Council Approves Ordinance to Give Arena Authority Break on Fees

The Louisville Metro Council has approved an ordinance that gives the Arena Authority a break on disputed fees it owes the Louisville Downtown Management District.The authority has been tied up in court over whether the KFC Yum Center is an assessable entity that should pay fees to Downtown Management.Last year the arena paid $32,000 under protest. This year the arena would owe more than $200,000, but officials have argued the authority is a government-run agency and have challenged the assessment, claiming that under current ordinance no public agency or facility is required to pay the fees.Council President Jim King introduced the amendment and said it offers the chance for the two entities to settle the matter outside of court. By authoring the ordinance, King expects both sides to come to a payment agreement based on the worth of the arena's tax increment financing worth, which is currently less than expected.LDMD officials previously told WFPL that the board had not come to an agreement on the plan, despite seeming to some council members to have agreed at last week's Budget Committee meeting.King said he expects an agreement to be reached.“I will be the first one to come in and file an ordinance to repeal what we’re doing tonight if they do not finish up the contract," he said.The amendment passed 24-1, with councilwoman Tina Ward-Pugh in dissent.