced promotions for multiple Louisville Metro Government officials who have been running the Louisville Metro Office for Performance Improvement, Louisville Metro Criminal Justice Commission, the Transit Authority of River City, Louisville Free Public Library, Louisville Metro Parks & Recreation, Louisville Metro Department of Economic Development, and Louisville Metro Office for Housing and Community Development on an interim basis.

Carmen Moreno-Rivera

Moreno-Rivera has been appointed Chief of the Office for Performance Improvement (OPI). She brought her expertise and experience to Louisville Metro Government from UPS in 2017 and was named Interim Chief of Metro OPI last fall to replace Daro Mott.

“I made a commitment to continuous, data-driven improvement from Day One as mayor, and Metro OPI is now a national model,” said Mayor Fischer. “Carmen Moreno-Rivera has quickly proven that she is a leader and an innovator worthy of OPI’s reputation.”

Moreno-Rivera was with UPS from 2003 to 2017, ultimately serving as Air Region Operations Excellence Manager.

“I am excited and grateful for the opportunity to serve our residents and Metro employees through the continued success of OPI,” said Moreno-Rivera. “I am committed to using data analysis and innovative problem solving to drive continuous improvement and efficiency in our government processes.”

Metro OPI provides management consulting services to Louisville Metro Government. Staff members facilitate cross-functional teams to help solve problems and train Metro leadership, managers, and employees in continuous improvement methodologies and project management.

Faith Augustine

Augustine has been appointed Executive Director of the Louisville Metro Criminal Justice Commission.

Augustine has been on the Criminal Justice Commission staff for 15 years and was named Interim Executive Director last fall after the retirement of Kim Allen. Prior to becoming Interim Executive Director, Augustine served as Public Protection Coordinator for the Commission.

“Faith Augustine is a model public servant with the right mix of experience and skills to take on a vital role at the center of our city’s No. 1 priority, public safety,” Mayor Fischer said. “We’re facing challenging times that will require even greater coordination, planning, and understanding of public safety, and demonstrated leaders like Faith will be more important than ever.”

The Criminal Justice Commission works to improve the administration of justice and promote public safety through planning, research, education, and system-wide coordination of criminal justice and public safety initiatives. The 27-member Commission Board is comprised of key local, state, and federal criminal justice and public safety representatives, Louisville Metro Government officials, and citizens representing the community.

“I’m honored to serve as Director and to work with the Criminal Justice Commission Board in a new capacity,” said Augustine.

Ferdinand Risco Jr.

Risco has been appointed Executive Director at the Transit Authority of River City (TARC). He was named Interim Executive Director at TARC last fall, when he took over for J. Barry Barker, who retired after directing the public transit agency for almost 25 years.

A veteran of the public transit sector and the military, Risco joined TARC in 2017. Prior to TARC, he was executive director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Association.

“The TARC Board and I appreciate Ferdinand’s hard work to ensure a smooth transition following the retirement of Barry Barker. I look forward to working together to continue enhancing the transportation opportunities in the Greater Louisville region,” said Cedric Powell, Chairman, TARC Board of Directors.

The region’s primary bus service, TARC serves more than 41,000 daily riders on 43 routes in Jefferson, Bullitt, and Oldham counties in Kentucky and Clark and Floyd counties in southern Indiana.

“It is a great privilege to be appointed to this position,” Risco said. “TARC is a dedicated organization, with a hard-working and committed workforce. Together — as members of the community we serve — we look forward to continuing to improve the customer experience and bring about important and necessary progress in economic development. I am honored to represent TARC and the Greater Louisville Region as we continue to lead the industry in providing innovative and reliable mobility solutions.”

Lee Burchfield

Burchfield has been appointed Director of the Louisville Free Public Library (LFPL). He was named Interim Director of LFPL last fall upon the departure of Director Jim Blanton.

“Lee Burchfield is a true home-grown talent, having been with the Library since 1997,” said Mayor Fischer. “The library system is experiencing great momentum these days, and Lee has the vision and expertise to keep it moving forward.” 

Burchfield has held multiple posts with LFPL, including Assistant Director, Assistant Branch Manager, Electronic Resources Supervisor, Manager of Computer Services, and Director of Strategic Planning & Technology.

“I am humbled and excited to be entrusted with the leadership of the Louisville Free Public Library,” said Burchfield. “In my 22 years with LFPL, I have seen how much our library system is loved by and depended upon by residents of every part of Louisville Metro. We have a tremendously talented and dedicated staff, some of the country’s best library facilities, and a reputation for providing innovative and outstanding programming for the community.”

