Louisville’s next city budget is now in the hands of Metro Council, and May is when the public review begins in earnest.

Mayor Craig Greenberg presented the proposed Fiscal Year 2026–2027 budget in late April, and Metro Council began its budget hearings on May 7. Over the next several weeks, Council members will review department budgets, capital projects, revenue projections, public safety needs, infrastructure, housing, parks, libraries, and other services that shape daily life across Louisville’s neighborhoods.

This is the part of local government where values become numbers. A budget is not just a spreadsheet. It decides which streets get repaired, which parks and pools receive investment, how housing and homelessness are addressed, how public safety is funded, and how much support reaches neighborhoods that have waited too long for basic public investment.

The most important date this month is Wednesday, May 13, at 6:00 p.m., when the Metro Council Budget Committee will hold its Community Budget Hearing in Council Chambers at City Hall.

Residents may sign up in person between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. that evening and will have up to three minutes to speak. Metro Council is also accepting online public comments through Friday, June 5, at 5:00 p.m.

For neighborhood leaders, this is the moment to pay attention.

The budget process can feel technical, but the decisions are practical and close to home. If your neighborhood needs safer sidewalks, stronger housing support, better parks, youth programming, more transparent development, or deeper investment in community infrastructure, this is the time to say so.

Metro Council is expected to continue hearings through May and June, with a final budget vote currently expected on June 25.

Explore the entire calendar of hearings here and follow along with us throughout the next two months.

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