Mayor, Council Members Continue Budget Planning

The budget for the next fiscal year in Louisville is not yet complete, but Mayor Jerry Abramson says a drop in revenues is likely.Abramson is working with members of the Metro Council to decide which programs to cut the least. Budget Committee co-chair Jim King says across the board, public safety was council members' top priority."Police, fire, EMS, public works, corrections, inspections, libraries, those types of things…economic development," says King.Flat or negative revenue growth isn't guaranteed, but Abramson says it's likely. He'll know for sure once the receipts from April are compiled."The month of April is the most important month for us to be able to program in just what happens with occupation tax as a result of layoffs or freezes of salaries or people giving back a percentage of their salary as well as the net profits, corporate net profits tax," says Abramson.Abramson plans to present a draft of the budget to the council by the end of this month. The next fiscal year begins in July.