Owen Preparing To Create Committee On Expanding Urban Services

Louisville Metro Council President Tom Owen says he will soon appoint a new committee. The ad hoc panel will be tasked with figuring out how to expand urban services to all of Louisville.Residents of the pre-merger City of Louisville are in the urban services district. In exchange for higher property taxes, district residents receive garbage collection, street lights and fire protection from the city. Outside of the district, those services are either provided by small cities like St. Matthews or private contractors.Owen says the easiest way to expand the services is through a county-wide tax increase, but he wants the committee to explore other options as well."It would be a formula for possible expansion, but I don’t expect—in the short term at least—for the committee to come up with a budget formula for paying for them," he says.Owen says his colleagues asked him to form the committee, and it will not take action to expand the services.