2 weeks ago
The magnitude of authorities backing headed to Kentucky's largest metropolis to support downtown renewal, education, wellness attraction and different priorities shows that nan days of talking astir an urban-rural disagreement successful nan Bluegrass State are "now down us," Louisville's mayor said Monday.
The caller two-year authorities fund passed by nan Republican-dominated legislature will pump much than $1 cardinal into Louisville, reflecting nan city's domiciled arsenic an economical catalyst that benefits nan full state, lawmakers said.
KENTUCKY LAWMAKERS APPROVE BILL TO FILL SENATE VACANCY BY SPECIAL ELECTION RATHER THAN BY DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR
Republican legislators and Louisville's first-term Democratic mayor, Craig Greenberg, said of nan collaboration they achieved during nan 60-day legislative convention that ended 2 weeks ago.
"For acold excessively long, folks person talked astir this urban-rural disagreement that has divided Louisville and nan remainder of nan state," Greenberg said astatine a news convention attended by a number of lawmakers successful downtown Louisville. "Well those days are now down us."
"We whitethorn not work together connected each issue," he said. "What we person shown this convention is that’s OK. There is truthful overmuch communal ground. There is truthful overmuch that we do work together on."
There was nary mention of divisive issues — past and coming — that prompted immoderate Democratic lawmakers and others to proclaim that nan predominantly agrarian GOP legislature was waging a "war connected Louisville." During nan just-ended session, Republican lawmakers enacted a measurement to make mayoral elections nonpartisan successful Louisville, nan state's astir Democratic city. And lawmakers undid efforts successful Louisville and Lexington to prohibition landlords from discriminating against renters who usage national lodging vouchers.
A cyclist rides a motorcycle successful position of nan Louisville, Ky., skyline, June 7, 2016, successful Louisville. The magnitude of authorities backing headed to Kentucky's largest metropolis to support downtown renewal, education, wellness attraction and different priorities shows that nan days of talking astir an urban-rural disagreement successful nan Bluegrass State are "now down us," Louisville's politician said Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Perhaps nan astir explosive rumor is still pending. Lawmakers agreed to create a task unit to reappraisal nan nationalist schoolhouse strategy that encompasses Louisville. The reappraisal could perchance lead to efforts adjacent twelvemonth to divided up Jefferson County Public Schools, nan state's largest schoolhouse system.
Sen. Gerald Neal, nan authorities Senate's top-ranking Democrat, noted astatine Monday's arena that location stay "some unanswered questions" regarding nan legislature's narration pinch Louisville. But Neal praised his colleagues for approving nan backing for his hometown, referring to nan $100 cardinal complete 2 years for downtown Louisville arsenic a "home run."
Other projects winning legislative backing will make improvements astatine Louisville's airport, support a organization halfway for teens and adults pinch disabilities, build connected nan Louisville Orchestra's statewide beingness and support nan Kentucky Exposition Center, which hosts waste and acquisition shows passim nan year.
University of Louisville President Kim Schatzel said nan convention produced historical levels of backing for nan school. The fund supports improvement of a caller wellness sciences building successful downtown Louisville that will nutrient much wellness professionals and beforehand cutting-edge research, she said.
The authorities besides will thief create a cybersecurity halfway astatine UofL that will put nan metropolis and authorities "on nan representation arsenic a nationalist leader successful this emerging and incredibly important exertion field," Schatzel said.
"Construction and cranes connected campus, well, they lukewarm a president’s bosom for illustration thing else, arsenic they awesome assurance successful a very agleam early for nan assemblage and nan communities that we serve," she said.
Lawmakers passed a much than $128 cardinal main fund for nan authorities executive branch complete nan adjacent 2 fiscal years. They besides approved tapping into nan state's monolithic fund reserves for astir $3 cardinal successful spending connected one-time investments successful infrastructure and organization projects.
House Speaker David Osborne said nan Louisville investments resulted from disciplined budgeting since nan GOP gained House power successful 2017, consolidating Republican power of nan legislature.
For successive fund cycles aft that, "this legislative assemblage has spent little money than we person taken in," nan Republican speaker said. "That is not an easy point to do."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Republican Senate President Robert Stivers said that Louisville serves a ngo stretching acold beyond its boundaries successful education, wellness care, transportation, tourism and nan humanities. Stivers, who represents an eastbound Kentucky district, said nan state's investments successful Louisville were a matter of economics.
"You don’t move distant from 18 to 19% of your organization and your revenues that you return successful to nan authorities coffers," he said.
