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Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer’s third and final term is well underway. On WFPL’s In Conversation Friday, Fischer said issues like the city’s lean budget and climate change present new challenges and opportunities for Louisville to tackle.
Fischer was asked about a number of issues during the show, including morale among Louisville Metro Police, his declaration of a climate crisis in Louisville and revenue options for the city. On climate, Fischer said the city is taking part in multiple projects working to slow the effects of climate change. He said everybody can help by planting trees.
“The problem is so large, relative to climate change, that it’s not something that government is going to be able to fix in and of itself,” Fischer said. “So I would just encourage everybody, in a city our size of almost 800,000 people, plant a couple of trees a year.”
But the city’s budget, which was cut by $25 million due in part to Kentucky’s ailing pension systems, could hamper such efforts. Fischer said state legislators should give Louisville more control over its laws and revenue options so it can have more alternatives to fill its budget shortfalls.
“About half of the tax revenue that we produce in our city goes to other areas of the state,” Fischer said. “So the more freedom that we have, I think the more we will grow. The more we grow, the more that helps the commonwealth, obviously.”
Join us next week for In Conversation as we talk with Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andy Beshear.
