DAVE BIGGERS FOR MAYOR – QUICK FACTS SHEET

Version: 4.0.0 | Last Updated: October 2026

Everything You Need to Know in One Page

Website: rundaverun.org | Email: info@rundaverun.org

THE BIG NUMBER

TOTAL BUDGET: $1.13 BILLION

✅ Metro Council’s own FY2026-27 adopted operating budget — $1,125,931,500
✅ No new taxes
✅ No deficit spending
✅ Balanced and realistic

The difference: Not how much. HOW we spend it.

Note on the figure: Metro Council
adopted the FY2026-27 operating budget on 2026-06-25 (O-175-26 V.2 / ORD
110-2026) at $1,125,931,500 — the budget actually in force. This sheet
quotes that figure everywhere. ($1,125.9M is the operating budget only;
capital is a separate $185.2M and is not part of this claim.)

THE THREE INNOVATIONS

1. MINI POLICE SUBSTATIONS

• What: Small police offices – at least one in every zip code
• Where: Every neighborhood from West End to East End
• When: Phased rollout starting Year 1 — 12 / 24 / 36 / 63 stations by Year 4
• Cost: about $1.27M per station annually, most of it the pay of six officers LMPD already employs
• Why: Officers on foot, in YOUR neighborhood, preventing crime before it happens
• Evidence: 50+ cities using this model, 20-30% crime reduction average

2. 18 COMMUNITY WELLNESS CENTERS

• What: One-stop healthcare hubs in underserved areas
• Services: Primary care + mental health + addiction treatment + social services
• When: 6 per year over 3 years
• Cost: $2.5M per center annually, $45M when fully implemented
• Why: Address root causes of crime, reduce ER visits, better health outcomes
• Evidence: 35% reduction in ER visits, $5.60 saved for every $1 spent

3. PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING

• What: YOU help decide how to spend money in your neighborhood
• How: Community meetings, democratic voting on priorities
• Amount: $15M across all districts
• Why: Your tax dollars, your voice
• Evidence: 3,000+ cities worldwide, increases trust and civic participation

THE BUDGET BREAKDOWN

Public Safety’s departments carry less because the jail shrinks and police oversight moves to the Inspector General (in Democratic Governance); the 18 wellness centres, a public-safety priority, are paid through Public Health (in Community Investment). Democratic Governance grows because the $15M participatory budget runs through Metro Council’s 26 districts and police oversight moves to the Inspector General.

Per the Metro Employee Bill of Rights
funding plan: $12.5M from department reallocations (counted inside the
categories above) + $8.2M from revenue enhancements (occupational-license
compliance, delinquency collection, parking, non-resident fees — this piece is
new money collected better, not a reallocation) + $6.7M from efficiency
savings. In the reallocation ledger, the $12.5M is the platform’s administration saving and the $6.7M its efficiency saving; together they form a $19.2M raise pool, held in the Office of Management & Budget until a pay plan sets each department’s share. The $8.2M is new revenue and sits outside the ledger.

KEY COMPARISONS: CURRENT PLAN VS. BIGGERS

Same total. Completely different priorities.

Police: Metro Council adopted $268,393,800 for LMPD for FY2026-27 (Exhibit A p.7, O-175-26 V.2). Biggers holds police flat. The $8,000,000 police-oversight programme moves to the independent Office of Inspector General, so oversight sits outside the department it oversees; LMPD’s own line reads $260,393,800, and that is not a cut. “Flat” is before the raises officers win in their own contract. Jail/Corrections: the jail shrinks by $36,500,000 through bail reform and diversion; $9,757,550 of that stays in Corrections for pretrial services and diversion, so the department goes from $67,956,700 to $41,214,250.

WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM (NO NEW TAXES)

Same total, every dollar placed. The plan spends exactly Metro’s adopted FY2026-27 operating budget, $1,125,931,500. A published reallocation ledger shows every department’s adopted budget beside its budget under this plan, and the two columns add to the same total, to the dollar.

• Dave’s five priorities come first, funded in full: raises for Metro’s non-union employees, Public Safety & Community Policing, the $15M participatory budget, Education & Youth Development, and Neighborhood Development. Together they ask $214.71M a year of Metro money. $206.51M of it is money Metro already spends; the other $8.2M of the raises comes from revenue enhancements (license compliance, delinquency collection, parking and non-resident fees).
• Most of it is paid inside the departments that do the work, by changing what they already spend money on. Money moves between departments only from sources the platform names or Dave has chosen: the smaller jail, the administration and duplication savings, the efficiency savings, $1M from juvenile detention, and Thrive by Five’s Metro money.
• Also funded in full: Senior Services, Disability Rights & Accessibility, Arts, Culture & Tourism, and Technology & Innovation.
• Partly funded, and growing: Criminal Justice Reform, Environmental Justice & Climate Action, and Economic Development & Jobs start with what their departments can carry, and grow with outside money and with jail savings once those savings are proven.
• Phased: Public Health & Wellness and Food Systems & Urban Agriculture launch on their own non-Metro funding. Metro adds its share as the jail savings prove out.
• The named gap: about $20M of Health & Human Services programmes, mainly crisis stabilization centres, clinician-and-peer mobile crisis units and addiction treatment, has no Metro funding yet. The crisis teams that pair a social worker with an officer are funded, inside LMPD.
• Police stay flat. LMPD’s plan is $260.4M because the $8M police-oversight programme moves to the independent Office of Inspector General, so oversight sits outside the department it oversees. That is not a police cut. The flat figure is before the raises officers win in their own contract.
• The back-office claim is about $21M, not the $39M first stated: that is what can actually be placed, department by department.
• Outside the operating budget: Affordable Housing asks no Metro operating money (abatement reform, fees and federal funds), and Infrastructure’s $35M is a shift inside the separate capital budget.
• The biggest bet is the jail. The $36.5M only appears if bail reform and diversion shrink the jail population, so it is the first number the administration will report on.