Dana Kasler

Kasler has been appointed Director at Louisville Metro Parks & Recreation. He has been Interim Director at Metro Parks & Recreation since last fall, when he replaced former Director Seve Ghose.

Kasler is a veteran of more than 26 years in parks and recreation administration. He joined Metro Parks & Recreation in early 2018, when he was named Assistant Director of Revenue Facilities. Prior to that, he was Director of Parks and Recreation in Parkland, Fla.

“The parks are among our city’s crown jewels,” said Mayor Fischer. “They are precious greenspace for recreation and community gatherings, as well as a place for peace and solitude. Dana Kasler was thrown into this job after a short time in Louisville, but he is clearly up to the task.”

“I’m honored and excited,” Kasler said. “We have one of the best park systems in the country and I am looking forward to the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.”

Louisville Parks and Recreation is a nationally accredited parks and recreation agency that manages 120 parks and six parkways on more than 13,000 acres of land and operates recreation programs for all ages.

Rebecca Fleischaker

A veteran of the Louisville Metro Government team, Fleischaker has been appointed Director of the Department of Economic Development. She has been Interim Director of the department since January.

“Rebecca Fleischaker is the quintessential team player, and there is nothing you can throw at her that she can’t do,” said Mayor Fischer. “She has helped build Louisville Forward into one of the country’s most respected economic development efforts.”

Fleischaker has worked for three mayors and managed several successful large and visible projects, bringing new jobs and investment, and fruitful relationships to the city. Prior to taking the interim directorship, Fleischaker had been Deputy Director since 2014. She joined the newly merged Louisville Metro Government in 2003. Before that, she worked for former Mayor David Armstrong and in the private sector.

“I’m proud to represent Louisville, both residents and businesses in leading the Department of Economic Development,” said Fleischaker. “I am honored to work with a great team who make our city a great place to do business – whether small or large – and attract new jobs and talent.”

The Department of Economic Development is part of Louisville Forward, the city’s integrated approach to economic and community development, combining business attraction, expansion and retention activities, and talent and workforce attraction, with all of the city’s real estate development, land use and planning and design functions to present a unified solution for job growth and quality of place.

Marilyn Harris

Harris has been appointed Director of the Louisville Metro Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD). She has been Interim Director of OHCD since January. Harris joined Louisville Metro Government in August 2017 after nearly 20 years at the Kentucky Housing Corporation, most recently as Director of Housing Production.

“The work being done in our Office of Housing and Community Development is vital to the growth of our city,” said Mayor Fischer. “Marilyn Harris’ experience in community building and proven leadership will continue to strengthen our neighborhoods and uplift our residents. 

The Office of Housing and Community Development is part of Develop Louisville, which is housed in Louisville Forward, and is a critical arm supporting the city’s quality of place initiatives at the family and neighborhood levels.

“For the past 20 years, my career has been working for the betterment of the Commonwealth,” said Harris. “I am thrilled to now be able to use my knowledge, passion and experience to play an integral role in the development of my hometown.”

Council Members David Yates (D-25) and Rick Blackwell (D-12) invite the community to their annual Family Movie Night at the Southwest YMCA this coming Friday, April 26th featuring the 2018 animated film “Ralph Breaks the Internet”

 It’s a free event for the entire family.

 “This is a great way to kick off the weekend as Councilman Blackwell and I partner with the Southwest YMCA to host fun family events that everyone in the community will be able to enjoy in a safe and comfortable atmosphere,” said Yates. “Family Movie Night is now in its second year and we hope to have yet another great turnout.”

 “The Southwest YMCA does a tremendous job of offering family-friendly events for our community and this is a free night of fun for the family,”    says Blackwell. “It is also a good way to see what all the Southwest YMCA offers to the community.”

 Family Movie Night at the Southwest YMCA will be held from 6:00pm to 10:00pm. Families can enjoy activities from 6:00pm to 8:00 pm including:

• Hot dogs, ice cream and popcorn

• Inflatables, family games and face painting

• Movie on the lawn starts at 8:30pm Bring your blankets and chairs.

“Ralph Breaks the Internet” is the 2018 Walt Disney Studios sequel to “Wreck it Ralph”. It follows the adventures of two video images as they try to find new challenges on the World Wide Web.

 The Southwest YMCA is located at 2800 Fordhaven Road.

 For more information, contact Councilman Yates office at 574-1125 or Councilman Blackwell’s Office at 574-1112.