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Tag: council members

  • Louisville Republicans call for new jail, more troopers and judicial transparency

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    Republican members of Louisville’s Metro Council have unveiled a broad package of public safety proposals they say will help make the city one of the safest in the country.

    The “Safer Louisville” agenda includes more than a dozen legislative and policy proposals. Many of them require coordination with Gov. Andy Beshear’s office and the Kentucky State Police. Council members said during a Sept. 9 press conference at City Hall they intend to discuss and advance the proposals over the next year.

    Key items in the plan include:

    • Requesting Beshear’s support to assign state troopers to traffic enforcement on interstates and in construction zones

    • Amending local ordinances to ban the exchange of money, food or other items between people in vehicles and individuals outside the vehicle

    • Launching two pilot programs to increase street lighting in high-crime areas identified by police

    • Seeking additional funding from the state and other agencies for the construction of a new first responder training facility

    • Strengthening local laws against illegal ATV use on public land.

    Republican council members also renewed calls for the construction of a new jail, arguing that the current facility is outdated and unsafe. Originally converted from an office building in 1990, the existing jail was not designed for correctional use and lacks adequate sightlines for corrections officers to monitor housing units, according to a 2023 city-commissioned report.

    Anthony Piagentini, Metro Council member for District 19 and minority caucus chair, also said he had spoken to judges who told him that they feel pressure not to place people in the facility because of overcrowding concerns.

    “Whether somebody should go to jail or not should have nothing to do with whether or not it’s overcrowded,” Piagentini said. “It should have to do with whether or not it’s the right place for them at the right time, given the crimes they’ve committed.”

    As of Sept. 9, the jail population had reached 1,530 — approximately 11% above its rated capacity and the highest level in nearly four years.

    Focus on transparency and judicial accountability

    The GOP caucus is also proposing the creation of a third-party “judicial scorecard” to monitor release rates, shock probation and other key metrics.

    Anthony Piagentini spoke to the media as he and other Louisville Metro Council Republicans gathered at City Hall to discuss legislative and policy proposals for improving safety in Louisville. September 9, 2025.

    The call for the tool follows a recent case in which a man, while on shock probation, was accused of abducting a mother and her two children en route to a bank robbery. It would be developed in collaboration with the mayor’s office, the Jefferson County Circuit Court Clerk, the Fraternal Order of Police and other stakeholders.

    In addition, Republicans are calling for greater transparency in the work of prosecutors.

    “The public should know how many deals are being cut, how many charges are being dropped, who is making these decisions and why these decisions are being made,” Piagentini said. “LMPD is going to have this level of scrutiny; we should be scrutinizing those who are taking the charges from LMPD and what decisions they are making before it gets to the judiciary.”

    Mental health, youth crime and juvenile justice

    The GOP proposal also recommends giving local officials more tools to work with people in need of clinical care, along with increased authority for police and judges to intervene in cases where parental neglect contributes to youth crime.

    Council Republicans are urging state leaders to prioritize the reopening of the city’s youth detention center, which closed in 2019. Juveniles arrested in Louisville are currently transported to facilities outside Jefferson County.

    Councilmember Kevin Bratcher, a former state representative with nearly 30 years in the legislature, described the situation as urgent.

    “The Department of Juvenile Justice needs to be up here and pretend like it’s a dam getting ready to break and flood the whole city,” Bratcher said.

    A Deliberate Rollout

    Piagentini said the unveiling of the proposals was not tied to a specific event but was the result of eight months of brainstorming. He added that the caucus intentionally timed the announcement to coincide with Law Enforcement Appreciation Month.

    Following Republican gains in last November’s election, the party now holds 12 of the 26 seats on Metro Council, its most significant representation since 2003.

    Piagentini said the caucus will release regular public updates to track the progress of their agenda.

    “It’s time for everybody to be all in on reducing crime and making Louisville a safe city,” Piagentini said. “Louisville should be one of the safest large cities in the country, and we can get there. But it’s going to take everybody working together at every level of government to accomplish that.”

    At a separate press conference held about an hour after Republicans unveiled their public safety agenda, Mayor Craig Greenberg said his administration is already working to implement many of the same initiatives. He said he would need more time to review the GOP proposals in detail before responding to each item individually.

    “We’re proud of the progress we’ve made to improve public safety,” Greenberg said. “We know we can and must do more and do it faster, and that’s exactly what we’re working on every day.”

    In a statement, District 1 Councilmember and Majority Caucus Chair Tammy Hawkins said much of the GOP agenda aligns with the mayor’s existing public safety plan.

    “At the same time, lasting safety means more than enforcement — it requires investment in housing, mental health services, youth, and good jobs,” the statement read. “Though the Metro Council has no authority over judges and prosecutors, we have the responsibility to ensure new policies build prevention, accountability, and community trust.”

    This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville Republicans seek tougher local laws, state help on crime

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  • Florida GOP Chairman joins Jacksonville City Council members backing property tax cut

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    A majority of Jacksonville City Council has lined up in support of trimming the city’s property tax rate for the first time since 2022 in a shift that’s gained attention from state leaders and the head of the Republican Party of Florida.

    State GOP Chairman Evan Power joined City Council President Kevin Carrico and other council members Aug. 25 on the steps of City Hall where local Republicans held posters that said “Protect Jax. Cut taxes. Cut waste.”

