Louisville, Kentucky: Where Are You Now & Where Will You Be?

Just recently, the Louisville Economic Chamber of Commerce (“Lou-E”) www.lou-e.org held its kick-off function at the University of Louisville, Shelby Campus. LouE is the result of the merger of the Northeast Lousiville Business Association and the Lyndon Area Business Association. As part of the celebration, the Mayor of Louisville, KY, Greg Fischer, was the keynote speaker. This presented the Mayor an opportunity to address some of his economic and cultural plans.

• Growing Economy — Jobs in the Louisville Metropolitan region have expanded by approximately 4% over the last two years. The Brookings Institution has stated that Louisville is the 4^th fastest growing metropolitan economy in the nation.
• Vision Louisville — The Mayor has established a program which he calls “Vision Louisville”. This is a long term approach to how the City will look over the next 50 years. Vision Louisville is divided into short, intermediate and long term visions. The Mayor is developing programs that would make Louisville the “Digital” city of the future. The City is pointed to take advantage of where the world will be in 2050. Also, Louisville is already established as the leader in elderly care and assistance with the presence of the locally owned national & regional businesses supporting elder needs. As more Babyboomers utilize these services, the greater the positive economic impact they will have on our community.
• Local Option Sales Tax — The Mayor is an ardent supporter for allowing a local community (such as the City of Louisville) to decide if it wants to impose a local sales tax for a specific project. 37 states allow this type of tax which puts them at a significant competitive advantage. The opportunity for such a levy is presently not allowed in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Mayor is a proponent to place a referendum on the ballot to give the citizens of the Commonwealth an opportunity to vote on this issue. For more information on the local option sales tax go to www.liftkentucky.com.

• Most Compassionate City — The Mayor has proclaimed that Louisville, KY is the most compassionate city in America. It is evident by such programs as “Give a Day Week of Service” which kicks off the Kentucky Derby Festival celebration. During the recent Give a Day Week of Service, over 90,000 people provided their time and service for the betterment of the community. Last week the Dalai Lama came to town and espoused his compassion for all.
• Downtown & East End Bridges — After 40 years of discussion, it has finally happened. The east end bridge is under construction with a completion date expected to be in 2017. The downtown bridge will soon be underway. This 2.5 billion dollar project will provide significant economic impact for many years to come.

Many of the City of Louisville initiatives are addressed in a document titled “Progress Louisville: Creating America’s Most Innovative and Entrepreneurial City” which can be found at www.louisvilleky.gov/mayor in the I want to… section “mayor’s mid-term report”.

I have been involved and have provided legal services to the Northeast Louisville Business Association and its predecessor Brownsboro Road Business Association. I am excited that the new LouE is positioned to better benefit the community and those who are involved. I also believe that Mayor Greg Fischer, in his short tenure, has proven to be a visionary and he will lead the City of Louisville to be one of the most desirable destinations for business and quality of life.

Congratulations LouE and Louisville, KY.