City Council - Regular Meeting

We are going to read a proclamation for human rights month this evening. Me and Judge Gillamar and uh thank you for being here with us. uh proclamation. Whereas on December the 10th, 1948, the members of the United Nations signed a universal declaration of human rights asserting that the recognition of inert dignity and that equal and absolute rights to all members of human family are the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace. And whereas an individual has basic rights and freedoms such as rights of equality, freedom from discrimination, freedom through thought, every human has the same worth as ever other humans have not just at birth but for the duration of their entire lives. And whereas the primary responsibility to promote respect for those rights and freedoms lie with each individual in Hawkinsville Christian County. And each of us can play a significant role in enhancing human rights together with Hawkinsville Human Rights Commission. And whereas human rights impact everyone every day and the 2025 theme human rights are everyday essentials reaffirm the value of human rights and show that there remain a winning proposition for humanity by bridging the gaps between the human of the principles of human rights and everyday experiences. We can inspire confidence and encourage collective action. Now therefore we James R. Knight Jr. Mayor of the city of Hopkinsville and Jerry Gellum, Judge Executive Christian County, do hereby proclaim December as Human Rights Month in all of Hopkinsville and Christian County. And we encourage all our residents to focus on how human rights are a pathway to solutions playing a critical role to a preventative, protective, and transformative force for

good. This signed and sealed the second day of December, 2025. Rachel Katie [applause]

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to call this December 2nd regular city council meeting to order and invocation war 12. 11, excuse me.

Uh good evening. Uh this evening I have uh Reverend Buford Jeff, associate minister, Macedonia Baptist Church uh from Guthri, Kentucky. He's also a community investor in Hoppersville. Jeff, come to the podium. Let us pray. Father God, we come now to say thank you, God. We thank you for this present moment in time. God, we ask that you be in this meeting. Continue to bless the mayor, all the city officials, God, each and every person that's represented here today and their families, God, so we can continue to come out um discuss topics, continue to move this community forward. We give you the praise and all the glory for the things you have done, are doing, and going are going to do. These and many other blessings we ask in your son Jesus name, forgiveness of our many sins. Amen.

Stand for the pledge, please. To the flag of the United States of America and to the stands nation for all. Call the role, please. Council member Smith. Council member Stallions here. Council member Marsh here. Council member Crabtree here. Council member Craig here. Council member Martin here. Council member Sumar here. Council member Meek [clears throat] here.

Council member Bogard. Council member Veles here. Council member Bell here. Council member D. We do have a qu for quum.

Alrighty. Item five, WS and recognitions. Our mayor for the day. We did we had to postpone that because the school was out and uh we didn't feel like it would do due diligence. So, we let them we're going to reschedule that in January for the mayor of the day. So, he gets to skip school that day, Clayton. So, don't come looking for him. [laughter] All right. But we will move into recognition of cable television oversight authority. If uh get up here and do this right now, the ladies and gentlemen of the cable authority oversight board. Um, we appreciate everything they did for us and they set us up for the next 10 years or so for our next contract on that. But cable television, everybody knows how that's going. Mr. Wood has worked diligently on this for a long time and and we appreciate him being the chair of the board and we appreciate that and I appreciate each and everyone that served on that committee for us. We really do appreciate that for you. At this time, I'd like for Mr. Tom Wood to come up front so I can present him with this key of recognition and appreciation from City of Hopkinsville. [clears throat]

Thank you, sir. [applause] Paula Knight, would you please come up? Come on. [laughter] [applause] Your team has

[applause] Miss Angelique Victor, [applause] Mark Graham, and Councilman Van Smith.

[applause] [applause] [laughter] Thank you, sir. Thank you. [snorts and laughter] Thank y'all so very much for y'all's hard work and dedication to this. I know you had a lot of time involved in and we appreciate your time taking to take care of this for us. Thank you.

Okay. Item six is public comments. If anyone would like to come and speak, please come on up and state your name and address for me. You got five minutes.

Diane Crony Turner, 26 Harden Place here in Hopkinsville. I'm coming to you because we're getting ready for our last event of the year at Jefferson Ben Environmental Center, which is our Christmas at the bend. It will be this coming up Saturday, December the 6. It'll be from 11 to 1. And we have Santa Claus will be there ready to go. And Miss Claus will be there. So, we're inviting everybody out. Our cost is $5 a car load. We always try to keep our events uh as low as possible and it's geared for families. So, bring your whole family. It'll be some games and fun and we'll have hot chocolate, hot cider, homemade cookies. So, and then they'll take pictures with Santa. We have frames for them and that will be an extra $5 if they want the frame. So, come on out, see us at Jeffers Bin for our last event of the year. We appreciate everything the city does for Jefferson Bean Environmental Center and we look forward to seeing you next year and but really we look forward to seeing you Saturday from 11. [laughter]

Thank you.

