Remarks by Judi Kern
72 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 2 of 3
“So I know that the city clerk has already commented to us, but I would love just like a brief understanding from her, you don't have to be lengthy, just really brief, on where you see the advantage of this no longer being like an appointed board, but instead making it, I think, more administrative with the hearing. And would there still be a place where you might need a board, maybe like once or twice a year to handle things that are a little bit more delicate, that are less procedural?”
“Okay, so right now that licensing authority does these hearings when those things come up? Yes, yes. I definitely like the idea of the administrative, like the in-compliance ones being administrative. I think that our business community would really appreciate that. I'm not completely sold on for the other.”
“It still does allow for that community engagement in case there's like a community concern with that particular issue, right?”
“Do we have any idea why we haven't done this sooner? Because it seems like we could have done this like six years ago and it might have been a really good idea. Why we're here now.”
“Oh, yeah. So has anybody reached out to or engaged with other than the survey, the members of the current members of the boards about some of these potential like combining or mergers? No.”
“Yeah, just thank you. I appreciate that, because that's what I was hoping for, is that we would be able to get some of their feedback before we finalized it.”
“I think the council member Cooper brings up a great point, but I would like that to not be combined rec and senior. I would like it to be a special line item. It's a completely different conversation and needs and involves maybe some different staff recommendations to the board than what you would get from the rec advisory.”
“sort of like they understand there is still a distinct role in representing the golf course, not just the rec center. I mean, don't put it in the title, but it's a dedicated line item so that I can see the value in that because I think there might be people who volunteer who think, well, that's nothing I'm going to have anything to do with, and I have no interest or information, and it would be shocking for them to realize that was a major part of their role.”
“Just an idea that came to me. Would it? What if the youth, because I always thought, like, what is their purpose? And I have heard from some of the kids who have served that they'd like to learn more about government, but it's not really then an advisory board, right? Then it's a whole different role, and it's probably a governmental group that should be part of BVSD, not the city of Louisville necessarily. But I'm wondering, as an advisory role, if it wouldn't be beneficial to have these young people participate or give, like, every month they're meeting, they're discussing one of the…”
“right yes counselor just to get this out there i think my my only concern with taking larger very active boards uh that do have reasons to meet on their regular frequency um is it it gives the appearance that we are less interested in having our communities engage in these areas and i don't want that impression to be out there and so that's I'm thinking why don't we move forward with some of the suggestions we have a couple of the mergers where we clearly that there's a major benefit to the business community and some efficiencies but maybe we hold off on the others and see how how we proceed…”
“I agree. I just didn't want to set like this expectation and like for the hours of staff maybe and depending on, you know, what those board members also feel is their role and how they would be more active. And I just didn't want to, have you put too much work into it? If we're not a hundred, like that's what we want to do.”
“I just have a question. You mentioned, so I'm looking on mine, up here, you said you were going to try and do LSAB and PPLAB in the same week?”
“Good, thanks. I just have one recommendation is that, and I understand the role that planning commission has is very different than the other roles with the intensity of the quasi-judicial nature of what they do. But my suggestion would be if we're using chamber for all of the others, that it be set up like when we meet with other, instead of using the dais, they're sitting at tables down here so that it is more conversational with each other and with the community versus like an elected body, like in a hearing,”
“No, not at all. I think that they they should not be up here at the dice I I would I would disagree.”
“I'd rather go after... I missed a quarter of my eye.”
“Yeah, I almost feel like that could be something that's handled with the staff liaison and the city manager. If the subcommittees become, like, really overwhelming, cumbersome, or time-consuming for staff members, then maybe that's where they're looking at whether there's a real need and a role and a value in it versus that coming to us. Because... They're kind of determining where they want to do some deep dives. My bigger concern is when we have board members who are not elected by residents out representing the city meeting with other cities. That concerns me. We're worried about a council…”
“Does it depend on the board? Like I was thinking CAB, for example, that is their role is to, they're working together with the staff on events and where, you know, and so I think that maybe it's, it would, to me, it would be a little, to the point of that, or other council members, it's flexibility. Instead of prohibiting or mandating, it's let the board and the staff member determine, I think, the level of that engagement. And if it becomes, beyond what they want, then the staff member can always pull it back and not ask for that.”
“So I have two items that I wanted to see if we can... see if there's interest in us discussing further. One is about data centers and maybe looking at some type of moratorium. I realize there's not a lot of area where this could potentially be, and I don't want to prevent companies already in place that have small data centers that support their current business. I was thinking the commercial data centers. It's a topic that's being taken up in a lot of other local communities. We have major concerns around power and water, and I just want to see if we want to take that one up. The other one…”
“My only concern is some of the urgency around both of these topics. If we wait until like another 12 months before we get around to discussing it, they could get in front of us. So if we want to wait and add it to our 27 work plan, it might be something we want to consider working on very early in the year.”
“I would actually leave that if we are willing to have the conversation or add it to the very early part of the 27 work plan to staff's recommendations for us in some of the research that they're able to do and bring to us.”
“Councilmember Kern. So it could be that we and we could and it could be that we copy someone else's but a short-term moratorium until we can address the bigger conversation to Caleb Dickinson point perhaps it's you know setting in a stat like establishing a type of data center with requirements that would be perfect but that would get us the time that we need without one being proposed in commercial space where we currently have no zone prohibiting it from going in. It buys all of us, it buys the council and it buys staff time to greater look into the, I think it was eight different items…”
“At a minimum is there interest then in putting it on the 27 work plan neither of these items are on our work plan they've not been on this council's radar to my knowledge and I that would at a minimum put it on our and staff's radar. to add it to the 27 plan. Right.”
“Hi, I'm Diana Langley, City Manager. Judy Kern. I'm a Ward 2 Representative.”
“to others. Yep. Council Member. Thank you for asking those questions, Mayor Pro Tem. They were mine as well. And thank you all, really appreciate you being here. And I agree, interesting to hear your connection to the library. This is probably more for the director. So same thing with the programming. I was curious, is the increase across the board on every type of programming? Or is there like a heavier lean toward young and children's programming? It seems like that's a really popular item.”
“Yeah, I agree. The Mayor Pro Tem stated everything so well, I won't try to restate. I just wanted to see if you guys hear some of the same things that I do. Do you hear from the senior community at all, the members who come in and need especially books and the access or lack thereof to the newest novels that are out, especially in large print or newspapers in large print? Because what I've What I have been hearing is the only access is a digital one, and I find that that is not actually typically used by our senior population. So I was just curious to see if that was something that you guys…”