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Issues that often are associated with core urban values in central cities as well as high
among concerns in minority communities are issues of diversity, police-civilian relations, and
more recently fairness and living wage ordinances. The former city of Louisville and Jefferson
County had both passed Fairness ordinances to prohibit discrimination in housing and
employment on the basis of sexual orientation. There is much concern that this legislation may
be repealed in the coming years. Indeed, this is one reason the Fairness group so strongly
opposed merger. While it is not yet clear what will happen on this issue, the new city has
already substituted much weaker ordinances for civilian-police review and living wages. The
new review process is advisory and the members of the commission lack subpoena power. The
new living wage bill has a substantially lower base pay and benefits. The new city has not taken
any steps to reduce or ameliorate obstacles to poor and minorities obtaining access to middle
class life-styles. It has undertaken a major new system-maintenance program ($67 million) to
address drainage and sewer problems, most of which is outside the former city boundary.
Although it is early to fully assess the direction of change in biases associated with
merger, merger is likely to reduce African American influence in urban politics, to increase
Republican influence, and to result in policies that are less reflective of an urban as opposed to
suburban value system. Substantive policies that have been reversed or threatened by merger
include the repeal or weakening of civilian police review policies and a living wage ordinance.
In addition, significant additional investment in infrastructure spending to deal with drainage
problems outside the old city boundary is the most significant new expenditure associated with
merger. The costs of merger have yet to be calculated. However, the city has begun laying off
city employees and the mayor has now called for increasing the work week to 40 hours for all
workers without additional compensation.
Convention