Thank you, Miss Cr. Anyone else like to speak at public comments? All righty. We'll move into item seven, mayor's comments. Uh my hats off to Toby and him, the Turkey Trot. We had a great turnout. Toby's mass said about 2,000. I'm not sure about that, but we had a lot of fun and had a and enjoyed ourselves that morning out there. Um, my hats off to Mr. Glover. He run that race at three miles and right at 18 and a half 19 minutes better than me. I'd have been hollering oxygen [laughter] on that. But no, he he first one to come through. He come in about 18 and a half minutes on that. Um, congratulations to all our businesses on our recent ribbon cutings. We appreciate all our new businesses and ribbon cutings that we're having with the chamber. We're having a lot of fun with that. If y'all have a chance, please come out and join us with it. We're having doing that. And if you're not getting them, let me know. I'll make sure y'all get the updates for that on ribbon cutting so y'all can make it to them on that. Um, this holiday season, I want to remind everyone to shop local. The local shops are what really makes us here in Hopkinsville. It makes Hopkinsville its very own unique little place. And remember them small shops and small businesses is what takes care of our ball teams, our little leagues, and our junior pros and all our nonprofit things that they donate to. So, let's remember to shop local and shop and have a lot of fun this Christmas season. And just like Miss Diane said a while ago, Christmas at the Ben is on Saturday. Come on out. We're gonna have a great time out there. We want to enjoy that. U Christmas parade is on the 13th at 5:15. The grand marshals Derek Watson and we're going to do the tree lighting right after that at 7:00 somewhere right there close to it.

And we're praying for good weather. Last year it rained us out real quick on the tree lighting. We flipped the switch and ran. We was all drenched. but to come out and enjoy the parade with us and have a great time with us downtown on that. And I want everyone to have a safe and holiday happy holiday season from here city hall. We appreciate each and everyone in our in our community and we want you to have a great holidays on that. Now we'll move into item eight, reports from officers and committee and there's none of them. So, we'll move into all uh item nine, approval of minutes on that and for November the 18th, 2025 regular meeting on that. And I need a motion. Motion.

Second. Got a motion from Don. Second by Amy. Any discussion? [clears throat] All those in favor say I. I. Nay. Likewise. All righty. That moving right along. Ordinance 10. Uh, ordinance 33-2025, repeal the cable television oversight authority, second reading.

An ordinance repealing section 33.175 through 33.178 television cable oversight authority of the Hopkinsville Code of Ordinances. Whereas the Hopkinsville Cable Television Oversight Authority voted at their October 17, 2025 meeting to recommend to Hopkinsville City Council that the authority be dissolved. And whereas Hopkinsville City Council voted at their November 4th, 2025 meeting to dissolve the authority. Now therefore be it ordained by the city council of the city of Hopkinsville, Kentucky as follows. Section one that sections 33.175, 33.176, 33.177, and 33.178 television cable oversight authority of the Hopkinsville Code of Ordinances are hereby repealed in their entirety. Section two, if any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this ordinance is held unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, such infirmity shall not affect the validity or the remaining portions of this ordinance. Section three, all ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict with this ordinance are hereby repealed. Section four, this ordinance shall take effect after its passage and publication according to law.

So moved. Motion second. Second. No. All right. Any discussion? No. Clerk, please call the role. Council member Smith, yes. Council member Stalins, yes. Council member Marsh, yes. Council member Crabtree, yes. Council member Craig, yes. Council member Martin, yes. Council member Sner, yes. Council member Meek, yes. Council member VZ, yes. Council member Bell, yes. It passes.

Righty. Item 12, municipal order, uh, 48-2025, Kentucky, 107 Lefett Road, MOU. Hopkins Hopkinsville City Council hereby authorizes the mayor to sign the attached memorandum of understanding and deed of conveyance between the city of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Department of Highways for the widening of Kentucky 107 Lefayet Road project number 12 F0 FD52 024150-5601R project improve safety on Kentucky 107 Lefaya Road.

Motion move second. All right. Any more discussion on that? Lefet Road. All right. All those in favor say I. I. Any oppose? Likewise. All righty. We move into item 12, executive order 48-2025, Hawkinsville Small Business Commission. Effective immediately, Angie Graham shall be appointed to the Hopkinsville Small Business Commission to fill the unexpired term of Diana Soie. This term shall expire June 1, 2029. This executive order does require city council approval pursuant to ordinance 10 2023. Okay. Need a motion. Motion. Second there. All right. Any discussion?

Okay. All those in favor say I. I. Opposed. Okay. Item 13. Other. Any other business you'd like to discuss tonight? I think we need to talk just a second about the scheduling of the meeting to discuss the water park because

I was just going to do next regular council meeting for that just to bring it up and that way Mike Perry would be bringing his paperwork to talk to us on that after just the comment y'all made while ago the sec the third Tuesday we will be having that regular council meeting even though it might be brief we will be having that so we can discuss the water part because that is going to be a big issue. Y'all seen the seen that and it's something that we're going to have to discuss. This is on the 16th of December. On the 16th of December. Yes. Right. Gotcha.

Okay. Anything else on the other. All righty then. I move we go into uh item 15. Oh, no. We got to go 14. Excuse me. Council members comments. Any comments from the council tonight? Yet, I'm sorry. All righty. We will move into item 15, close session. Uh, discussion economic development proposal KRS61.8101 G. Motion. A motion and second. All in favor? I. All righty. Likewise.

[bell] There we go. Welcome back. Uh there was no u no nothing done in close session and we'll move into item 16 ward 11 Jason Bell adjournment. Got a little quote from Charles Dickens. Uh never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is a thief of time. With that I journ motion. Got a second. Got a second. All in favor say I. I. Opposed. We are journ. Thank you.