Money that moves between departments (every dollar from a named source; which source pays for which priority is shown for clarity, because the money is pooled):

A further $205.4M is re-pointed inside the departments that deliver each policy and programme. Police are the largest example: LMPD moves 378 officers from patrol into 63 substations, with $64.26M of their existing pay (about $170,000 each before overtime), cuts half of unscheduled overtime and leaves $20.7M of patrol posts unfilled as officers leave, which frees $96.01M; $88.01M of it pays for substations and co-responders inside LMPD and $8M funds independent oversight.

PUBLIC SAFETY INNOVATIONS

Mini Substations: At least one in every zip code

• Phased rollout over 4 years — 12 (Year 1) / 24 (Year 2) / 36 (Year 3) / 63 (Year 4)
• Cost: about $1.27M each = $80.01M at full deployment (budgeted for 63): $64.26M is the pay of 378 officers LMPD already employs, moved from patrol, and $15.75M is rent, running costs and vehicles

Mental Health Crisis Teams: 18 co-responder teams, one at each wellness center

• Social worker or therapist + officer pairs
• 8am to midnight at first, the peak crisis hours, growing to 24/7 as calls require
• Cost: $8M annually, paid inside LMPD’s own budget

Community Detectives: 52 positions (2 per council district)

• Focus on PREVENTION, not just investigation
• Build relationships with youth, schools, community
• Cost: $8.8M a year (about $170,000 each before overtime), paid inside LMPD’s own budget: detectives LMPD already employs, reassigned to the 26 council districts

School Zone Safety: 30 schools

• Protect kids, slow traffic
• High-visibility crosswalks, flashing school-zone signs and traffic calming
• Speed cameras as soon as Frankfort allows them — Kentucky law does not yet permit them in school zones
• Cost: $5M a year, re-pointed inside Public Works

COMMUNITY INVESTMENT PROGRAMS

Youth Development: $32.5M (Policy 06)

• After-school programs (3pm-7pm): $12M
• Paid summer jobs and year-round internships: $8M
• Early childhood education: $5M
• Year-round schooling pilot: $4M
• Library youth programs: $2M
• School support partnerships with JCPS: $1M
• Fair school funding advocacy in Frankfort: $0.5M

Paid for with $23.5M of Metro General Fund money, $6M in federal grants, $2M reallocated from programs that aren’t working and $1M from employer partners.

Wellness Centers: $45M (18 centers)

• 4 nurses, 2 social workers, 2 mental health counselors per center
• Primary care, mental health, addiction treatment
• 5,000 sq ft community hubs
• Strategically located in underserved areas

Fire Prevention Centers: 15 locations

• Free home inspections and smoke detector installations, by fire crews on shift
• Youth fire safety education
• Centers in fire stations the city already owns
• Cost: about $2.2M a year at full build (a fire-safety specialist at each center, plus smoke alarms and teaching materials), phased
• Paid for inside Louisville Fire, which stays flat at its adopted $85,520,300: half of Fire’s unscheduled overtime, $1.37M, starts the program in Year 1, and the rest of the $2.2M is added only as Fire’s own overtime-and-staffing review shows money that can move without taking an engine out of service.

Parks & Recreation: $40,796,700 (flat; $14M of it is re-pointed to after-school programmes and public art in parks)

• 18 major community centers
• Enhanced programming
• Coordinated with youth & wellness programs

Libraries: $31,399,100 (it takes on youth jobs, after-school and school-based childcare)

• Community resource hubs maintained

STAFFING & EMPLOYMENT

No layoffs. No cuts to essential services.

