KRS § 65.500 — KY Code / Title IX / Chapter 65 / Section 65.500
65.500 Legislative findings -- Purposes of KRS 65.500 to 65.506 and 141.398
Status: in_force

65.500 Legislative findings -- Purposes of KRS 65.500 to 65.506 and 141.398.

(1) The General Assembly finds and declares the following:

(a) The development area, the west end of Louisville, which includes the

communities of Parkland, Shawnee, Park Duvalle, Russell, Portland,

California, Chickasaw, including an adjacent unincorporated community, Park

Hill, and Algonquin, including an adjacent unincorporated community, has

been the home of many prominent African-Americans, including being the

boyhood home of Muhammad Ali;

(b) The development area possesses a rich history of African-American life,

including thriving restaurants, theatres, and other minority-owned businesses.

That history also includes the presence of the Western Branch of the

Louisville Free Public Library, at 10th St. and Chestnut, America’s first public

library open to African-Americans, which opened in 1908;

(c) The development area continues to be the home of thousands of African-

Americans who live and work in the Commonwealth and desire to build a

better future for themselves, their families, and the generations that follow;

(d) The current challenging economic times combined with the intergenerational

effects of years of racial prejudice and segregation have hindered the

economic progress of African-Americans;

(e) The development area currently has a low percentage of owner-occupied

homes, problems with vacant and abandoned housing, and a dearth of

strategic economic planning and investment;

(f) Fifty percent (50%) of households within the development area have an

annual gross income of less than twenty-five thousand one hundred thirty

dollars ($25,130), and individuals under the age of eighteen (18) or over the

age of sixty-five (65) make up approximately thirty-eight and one-tenth

percent (38.1%) of the population;

(g) In the development area, thirty-nine and six-tenths percent (39.6%) of the

population lives below the federal poverty level and children make up thirty-

seven and four-tenths percent (37.4%) of all individuals below the poverty

line; and

(h) In addition to many nonprofits working in the development area to improve

the quality of life of residents, African-American leaders and other Louisville

community leaders and philanthropists have recently united to envision a

public-private partnership to make investments promoting economic growth

and the long-term well-being of the community, while simultaneously

supporting policies to guard against displacement of residents as growth

proceeds.

(2) The General Assembly enacts KRS 65.500 to 65.506 and 141.398 to:

(a) Support the revitalization of and investment in the development area; and

(b) Provide resources for additional opportunities for residents of the

development area, both natural persons and businesses, to work together to

improve their educational attainment, working opportunities, and quality of

life, thus returning the West End to the safe, prosperous, and enjoyable

community needed, deserved, and expected by the residents, and for the area

to become an equal partner in the future of all of Jefferson County.

(3) It is the intent of the General Assembly that if any part of KRS 65.500 to 65.506 or

141.398 is held unconstitutional, the remaining parts shall remain in force.