The Council of the Urban County Government has been as busy as I have seen it in my 15 years. We have not yet had any gut-wrenching all night zone changes, and I am hopeful we will not before my term ends on Dec. 31. My glass slipper will disappear at the stroke of midnight and the beginning of 2009.
Both candidates for the 5th District seat on the Urban County Council are qualified to represent you. A forum is planned at Henry Clay High School at 7 p.m. on Oct. 15. Both Ed Norton and Cheryl Feigel have promised to be there to elaborate on their positions and answer your questions. No other candidates will be there. But please vote, as it is your best chance to influence your community and your nation.
The council continues to tilt with the TIFs and will do so for the next 12 months. Both CentrePointe and the Distillery District developments have been approved by the council and will move forward. Tax Increment Financing requires a development that will increase tax revenue over what is now being returned to the state and the local treasury. For example, the block cleared for CentrePointe returned $306,000 in taxes last year. After the project is completed, the increased taxes can be partially diverted to pay off bonds that can be used to finance public improvements in a defined district around the development. The first step will be the production of a development plan followed by a public meeting. These meetings will occur for both projects in October. The next step is an application to the state department that handles economic development. If approved, then the exact improvements to the public infrastructure are defined. The final step is marketing the bonds to finance these improvements. I don't think the bonds will sell unless the public has the facts about the developments and projects appear to be successful. The council could terminate the process at any time. The potential benefits to Main Street and to Manchester Street are huge, so I believe the government should continue to participate in the creation of these TIF districts until we see what will happen.
Sometime this fall, I want to arrange a volunteer project to clear the ditch along Richmond Road (from the Idle Hour Country Club to the firehouse) of litter and overgrown vegetation. The apartment houses have agreed to maintain it once cleared. There is a little money for replacement plant material, but more is needed to pay for the city services to do some of the work. I am recruiting volunteers and will set a date soon.
New trees along Tates Creek Road have not all survived, but dead ones will be removed and replacements planted at the best time. The forestry section is working with the contractors to make sure this is done properly. Our thanks should go to Leo McMillen, director of Streets, Roads and Forestry, and to the Foresters Tim Queary, Rob Allen and Cortlandt Secord. The Transportation Cabinet of the Commonwealth has not yet announced whether we will receive the grant to install the sidewalks along Tates Creek Road from Lakewood Drive to New Circle Road.
The Service Committee of the Council will consider the amendments to the Clean Air Act at its meeting on Oct. 7 at 1 p.m.. All citizens are welcome to attend and express your opinions concerning the changes. These will primarily be inclusion of all work places, all LFUCG buildings, and some clearer language to help with the enforcement of the smoking ban. Extension of the ban to all vehicles used for public transportation such as cabs, buses and limos will be considered.