In their first vote on a policy matter, the newly installed Hopkinsville City Council agreed to limit citizens to three minutes of talk time when they address the council at public meetings.
The amendment to the city’s policy on citizen participation passed unanimously on second reading with no discussion at Tuesday’s meeting. It had been adopted on first reading by the previous council in late 2022.
Regular council meetings will still have a portion devoted to receiving “communications, petitions, complaints and information from citizens.”
However, the presiding officer will no longer have discretion over the amount of time a citizen may speak. Instead, there will be a three-minute limit. Citizens who don’t comply with the policy may be ordered to leave, and the presiding officer may ask police to assist with enforcement, the ordinance states.
In other matters, the council voted unanimously to amend the city’s zoning maps to rezone newly annexed property on John Rivers Road to Heavy Industrial District. The annexed area, containing approximately 613 acres, includes the site for the Ascend Elements plant.
Mayor James R. Knight Jr., presiding in his first council meeting, gave brief remarks. He thanked local weather spotters who monitored severe weather early Tuesday and noted the work of city employees and utility crews during the bitterly cold Christmas holiday.
Most of the meeting was devoted to getting council members and others appointed to various boards. Those included:
- Crystal Ferreira appointed to the Pennyroyal Area Museum Board to fill the unexpired term of Brett Pritchett.
- Patricia Bell appointed to the Housing Authority of Hopkinsville Board to fill the unexpired term of Joanne Davis ending June 30, 2024. Council member Doug Wilcox appointed as the mayor’s designee to the authority.
- Council member Natasha Sophia Francis appointed to the Board of Appeals for a term ending Dec. 31, 2024.
- Council member Bruce Smiley appointed to the Hopkinsville Cable Television Oversight Authority for a term expiring Dec. 31.
- Council member Travis Martin reappointed as mayor’s designee to the Christian County 911 Advisory Board for a term ending Dec. 31, 2024. Martin also was appointed to the South Western Kentucky Economic Development Council to fill the unexpired term of former council member Terry Parker. The term ends June 30. Marin was reappointed to the Surface and Stormwater Utility Board for a term ending Dec. 31.
- Council member Chuck Crabtree appointed as mayor’s designee to the Christian County Weather Spotters Board.
- Council members Natasha Sophia Frances, Robert Terry and Bruce Smiley appointed to Future Funding Review Committee to fill unexpired terms of former council members Phillip Brooks, Tom Johnson and Alethea West. The terms expire June 30. Frances was also appointed to the Western Hills Municipal Golf Course Board for a term ending Dec. 31, 2024.
- Council member Amy Craig appointed to Hopkinsville Electric System Board for a term the expires Dec. 31.
- Council member Steve Keel appointed to the Hopkinsville Solid Waste Enterprise Board for a term expiring Dec. 31.
- Council member Jason Bell appointed to the Hopkinsville Water Environment Authority for a term ending Dec. 31, 2023. Bell was also appointed to the Little River Water Quality Consortium for a term ending Dec. 31, 2024.
- Council member Jamie Lienberger appointed as mayor’s designee to the Christian County Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee for a term ending Dec. 31, 2024. Lienberger was also appointed to the Inner-City Advisory Committee to fill the unexpired term of former council member Patricia Bell.
- Council member Doug Wilcox appointed to the Hopkinsville-Christian County Industrial Development Authority for a term expiring Dec. 31, 2024.
- Wilcox and council member Donald Marsh were appointed to the Pennyrile Solid Waste Management Authority. The terms end Dec. 31, 2024.
In addition, the following one-year appointments for council members were enacted:
- Hopkinsville-Christian County Ambulance Service Board — Travis Martin
- Christian County Senior Center Board — Donald Marsh
- Hopkinsville-Christian County ECC Board — Donald Marsh
- Hopkinsville-Christian County Airport Board — Robert Terry Meek
- Human Rights Commission — Matthew Handy
- Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library Board — Jamie Lienberger
- Long-Range Planning and Coordination Committee — Bruce Smiley
- Pennyrile RC&D Council — Jamie Lienberger
- Pennyroyal Area Museum Board — Matthew Handy
- Retired Senior Volunteers Program Council — Donald Marsh
- Tax Increment Finance Development Authority — Robert Terry Meek
- Westwood Senior Homes Board — Donald Marsh
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