✅ All current city employees keep their jobs
✅ Reassignments to better positions
✅ New jobs created in wellness centers, youth programs
✅ All union contracts honored
✅ Training provided for new roles

New positions created:

• Wellness center staff: ~180 positions
• Youth program workers: ~200 positions
• Community facilitators: ~25 positions
• Total new jobs: 400+

IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE

FIRST 100 DAYS:

• Launch first 12 mini substations
• Open 6 wellness centers
• Start participatory budgeting
• Deploy mental health crisis teams
• Expand youth programs to all districts

YEAR 1 TARGETS:

• 12 substations operational
• 6 wellness centers serving communities
• First summer of paid jobs for young people
• Participatory budgeting first cycle complete
• Crime data showing early trends

YEARS 2-4:

• Substations: 24 total (Year 2) → 36 total (Year 3) → 63 total, every zip code (Year 4)
• Wellness centers: 12 total (Year 2) → 18 total, complete (Year 3)
• Programs at full capacity
• Measurable outcomes in crime, health, community satisfaction
• Model for other cities

4-YEAR GOAL: 35% crime reduction

THE EVIDENCE (IT WORKS IN 50+ CITIES)

Community Policing (Mini Substations):

• Chicago, New York, LA, Seattle, Baltimore all use this model
• 20-30% average crime reduction
• 35% increase in community trust

Community Wellness Centers:

• Proven in cities nationwide
• 35% reduction in ER visits
• 25% reduction in chronic disease
• $5.60 ROI for every $1 spent

Youth Employment Programs:

• 35% reduction in violent crime among participants
• 40% improvement in school attendance
• Long-term earnings increase of 25%

Participatory Budgeting:

• 3,000+ cities on 6 continents
• Paris, New York, Chicago, hundreds more
• Increases civic participation 50%
• Reduces corruption, improves outcomes

TOP 10 VOTER QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

1. Where does the money come from?
Reallocation within the same $1,125.9M Metro operating budget. No new taxes.

2. Is this “defunding the police”?
No. Police stay flat at the $268,393,800 Metro Council adopted for FY2026-27; the $8,000,000 police-oversight programme moves to the independent Inspector General, so LMPD’s own line reads $260,393,800. We’re deploying officers smarter – IN
neighborhoods, not just responding to 911.

3. Will this raise my taxes?
No. Same total budget as the one Metro Council just adopted for FY2026-27.

4. What about violent crime?
Full police response maintained + prevention through community presence and
youth programs. Evidence shows 35% reduction over 4 years.

5. Has this worked anywhere else?
Yes. 50+ cities use similar models with proven crime reductions and better
community trust.

6. What happens to current city employees?
No layoffs. Reassignments to new positions. All union contracts honored. 400+
new jobs created.

7. When will we see results?
Early indicators in Year 1. Significant measurable outcomes by Year 2-3. Full
transformation by Year 4.

8. What about potholes/infrastructure?
Public Works stays at its adopted $68,833,700. Infrastructure & Services as a whole goes from $151.1M to $139.1M because Facilities & Fleet saves $12M on purchasing and operations, not on repairs.

9. Can we afford this?
Yes. The budget is balanced: it spends exactly the adopted total. Dave’s five priorities are funded in full; the other policies are funded, phased, or growing as savings are proven, and the one gap is named. Actually saves money long-term through
prevention vs. crisis response.

10. Why should I trust this?
Not promises – evidence. 50+ cities prove it works. Every dollar accounted
for. Transparent implementation — see the published reallocation ledger.

THREE STORIES TO SHARE

MARIA – Mental Health Crisis

• Current: 911 → Police → ER → No follow-up → Crisis repeats
• Under Biggers: Crisis hotline → Mental health team → Wellness center → Ongoing treatment → Crisis resolved
• Result: Maria gets help, not handcuffs

JAMES – At-Risk Youth

• Current: After school → Hanging out → Trouble → Juvenile system
• Under Biggers: After-school program → Mentoring → Summer job → Life skills → College/career
• Result: James thrives instead of just survives

YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD – Safety

• Current: Distant precinct → Car patrols → Anonymous officers
• Under Biggers: Mini substation → Walking patrols → Officers know residents by name
• Result: Prevention, trust, community

SOUND BITES FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

✅ “Same budget. Smarter priorities. Better Louisville.”

✅ “Mini substations in every zip code. 18 wellness centers. 0 new taxes.”

✅ “Metro budgets $67.96M for jail. I budget $31.46M for jail, $36.5M for prevention.”

✅ “Evidence-based, not politics-based. Proven in 50+ cities.”

✅ “Your tax dollars. Your voice. Participatory budgeting.”

✅ “Police in neighborhoods, not just in cars. Prevention, not just response.”

✅ “Same total as the budget Metro Council just adopted. Completely different outcomes.”

CONTACT & VOLUNTEER

Website: rundaverun.org
Email: info@rundaverun.org
Social Media: @DaveBiggers

VOLUNTEER: rundaverun.org/volunteer
DONATE: rundaverun.org/donate
EVENTS: Check website for town halls, canvassing opportunities

REMEMBER THE MESSAGE

Same Money. Different Louisville. Better Results.

This isn’t radical – it’s proven.
This isn’t expensive – it’s the same total.
This isn’t risky – it’s evidence-based.

Louisville deserves better. Louisville deserves this budget.

VOTE DAVE BIGGERS FOR MAYOR

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