Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson says he hopes to roll out his plan to balance the city budget early next week.Abramson and his staff are looking for ways to close a $20 million dollar shortfall in the current budget.He's asking all city employees to give up their two-percent pay raises for the last half of the fiscal year, but some unions that represent the workers, including the police force, are resisting the idea.Speaking Wednesday on WFPL's "State of Affairs" program, Abramson said a budget meeting with Fraternal Order of Police leaders Tuesday went well, but no decisions were made."There was a lot of exchange of ideas and thoughts, some approaches that we presented, approaches that they said 'would you look into this, might this work,' Abramson said.This week the mayor announced cuts in services totaling $3.4 million. He earlier ordered three furlough days for most Metro Government workers and a 10-percent pay cut for him and his department heads.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.