Louisville, Kentucky
| Louisville, Kentucky | |
 | |
| General information | |
Mayor of Louisville
Craig Greenberg | |
| Last mayoral election: | 2022 |
| Next mayoral election: | 2026 |
| Last city council election: | 2023 |
| Next city council election: | 2024 |
| City council seats: | 26 |
| City website | |
| Composition data (2019) | |
| Population: | 767,419 |
| Race: | White 71.6% African American 21.7% Asian 2.9% Native American 0.2% Pacific Islander 0.1% Two or more 2.5% |
| Ethnicity: | Hispanic 5.4% |
| Median household income: | $56,586 |
| High school graduation rate: | 90.6% |
| College graduation rate: | 33.4% |
| Related Louisville offices | |
| Kentucky Congressional Delegation Kentucky State Legislature Kentucky state executive offices | |
Louisville is a city in Jefferson County, Kentucky. In 2003, the city merged with Jefferson County to create the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government, known as the Louisville Metro. The city's population was 782,969 as of 2020, according to the United States Census Bureau.
Click on the links below to learn more about the city's...
- Mayor
- City council
- Other elected officials
- Elections
- Census information
- Budget
- Contact information
- Ballot measures
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of Louisville utilizes a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.
Mayor
The mayor serves as the city's chief executive. The responsibilities of the mayor include proposing a budget, signing legislation into law, appointing departmental directors and committee members, and overseeing the city's day-to-day operations. The mayor also represents the city on the state, national, and international levels.[1]
The current Mayor of Louisville is Craig Greenberg (D). Greenberg assumed office in 2023.
City council
The Louisville City Council, which is more commonly known as the Louisville Metro Council, is the city's primary legislative body. It is responsible for adopting the city budget, approving mayoral appointees, levying taxes, and making or amending city laws, policies, and ordinances.[2]
The city council is made up of 26 members. The members are elected by the city's 26 districts in partisan elections to serve four-year, staggered terms.[2]
The widget below automatically displays information about city council meetings. The topic list contains a sampling of keywords that Voterheads, a local government monitoring service, found in each meeting agenda. Click the meeting link to see more info and the full agenda:
Jefferson County Commission
The Jefferson County Commission consists of three members elected by district to four-year terms.[3]
Jefferson County Constables
Jefferson County constables are elected by district to four-year terms.[3]
Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District
- See also: Special districts
Special districts are a form of local government that exist to fulfill a specific purpose within a certain geographic area. This region can be as large as a county or smaller than a city block. Special districts have the power to tax their local residents in order to fund operational expenditures. Although a special district may be formed for any stated purpose, the most common examples include library, hospital, transportation, airport, utility, conservation, sanitation, fire control, and flood control districts.
Other elected officials
Mayoral partisanship
Louisville has a Democratic mayor. As of November 2024, 63 mayors in the largest 100 cities by population are affiliated with the Democratic Party, 25 are affiliated with the Republican Party, one is affiliated with the Libertarian Party, four are independents, five identify as nonpartisan or unaffiliated, and two mayors' affiliations are unknown. Click here for a list of the 100 largest cities' mayors and their partisan affiliations.
Mayoral elections are officially nonpartisan in most of the nation's largest cities. However, many officeholders are affiliated with political parties. Ballotpedia uses one or more of the following sources to identify each officeholder's partisan affiliation: (1) direct communication from the officeholder, (2) current or previous candidacy for partisan office, or (3) identification of partisan affiliation by multiple media outlets.
Elections
Note: The city of Louisville operates under a consolidated government with Jefferson County. Members of the Metro Council are elected through 26 districts within the county. The mayor is elected by the entire county. Cities outside of Louisville each have their own governing bodies, but residents are able to vote for the mayor and members of the Metro Council.[4][5]
2024
The city of Louisville, Kentucky, held general elections for commonwealth’s attorney, circuit court clerk, metro council, county commission, and soil and water board and a special election for family court judge on November 5, 2024. A primary was scheduled for May 21, 2024. The filing deadline for this election was January 5, 2024.
2023
The city of Louisville, Kentucky, held special general elections for city council and county commonwealth's attorney on November 7, 2023. The filing deadline for this election was June 6, 2023.
