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Cityo f Im Louisville City Council Mayor Charles L. Sisk 303.665.6889 charless @louisvilleco.gov • Ward I Dave Clabots 303.673.9116 davec@louisvilleco.gov Bob Muckle 303.981.0697 bobm @louisvilleco.gov • Ward II Sheri Marsella, Mayor Pro tem 303.665.3276 sherim @louisvilleco.gov Frost Yarnell 303.673.0896 frosty@louisvilleco.gov • Ward III Hank Dalton 303.926.9930 hankd@louisvilleco.gov Ron Sackett 720.890.8970 rons @louisvilleco.gov City Manager Malcolm Fleming 303.335.4532 malcolmf @louisvilleco.gov City Council Meetings are held the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 7:00 PM at City Hall, 749 Main Street. To find out in which Ward you live, please call 303.335.4536. Community Update A Message from the Mayor: A Respite from the Mudslinging Winter 2010 - 2011 I don't know about you, but I was appalled by the barrage of negative advertising we experienced in the recent election. With the 527 organizations that populated our airwaves, newspapers, and yes, even our phone lines, it was an election punctuated with vitriol and scathing and, many times, with unsubstantiated accusations. What has hap- pened to accountability and perhaps even admitting errors in casting these unfounded allegations? Please understand that I am making these statements in a non - partisan fashion. I hold the Democrats, Republicans, and third party candidates accountable. There were some notable exceptions. My fellow mayor, John Hickenlooper, was elected governor with a clean campaign. Maybe in the years to come, that will be the political standard. We, in Louisville, have a vastly different set of values. I know we have and will run our campaigns on a much higher level. When there is disagreement we are able to engage in a civil, and even heated discussion, but with the resolve, that once the decision is made we will move forward and work together without recriminations. We should be account- able for our positions and be called to defend those positions, but not in the abstract and not by committees or individuals who are unwilling to identify themselves. In truth, my message to our citizens is to express my profound appreciation for your foresight and trust in passing Louisville's Use Tax, which was ballot issue 2D. There were a number of citizens willing to step forward to inform our electorate and I can't say 2011 Budget Finalized Services Levels Maintained City of Louisville - www.LouisvilleCo.gov Continued on page 2 C ity Manager Malcolm Fleming presented the City Council with a proposed 2011 budget in October. The City's budget is the most significant policy consid- ered by the City Council each year; it establishes the City's priorities and provides fund- ing to achieve those priorities. The budget process, including the formal public hearing, provides the public with many opportunities to comment on and advise the City Coun- cil about those priorities and levels of funding. This budget follows the goals outlined by the City Council and maintains service levels from 2010. The City Council adopted the 2011 budget on November 1, 2010. On November 2, the citizens of Louisville approved a new Use Tax which will go into effect on January 1, 2011. At this time the City does not know how much revenue the new Use Tax will generate in 2011 (it may vary significantly from year to year), but the City Council has said they hope to reinstate some of the services that were eliminated in 2009 and 2010, including filling vacant police department positions, increasing the street maintenance budget, reopening the branch recycle site, and planning a 2011 July 4th fireworks event. The City Council will hold a budget meeting and public hearing in February or March to specifically identify how the new revenue will be spent. The "Great Recession" has created many fiscal challenges for the City. Within the context of the current economy, the 2011 budget simply maintains the current level of service. It also keeps General Fund expenditures slightly below anticipated revenues to enable the City to weather current economic conditions. Continued on page 2