Coffee with your Councilman set for January

Councilman Rick Blackwell is starting off the new year with an invitation to residents of District 12 to enjoy a free cup of coffee and some conversation on Saturday, February 4th.

The first District 12 “Coffee with your Councilman” of the year will get underway at Sister Bean’s Coffeehouse beginning at 10:00am.

“I invite the District 12 residents to come out for an informal chat,” says Blackwell. “There is no formal agenda so residents are welcome to voice their opinions or ask questions about issues that concern them.”

Sister Beans is located at 5225 New Cut Road.

For more information about the February “Coffee with your Councilman”, contact Councilman Blackwell’s office at 574-1112.

Revised dumping ordinance allows confiscation of vehicles

Louisville Metro Council is sending a strong message to anyone illegally dumping in Metro Louisville. If caught, you not only face a fine, but impoundment of your vehicle for up to twelve months.

The Council on Thursday unanimously approved the new section to the illegal dumping ordinance.

“I want to thank the Council for their strong show of support,” said Councilwoman Marianne Butler (D-15), the primary sponsor of the ordinance. “We now have another tool at our disposal to make it very costly for anyone who decides to use an alley, side street, vacant property or empty field as their own personal dumping ground.”

The legislation allows for LMPD Officers, Code Enforcement Officers and any other city officials authorized to enforce any provision of the Louisville Metro Code the ability to enforce the additional section of the Code. Prior to releasing any vehicle that has been impounded, all outstanding citations, towing, handling and storage charges shall be paid in full.

During the review of the new law, Council members saw how easily hidden cameras used by Metro Public Works in certain areas clearly show illegal dumping and the vehicles involved.

“We feel strongly that this new law will put a dent in the illegal dumping problem. At a minimum, it might make someone think twice before dumping debris,” says Butler.

The measure will take effect once it is signed by the Mayor.

Dixie Highway "business census" to begin soon

In the coming weeks, I and a handful of faithful volunteers will be conducting an informal census of businesses located along Dixie Highway, starting in the Valley Village area and extending to points north yet to be determined.

The point of all this is to properly illustrate and inventory the types of businesses we already have and compare them to the ones most commonly mentioned as ones residents say they would like to have in Southwest Louisville.

The census will be an informal affair and will not include any conversations with the owners or customers. We are after raw data, here. Not opinions.

If you are interested in helping out, drop me a line by clicking here. Don't forget to include the amount of time you would be willing to dedicate as well as what part of the highway you'd like to inventory.

I'm certain that, while we know what we have, we may be shocked by what we see. To actually see it written down in cold hard numbers may be a wake-up call to all citizens.

Thanks for your consideration, and thanks for reading the Valley Report.

Brian
The Valley Report

SW news updates 1/17/12

- The VITA Tax Service begins today. VITA has been a huge success, helping low income individuals prepare and send their tax returns. Click HERE for locations and times.

-  Councilman David Yates (D-25) has been named chair of the Metro Council’s Contracts Committee by President Jim King (D-10)

“I am honored for the opportunity to serve as Chair and I want tax payers to know, especially in these tight financial times, we will be very thorough in our review of how contracts are bid,” said Yates.

In his first year on the Council, Yates served as Co-chair of the Contracts and Appointments Committee.

“In that first year, I have seen numerous contracts come before us that I feel could have been bid out for a better return of the tax payers money,” said Yates.

The Contracts Committee reviews all contracts for goods and services used by the Metro Government. The Committee interacts with departments and agencies of government to learn what is being purchased and why it is needed.

-  This year, Kentuckiana Works Youth Career Center and partners are offering 16-21 year-olds the opportunity to be ready to meet employers at the Showcase with a series of Workforce Education Training Workshops. The two hour workshop prepares youth for the job hunt with tips on how to dress for success, how to complete a job application on paper and online, expressing their transferable skills as they build a resume and how to conduct themselves in an interview. Young people can get more information about these workshops at www.kentuckianaworks.org/foryoungadults

Yates seeking volunteers for veterans memorial clean-up

As we told you earlier this week, Councilman David Yates (D-25) has made keeping the district clean a top priority.

Today Yates announced a new initiative and is organizing a community clean-up event at the Southwest Government Center to help remove unsightly trash and litter around the Vietnam Memorial and Government Center building. They are seeking volunteers willing to help.

"We are taking residents concerns about cleaning up our neighborhoods seriously" says Yates, "Volunteer efforts like this will help with the awareness of the problem."

WHERE:

Southwest Government Center

7219 Dixie Highway

WHEN:

Saturday, January 14, 2012 12:30 p.m.

For more information, contact the office at 574-1125.

Yates cleaning up District 25

Councilman David Yates (D-25) is currently in negotiations with local businesses and community leaders to develop a more permanent solution to the problem of illegal dumping, primarily used tires.

Before the Christmas holiday, Councilman Yates and other volunteers cleaned up an illegal dumping site of discarded tires in the hopes that it would dissuade others from dumping in the area.

"Dumping is a big problem in District 25" says Yates, "We're tackling this problem head on and working to prevent this from continuing on a widespread scale."

Councilman Yates encourages residents to remain watchful and if you see someone dumping illegally, take down details- such as car color and make and description of the individual if possible, and report it to the Police.

For additional information, contact Councilman Yates office at 574-1125