2022
The city of Louisville, Kentucky, held general elections for mayor, metro council, coroner, county attorney, county clerk, county judge/executive, county commission, jailer, property valuation administrator, sheriff, surveyor, constables, county soil & water district, circuit court judges, circuit family court judges, district court judges, and justices of the peace on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for May 17, 2022. The filing deadline for this election was originally scheduled for January 7, 2022, but was moved to January 25 due to redistricting.
2020
The city of Louisville, Kentucky, held general elections for 13 Metro Council districts, County Commission Districts B and C, four soil and water conservation supervisors, and county surveyor on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for June 23, 2020. The filing deadline for this election was January 10, 2020.
2018
The city of Louisville, Kentucky, held general elections for mayor, city council, other county positions, and local judgeships on November 6, 2018. A primary election was held on May 22, 2018. The deadline for candidates to file to run in this election was January 30, 2018.
2016
The city of Louisville, Kentucky, held elections for city council on November 8, 2016. A primary election took place on May 17, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was January 26, 2016. Thirteen of the 26 city council seats were up for election.
2015
The city of Louisville, Kentucky held a special election for metro council on November 3, 2015. The election was held to fill the District 10 seat. Jim King, who previously held the seat, passed away on January 14, 2015, and Steve Magre was appointed to the position for a partial term.[6] Pat Mulvihill won the election.
2014
The city of Louisville, Kentucky, held partisan elections for mayor and city council on November 4, 2014. Republican and Democratic primary elections took place on May 20, 2014.[7] Thirteen of the 26 city council seats were up for election. These included Districts 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, and 25.
Census information
The table below shows demographic information about the city.
| Demographic Data for Louisville | |
|---|---|
| Louisville | |
| Population | 782,969 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 380 |
| Race and ethnicity** | |
| White | 67.5% |
| Black/African American | 22% |
| Asian | 3% |
| Native American | 0.1% |
| Pacific Islander | 0% |
| Two or more | 5.8% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 6.3% |
| Education | |
| High school graduation rate | 91.3% |
| College graduation rate | 36.1% |
| Income | |
| Median household income | $66,296 |
| Persons below poverty level | 10.2% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2017-2022). | |
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | |
Budget
The city's budget process operates by fiscal years running from July 1 to June 30 of the next year. The mayor is responsible for proposing the budget on or before May 1. The city council must adopt the budget on or before June 30 of each year. The city council also holds hearings to allow for public input in the budget process.[8]
Fiscally standardized cities data
The fiscally standardized cities (FiSC) data below was compiled by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy to make municipal budgets comparable across cities in the United States.[9]
| “ |
FiSCs are constructed by adding revenues and expenditures of each central city municipal government to a portion of the revenues and expenditures of overlying governments, including counties, independent school districts, and special districts. The allocations to FiSCs are estimates of the revenues collected from and services provided to central city residents and businesses by these overlying independent governments. Thus FiSCs provides a full picture of revenues raised from city residents and businesses and spending on their behalf, whether done by the city government or a separate overlying government.[10] |
” |
| —Lincoln Institute of Land Policy[11] | ||
The tables below show estimated finances within city limits. As such, the revenue and expenses listed may differ from the actual city budget.
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Historical total revenue and expenditure
To see the historical total revenue or expenditures as a rounded amount in this city, hover over the bars.[9]
Louisville, Kentucky, salaries and pensions over $95,000
Below is a map of the nationwide salaries and pensions in this city over $95,000. To search a different ZIP code, enter it in the search bar within the map.
Contact information
Mayor's office
527 W. Jefferson Street
Louisville, KY 40202
Phone: 502-574-2003
Click here for city council contact information.
Ballot measures
The city of Louisville is in Jefferson County. A list of ballot measures in Jefferson County is available here.