    “We need to continue to push and say, ‘Enough is enough,’” Carrico said. “We want the relief. We want to give the money back to the citizens.”

    Jacksonville is among the cities that Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia have criticized for their spending levels that have risen in tandem with recent growth in the property tax base.

    Ingoglia previously praised the City Council’s Finance Committee for supporting a millage cut for property taxes. Power struck a similar note.

    “Property tax is the No. 1 issue facing Floridians, and if Jacksonville can make the tough decisions, so can every other city government across the state,” he said.

    Mayor Deegan: tax rate cut is ‘simply a political move’

    Hours after Carrico’s event, Mayor Donna Deegan told reporters her budget is about solving problems that residents care about while council members pressing for the millage cut are bowing to political pressure from state officials.

    “This is, frankly, simply a political move,” Deegan said.

    The Finance Committee’s proposed millage rate for property taxes is about 1% lower than the current rate. The owner of a $200,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption would pay about $19 less in city taxes than if the city keeps using the same rate.

    Florida Republican Party Chairman Evan Power speaks on the steps of Jacksonville City Hall on Aug. 25, 2025 about cutting the property tax rate in Jacksonville. He joined City Council members who support the cut and local Republicans holding signs in favor of the reduction for the 2025-26 budget.

    Deegan said that equates to about $1 a day in savings for the average homeowner. She said roughly half the city’s residents are renters who wouldn’t get anything from the millage rate reduction. On the spending side, she said the Finance Committee removed millions of dollars her budget put forward for affordable housing, reducing homelessness and healthcare programs..

    She said Jacksonville has had a history of making progress on building a high quality of life for residents and then letting those gains slip away.

    “We make some momentum and some progress and then it gets pulled back because there’s always a group of people that once that progress starts, they want to pull us back,” she said. “And that’s what’s happening now.”

    Council could take early vote on tax rate at Sept. 9 meeting

    The full City Council will vote Sept. 23 on the final version of the budget in what could be a vote-a-rama on individual spending items.

    But on the question of the millage rate for property taxes, Carrico said he will ask council to vote Sept. 9 to establish the lower tax rate. Once a lower rate is approved by council, it cannot be raised at the Sept. 23 meeting.

    Finance Committee members Raul Arias, Nick Howland, Ron Salem, Rory Diamond, Joe Carlucci and Will Lahnen voted Aug. 7 for a rate cut during their budget hearings, as did Carrico when he joined the committee to cast a vote on it. The lower rate trims about $13 million from the revenue Deegan used to help balance her $2 billion budget.

    Three other council members — Terrance Freeman, Mike Gay and Chris Miller — stood with Carrico at the event on the City Hall steps. That would add up to 10 votes for the property tax cut, which is a majority of the 19-member City Council.

    So far, all the council members who have signaled support are Republicans. But Carrico said it’s a bipartisan issue based on calls from property-owners getting notices in the mail of what their tax bills could be later this year.

    “This isn’t a Republican issue,” he said. “This isn’t a Democrat issue. This is an issue for the people.”

    Arias, who is chairman of the Finance Committee, said the tax rate cut is modest but it “represents something bigger” than the numerical amount.

    “It represents our commitment to review the millage regularly and ensure that government doesn’t grow more than it needs,” he said.

    Deegan’s proposed budget for 2025-26 would keep the city’s property tax rate at about $11.32 per $1,000 of taxable property value. The Finance Committee voted Aug. 7 to lower that rate to about $11.19 per $1,000 of taxable property value.

    Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico speaks during an event on Aug. 25, 2025 about lowering the city's property tax rate.

    Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico speaks during an event on Aug. 25, 2025 about lowering the city’s property tax rate.

    The state Save Our Homes amendment caps the growth in assessed value on homestead properties to 3% or the inflation rate, whichever is less. This year, the Save Our Homes cap is 2.9%.

    Because of the increase in assessed value, most homeowners will still see a bigger tax bill from the city even with a 1% cut in the property tax rate. But the increase won’t be as much as it would be if the millage rate stays the same.

    Carrico said any money that stays in the hands of taxpayers counts as relief.

    “The budget’s not over yet, but I think it’s a good start and I think in future years we’ll continue to look at more wasteful spending and more future cuts if we can make them,” Carrico said.

    As City Council heads to its budget votes in September, Deegan plans to have six town hall meetings across the city from Sept. 2 to Sept. 18 to rally support for her budget.

    She noted the Finance Committee partially restored funding it cut from her proposed budget for Meals on Wheels, the JaxCareConnect network of community health clinics and  Healthlink Jax telehealth program after hearing from the public.

    Budget add-ons: City Council committee backs budget restrictions on abortion, DEI and illegal immigration

    Millage cuts: Jacksonville might cut property tax rate. School district, Beaches and Baldwin aren’t.

    The Finance Committee moved closer to Deegan’s budget on JaxCareConnect and Healthlink Jax after City Council member Michael Boylan convened a meeting that drew dozens of people in support of those programs.

    Boylan said programs that give alternatives to emergency room visits takes a page from council’s own Critical Quality of Life Issues study in 2023 that examined access to health care, affordable housing and homelessness.

    He said shifting people away from emergency rooms for non-emergency care ultimately makes the health care system less costly for everyone.

    “It’s more head than heart in many respects,” Boylan said. “It’s common sense. The small investment we make as a city, it benefits our taxpayers as well as saves lives.”

    This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville City Council on way to cutting property tax rate

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