City Council Minutes 2020 05 12 SP

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City Council Special Meeting Minutes May 12, 2020 Page 3 of 4 Councilmember Lipton asked Mayor Stolzmann and Councilmember Brown what budget reductions they would suggest to pay for this. Mayor Stolzmann stated she would defer a variety Open Space capital projects leaving the only capital project left to pay from this fund to be the payment for the Highway 42 underpass. She noted there is more than $2M in reserves in this fund. She feels there is enough funding to cover this purchase between CIP cutbacks and reserves. She also noted there is a significant turnback from 2019 that can be used for this. With all of those, she feels there is enough funding to pay for this even with the expected shortfalls from COVID-19. Councilmember Lipton stated this makes it sound like this money is easily available but this money is programmed for other things. Mayor Pro Tem Maloney stated that proposal would cut a lot of programs to fund this. We are at a point of real uncertainty in sales and use tax for Open Space and those declines may continue to next year. He noted the continuation of the General Fund transfer to this fund is still up in the air. He stated he could see this push the fund balances negative and that would put pressure on other funds for possibly years to come. Mayor Pro Tem Maloney stated state this should be a question of is this is a priority for Open Space, but this parcel has not been on the acquisition list. He would rather spend money on other parcels that are a priority. He noted the parcel is zoned agricultural and what is allowed there is a modest house. If it stays agricultural and there are limits on what can be done here it preserves some of Louisville’s agricultural heritage. If we are going to invest in Open Space do it where we have the greatest impact and this is not it. Councilmember Brown stated Open Space is always supported by residents. He feels it is an important piece of property; preserving this parcel is essential. Previous Council’s had prioritized this and if we miss this opportunity it won’t come back. He is concerned the Council might approve variances approving a much larger house on this property. Councilmember Dickinson stated that if this was happening last year and the budget were in a better place and more certain he would support this, but in the current pandemic climate and with serious budget questions it is more difficult. OSAB has not made this a high priority and to be considering a property that is a low priority property in this financial climate gives him pause. Given the restrictions on the property he feels comfortable passing on this right now. Councilmember Fahey stated she agrees with Councilmember Dickinson. This would be a wonderful property to acquire if it were a more fiscally sound time. There will be so many cuts for the next couple of years; this is not the right time to buy this.