City Council - Regular Meeting

Good morning everyone. Thank you for being here today. Today is about more than a budget. It is about where we are as a community and where we are going together. Over the past several years, we have faced real challenges. Like communities across our country, we have faced uncertainties, economic shifts, and growing need for public safety, housing, and infrastructure. But through those challenges, something else has taken shape. We have seen resilience. We have seen progress. And we have seen what is possible when a community focuses on moving forward together. Because of the work, we are not stagnant. We are building momentum. We're making intentional decisions about what kind of community we want to be and bringing us and bringing us to the way we are here. We are here because we have a vision for Hopkinsville. A vision where neighbors live in harmony, free from crime. A community where people feel safe, families can enjoy our parks, our streets, and our shared spaces. A place where people choose to invest. A place where opportunity takes root. And a place people are drawn to. And a place that feels like home. Through growing home, we have been working to bring this vision to life. And today, we can say we are making real progress. Public safety, we are seeing results. In 2025, Hawkinsville recorded zero

homicides for the first time since 2008. We have opened our fire station 5, expanding fire protection for the first time in 24 years. With station five, we have established a state-of-the-art training facility for our first responders and our region. Through growing home, we are also taking on one of our biggest challenges, vacant and abandoned properties. For too long, these properties created blight, safety concerns, and took away the value from our neighboring homes. Now, that is changing. Through the land bank, the lot next door program, we are putting properties back into productive uses. New homes are being built, neighbors are expanding their property lines, and the city is becoming stronger because of it. It is not a simple task, but it works. That truly moves the needle in our community forward. We are investing in how people live every day. Over the past two years, we have nearly doubled funding for the road and sidewalks and we will continue to invest in this this year through the municipal road aid fund. our economic development. We are focused on opportunities and launching a small business commission and they are already creating momentum supporting entrepreneurs and strengthening local economy. We are also looking ahead and building on last year's housing assessment. We have established a housing task force this year and this budget is investing in that effort helping move real results forward for all of us.

Growing home is more than a vision. It is a plan. It is progress and it is how we are planning. This is how we are building Hawkinsville future. The budget continues that work. It is a commitment to amplify the progress we have made today. We are not just talking about numbers. We're talking about our impact. How we are taking every dollar and turning it into something meaningful for people in of our community. This year's budget is careful. It is conservative because we know economic times are uncertain. But even in uncertainty, we remain steady. We remain grounded on growing home, public safety, economic development, city cleanliness, and supporting our staff. And this year, through Growing Home 2.0, we are going even further with a deeper focus on public safety, our housing, road and infrastructure, and small businesses. This is work that matters. This is how we continue building quality of life here in Hopkinsville. Before we get into the details, I want to highlight a few key points. There are no new taxes in this budget. We reduce the net profit tax. That is a direct investment in our business community. At the same time, we are being realistic. Some revenues are down slightly based on actual trends. This is careful and conservative budget, but even that we are continuing to invest in what matters. We are staying at the course and focusing on every dollar of impact.

Public safety remains one of the top priorities for me and this year we continue to strengthen it. We are adding code enforcement officers because safe, clean neighborhoods do matter to us all. We also addressing opioid crisis, one of our hardest challenges we face today. The budget includes funding to help reserve this effect, including an opioid response officer. Economic growth does not happen by chance. It happens through intentional investments. We are continuing to support our small business community through grants, support programs, continue investing in small business commission. We are also addressing critical community issues, housing. Last year we completed the housing assessment and from that we have taken action. We have created a housing task force and this budget invests in that effort to move real solutions forward for us. Real solutions will bring challenges, but we will meet those challenges head on. It is essential for to growth and essential for the quality of life in Hopkinsville. City cleanness is more than appearances. It is about our safety. It is about the pride we take in it. It is about the quality of life that we have. We are continuing to take on blight directly. We are funding demolition and abandoned structures. We are investing in loan and legal tools to move prior properties forward. Excuse me. Last year alone, code enforcement completed 27 demolitions. This is not easy work. It isn't always popular work, but it is the necessary work to how we restore our neighborhoods.

Everything we do as a city depends on our staff, our a team. Nothing is possible. Our commitment to our team. We are a 3% cost of living adjustment. We're making thoughtful staff decisions to strengthen the operations and support our team. We're also focused on retaining experienced employees. We are attaching attract new talent to serve in the communities. When we invest in the people and strengthen our services, improve efficiency and better service to the residents of Hopkinsville. Now that we have highlighted key investments, let's take a look at the numbers. Starting with the municipal road aid, also known as the MRA. This fund supports our infrastructure. Most of the funds go to the road repair. This this is intentional. Safe, well-kept roads matter every day to everyone. This affects how people travel, work, and live. These funds also support the sidewalks and the drainage system problems. These are things people use and depend on daily, whether driving, walking, or during heavy rains. By investing in infrastructure, we are protecting what we have, extending life of our roads, meeting the needs of our community now and in the future. As we look at the revenue that makes this investment possible, our funds come from various sources, including your tax dollars. We take the responsib responsibility seriously.

Every dollar is carefully considered with focus on what using it wisely and making it the greatest possible impact for our community. This year we are making conservative projections based on real data. This approach allows us to plan responsible, continue to invest in priorities with confidence. Looking at the expenses, the largest portion goes to payroll. The people who provide services every single day for us. These are the individuals responding to the emergency, maintaining our infrastructure, and serving our communion community in countless ways every day. This investment reflects on the value we placed on the work force and the essential roles they play in everything we do. Every dollar connects back to services, and every decision is made with intention to focus on delivering real impact and meeting the needs of our community. As we look to our budget over the last few years, you will notice a decrease this year. That is intentional. This is a more conservative budget in response to economic uncertainties. But even with that, we are maintaining our focus. We are not stepping back from our investment in public safety, economic development, city cleanness, or our staff support. And as we move the capital, we see that in our longranging investments, we remain committed to our growing home pillars. These investments span across departments and infrastructure, ensuring that every project supported our shared vision for our future. This investment

allows for us to move from progress to momentum in strengthening our system, expanding our capacity and setting up to continue growth for Hopkinsville. In these 13 slides, you have seen a lot of numbers, a lot of charts, a lot of information out there. You have seen the remain commitment to public safety, economic development, city cleanliness, and staff support. And this year, you can see that we're even going deeper with a stronger focus on public safety, our housing that we have to do, small businesses, and infrastructure. But when you step back and look at the big picture, this budget is simply an investment in our vision. A place where neighbors live in harmony, free from crime. A community where people feel safe, where families can enjoy the parks, the streets, and shared spaces. A place where people choose to invest, where opportunities take root, and a place people are drawn to. a place that feels like home. But I want you to keep in mind that while we have improved this resources, the future of Hawkmill is not shaped by this budget alone. It is shaped by all of us here. It is shaped by the people who show up, who stay engaged, and who take pride in their neighborhoods, who invest in their communities. So I invite you to be a part of this work to stay informed to stay involved and continue to help us move the city forward. We are not just man managing a city we're are building a place people

are proud to call home. And together we will continue growing Hopkinsville growing home. Thank you.

Thank you today. Thank you all. Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. We can get that taken care of. my staff and finance team will get that for you. Okay. And council members, y'all can pick all y'alls up here in just a minute. Okay. Thank you all for being here today. Thank you for listening to my address. And if there's anything y'all need from me, feel free to to reach out and talk to us. Thank you.