Just wanted to share an email update that I go today From Councilman Ken Fleming District 7
Metro Council Update
By now you may have read or heard on the radio or TV about what happened at the Metro Council meeting on November 6 regarding Center City. This project will be developed on what some consider the last remaining large tract of land in downtown Louisville. Many of us on the Council want to see the property developed but not by giving it away.
For two weeks, the Metro Council worked together in bipartisan cooperation to request more taxpayer protection in the $36 million giveaway of Metro funding and property. I was honored to serve on the task force that came up with several simple solutions for the development agreement that provided us, and the taxpayers, a better understanding of the use of the land, how Metro will release the land, and what we expect to see as a commitment in developing the land in terms of dollars, design and specified timeframe.
After days of discussion leaders of both parties, along with the Metro Council President, called on the Mayor to make specific changes to the development agreement between Louisville and the Baltimore based Cordish Group.
Unfortunately, less than two hours before the Council meeting, we were notified by the Administration that there would be no changes to the agreement and that the Council Democrats were going to force a vote. It was disheartening to witness two Democratic leaders take a call on the Council floor instructing them on what to do, what to say and how to vote. This disturbed me in that we have people on the Council who are not critical thinkers and believe in hand outs and not hand ups. My Republican colleagues and I tried in earnest to remind other council members of their previous commitments and comments but to no avail.
This development is positioned to create short-term construction jobs, but as presented in past Budget Committee meetings by economists, we are playing a shell game with local long-term permanent jobs. It was argued that this development is targeted to support high paying long-term jobs; however, there was no demonstrated empirical data to support these claims. This government fails to understand that being one of the highest most taxed communities in the country, subpar population growth, shuffling of jobs without significant increase and subjective and selective process inhibiting local businesses to develop and grow, makes it difficult to attract businesses, especially Fortune 500 or 1000 companies. I have witnessed an improvement in the entrepreneurial spirit with both startups and some established companies, but this government needs to do more to support this flame. Just think of the potential return of $36 million investment in attracting a Fortune 500 or 1000 company.
I sincerely wish the City Center property can be developed sooner rather than later but this government seems to lack the knowledge of how to address economic development issues and its health and it manufactures an artificial image to mask its deficiencies. Since the vote approved the sale of the property in order for the land to be developed, I will do my best to see that it is successful.