Mayor Greg Fischer delivering his 2012 State of the City addressLOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer has said the time to act is now as the city faces more than a $40 million shortfall.
Fischer delivered his State of the City address Thursday in front of the Downtown Rotary Club. He said the $12 million shortage through June and another $30 million for the fiscal year starting July 1 means social service agencies will likely get less money from the city.
Fischer also said the city cannot continue to afford the current healthcare plans for city workers, which he called way out of line compared to private employee plans.
The cuts are something Fischer knows won't make him popular with Louisville Metro employees.
"One thing you learn about being mayor real quick is that everybody wants everything, but hardly anybody wants to pay for it," said Fischer. "The other thing that you learn - I learned this from the mayor of Philly - is that if you have a deep seated need to be loved and admired every day you don't need to be mayor. You need to work at a pet shop."
Fischer said about half the budget shortfall is attributable to a lack of corporate profits, an area not growing as fast as the city forecast.
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