City Of Louisville: Mayor: Louisville Heads Into 2022 Well-Positioned For Economic Recovery, Intensely Focused On Equity And Justice

Louisville KY

23 December, 2021

5:23 PM

Description

Press release from the City of Louisville: December 23, 2021 Call the LOU HEALTH helpline 502-912-8598. Give now to the relief fund. Mayor Greg Fischer today reflected on 2021 as a year when Louisville built on its social muscle and "greatly intensified our work to realize our city's guiding goals of becoming a city of lifelong learning, a healthier city, and a city of even greater compassion." And in 2022 – his last as Mayor – that work will intensify even further, he vowed, citing a strong Louisville Metro Government team, willing partners, an economy that is regaining its pre-2020 momentum and an infusion of unprecedented federal funding that will allow the city "to take some of the things we hoped to do some day – and do them now." "Our share of the once-in-a-generation federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars ($388 million) is going to boost public safety, which is my No. 1 priority, in significant and expansive ways," the Mayor said, "while also expanding our ability to bring services, housing and other opportunities to our most vulnerable, grow our economy and improve the health of our people and our neighborhoods." In his annual year-end interviews with media today, the Mayor acknowledged the ongoing challenges of COVID-19, the struggle for racial justice and the fight against gun violence, outlining steps the city took in 2021 to seize on what he views as "a greater understanding of those challenges among people across our community and a broader sense of urgency to address those challenges." There's a greater recognition, for example, that the work to reduce gun violence, especially the work outside of enforcement, takes time and extends beyond law enforcement. Citing an FY22 budget that quadruples the city's investment in violence prevention from $5 million to $19 million, he said, "My priority is to fully and faithfully implement our six-pillar, whole of government approach to public safety." That includes changes within LMPD recommended in early 2021 by Hillard Heintze after its top-to-bottom review of the department and in discussions with the Department of Justice, as well as establishment of a new Civilian Review Board and Office of Inspector General, roles that were filled in 2021, along with a new reform-minded police chief.  Also, work on the Group Violence Intervention, or GVI, a community-based initiative intensified this year, with the goal of diverting people away from violent crime. The city's Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods (OSHN) is integral to that work – especially as it relates to building capacity among individuals and communities that are suffering the most from gun violence. In discussing the ongoing impact of COVID-19, Mayor Fischer said he and his team continue urging people to get vaccinated if they are not already and to get the booster, which will help fight against the latest omicron variant. And he praised the work of the Louisville Metro Public Health & Wellness team and its partners and volunteers. "Just think back to early in the year, when thousands of volunteers came together to see that more than 100,000 of their neighbors got COVID-19 vaccines through our LouVax mass vaccination site," the Mayor said. "This unprecedented, tremendous public health response paved the way for our return to economic progress." He pointed to major economic advances this year, ranging from Kindred Healthcare and Tennessee-based LifePoint partnering to create a new healthcare company called ScionHealth, to be headquartered in Louisville, to GE Appliances' $450 million plan to upgrade its facilities here and create 1,000 new jobs, to the opening of the Gateway to NuLu, a 75,000-square-foot tech hub in Nulu. He also discussed work to revitalize downtown, based on the recommendation of stakeholders, noting, "We saw new construction and an expanded ambassador program to keep our streets clean and our visitors welcomed." "We saw our tourism industry buoyed anew by Bourbonism and all things soccer, and the return of live concerts and live theater," he added, noting that the city hosted more than 350 convention groups in 2021, with some 680,000 attendees, booking 325,000 room nights for an estimated economic impact of $244 million. The Mayor also outlined the city's work to lift up its residents by addressing the pandemic's impact on employment, housing and small businesses. The city has distributed nearly $83 million in eviction prevention assistance since the start of the pandemic, for example, and this year alone, provided $14 million to help people financially impacted by the pandemic pay their utility bills. The city also approved nearly $3.2 million in low-interest loans to help 42 small businesses get started, grow and manage the economic impacts of the pandemic. The city also this year announced a multi-phase plan to address chronic street homelessness through immediate, intermediate, and long-term solutions, ranging from a new Safe Outdoor Space with supportive wrap-around services, to more permanent supportive housing options developed in partnership with service providers, and increased funding for affordable housing. In November, the Mayor signed an ordinance allocating $89 million in ARP funding to support the plan and boost affordable housing. The Mayor stressed that "our commitment to equity and inclusion has been a guiding principle throughout" this year, including in the city's vaccination work, in an equity review of all city-owned parks and facilities, in a new city festival honoring Juneteenth, in Evolve502 scholarships to every public school student in 8thgrade "and above all, in ongoing, major investments in west Louisville." In closing, the Mayor said, he is buoyed by the city's continuing commitment to compassion, evident from the work of LMG and volunteers early this year "to quickly convert a dusty, dark arena into a highly efficient vaccination operation that, without question, saved countless lives," to the more recent outpouring of support for those devastated by tornadoes in western Kentucky. "I remain optimistic about the future of our city because of the strength, resilience, determination and compassion that I've seen this past year," the Mayor said, adding that he and his team remain committed to working internally and with community partners "to emerge from this period as a stronger, more unified, and more equitable city than ever before." ### Enter required fields How do you want to be reminded? (Street Sweeping requires at least an email) Reminders are sent on the Sunday before and the Friday of your Junk Set Out date. * is required. By subscribing to this reminder service you agree to the Terms of Use. To unsubscribe go to Gov Delivery. Enter your address and MyLouisville will find nearby city services in the following categories: Find your garbage, recycling, yard waste and large-item set-out dates. Sign up for large-item set out and street sweeping reminders by email and text! No form has been selected. Popular Pages Popular Tools This press release was produced by the City of Louisville. The views expressed here are the author's own.