This past weekend, the You Decide Kentucky! board conducted their biannual retreat in Louisville to reflect on the last year’s work, plan for 2024, and strategize for upcoming advocacy needs.  With a coalition as broad and multi-regional as YDK!’s and a Board of Directors that reflects that, it’s important to meet in person from time to time to ensure alignment amongst stakeholders and joint preparation for the effort ahead.

The 2024 Regular Session of the Kentucky General Assembly, gaveling in on January 2, 2024, will be critical for the efforts to modernize local revenue streams.  As we move further into the post-COVID era, one-time funds that helped sustain local communities from state and federal relief efforts are beginning to dry up, meaning the focus needs to return to how to best empower local communities to become self-sustaining and self-funding. Meanwhile, the realities of pension obligations, unfunded mandates, deferred maintenance needs, increased quality of life standards and much more persist. This long-needed reform starts with amending section 181 of the Constitution of Kentucky so that our General Assembly has the ability to modernize our state’s laws to provide cities and counties with the tools in the toolbox that they need to move their communities forward.

Over the coming weeks, the YDK! team will be using this blog to highlight the diverse membership of the YDK! board that represent all of Kentucky and will help lead the effort in 2024 and beyond – so stay tuned for more.   For now, enjoy some pictures from another successful retreat!