Noteworthy events
2020: Events and activity following the death of George Floyd
During the weekend of May 29-31, 2020, demonstrations and protests took place in cities nationwide, including Louisville, following the death of George Floyd. Events in Louisville over the death of George Floyd combined into ongoing protests in the city following the death of Breonna Taylor. Taylor was killed in an officer-related shooting on March 13, 2020, after police entered her apartment with a no-knock warrant. Upon entering the residence, Taylor's boyfriend shot at the officers, who returned fire, killing Taylor. Officers alleged they identified themselves before entering. Taylor's boyfriend disputed that claim, saying he thought they were intruders. No body cameras were active at the time of the shooting.[12]
On May 30, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) activated the Kentucky National Guard and deployed 350 members to the city.[13] The same day, Mayor Greg Fischer instituted a dusk-to-dawn curfew.[14]
Overnight on May 31 to June 1, police officers and members of the Kentucky National Guard arrived at a parking lot in response to a crowd violating curfew. The crowd was not demonstrating at that time. Upon arriving, a shot was fired. Law enforcement officers fired into the crowd, killing David McAtee.[15] Beshear requested that body camera footage from the incident be released. It was later revealed that the officers had not activated their body cameras.[16] On June 1, Fischer fired police chief Steve Conrad following the revelation, saying, "This type of institutional failure will not be tolerated."[16]
2015: Study on city's nondiscrimination laws
In July 2015, the Movement Advancement Project described Louisville, Kentucky, as a city or county that prohibited discrimination in employment on the basis of gender identity via ordinances that apply to public and private employers. At that time, a total of 71 of America's largest 100 cities prohibited private employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, while 69 of those cities also prohibited discrimination based on gender identity. This did not include those jurisdictions that prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity for government employees.[17]
Nondiscrimination laws can cover a variety of areas, including public employment, private employment, housing, and public accommodations. Such laws may be enacted at the state, county, or city level.
See also
External links
- City of Louisville Website
- Office of the Mayor
- Louisville Metro Council
- Louisville-Jefferson County, Kentucky Metro Government Code of Ordinances
Footnotes
- ↑ American Legal Publishing Corporation, "Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government Code of Ordinances 30.1-2," May 31, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 City of Louisville, "Metro Council," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Jefferson County Clerk, "Elected Officials," accessed September 26, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia staff, "Communication via phone with the Jefferson County Clerk," October 25, 2019
- ↑ Cities and towns in Jefferson County include Anchorage, Audubon Park, Bancroft, Barbourmeade, Beechwood Village, Bellemeade, Bellewood, Blue Ridge Manor, Briarwood, Broad Fields, Broeck Pointe, Brownsboro Farm, Brownsboro Village, Cambridge, Cherrywood Village, Coldstream, Creekside, Crossgate, Douglass Hills, Druid Hills, Fairmeade, Fincastle, Fisherville, Forest Hills, Glenview Hills, Glenview Manor, Glenview, Goose Creek, Graymoor-Devondale, Green Spring, Heritage Creek, Hickory Hill, Hills and Dales, Hollow Creek, Hollyvilla, Houston Acres, Hurstbourne Acres, Hurstbourne, Indian Hills, Jeffersontown, Keeneland, Kingsley, Langdon Place, Lincolnshire, Louisville, Lyndon, Lynnview, Manor Creek, Maryhill Estates, Meadow Vale, Meadowbrook Farm, Meadowview Estates, Middletown, Mockingbird Valley, Moorland, Murray Hill, Norbourne Estates, Northfield, Norwood, Old Brownsboro Place, Parkway Village, Penile, Plantation, Plymouth Village, Poplar Hills, Prospect, Richlawn, Riverwood, Rolling Fields, Rolling Hills, Seneca Gardens, Shively, South Park View, Spring Mill, Spring Valley, Springlee, St. Matthews, St. Regis Park, Strathmoor Manor, Strathmoor Village, Sycamore, Ten Broeck, Thornhill, Watterson Park, Wellington, West Buechel, Westwood, Whipps Millgate, Wildwood, Windy Hills, Woodland Hills, Woodlawn Park, and Worthington Hills.
- ↑ Louisville Business Journal, "Steve Magre is chosen to fill District 10 seat on Metro Council," February 13, 2015
- ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections, "2014 Kentucky Election Calendar," accessed January 31, 2014
- ↑ City of Louisville, "2022-2023 Approved Executive Budget," accessed August 23, 2023
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, "Fiscally Standardized Cities database," accessed August 23, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, "Fiscally Standardized Cities," accessed August 23, 2023
- ↑ The New York Times, "What to Know About Breonna Taylor’s Death," April 26, 2021
- ↑ WCPO 9, "Gov. Andy Beshear calls National Guard to Louisville after Friday protests," May 30, 2020
- ↑ WDRB, "Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer extends dusk-to-dawn curfew through June 8," June 1, 2020
- ↑ WLKY, "FBI to investigate death of black restaurant owner by law enforcement in Louisville," June 2, 2020
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 WDRB, "Louisville police chief fired after no body camera footage of shooting," June 1, 2020
- ↑ Movement Advancement Project, "Local Employment Non-Discrimination Ordinances," accessed July 7, 2015
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