Louisville voters may have the ability to create a dedicated funding source for city parks through a community-driven effort to place a referendum on the ballot. If approved by voters, these protected funds would support parks serving neighborhoods citywide.

Louisville operates more than 120 public parks and 13 community centers across Jefferson County—places residents use for recreation, gathering, and connection. They are the heartbeat of our community — cherished spaces where people of all ages recreate, recharge, and connect. In a 2022 poll of Louisvillians, 95 percent of respondents visited a park within the last year. And park visits have increased steadily, totaling 9.2 million visits in 2025 alone.

 

Yet our public park system has faced decades of underfunding. A recent condition assessment found more than half of Louisville's parks are in poor or fair condition, with an estimated $177 million in deferred maintenance. Sixteen parks have seen no investment in more than 20 years.
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Peer-city comparisons show average annual parks spending of about $150 per resident, compared with Louisville’s roughly  $ 53 per resident. The 2026 Trust for Public Land ParkScore™ ranks Louisville 95th among the 100 most populous U.S. cities based on a combination of park size, access, investment, amenities, and equity. In comparison, Cincinnati ranks 5th and Lexington 67th.