Mayor James R. Knight Jr. will present his 2024-25 budget proposal during a press conference at 9 a.m. Friday, May 2, at the Hopkinsville Municipal Center, 715 S. Virginia St.
“The community is invited to attend as the mayor outlines his fiscal strategy and priorities for the upcoming year,” a press release states.
City council, which has the final say on the budget, must adopt the spending plan before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. The city’s current operational budget is approximately $48 million.
Traditionally, city council discusses the mayor’s budget plan during one or more Committee of the Whole meetings in May. The budget requires votes at two city council meetings to pass. All council meetings, including the Committee of the Whole, must be open to the public.
The council’s first Committee of the Whole meeting that occurs after the mayor presents his budget will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 23, at the municipal center. Additional meetings can be scheduled if council members want more time to discuss possible changes to the mayor’s plan.
Budget meetings
The following meetings, which may include discussion of the mayor’s budget, are scheduled for May and June.
Committee of the Whole
6 p.m. May 23
6 p.m. June 20
City Council
6 p.m. June 4
6 p.m. June 18
All 12 council members comprise the Committee of the Whole. These meetings typically occur once a month, on the third Thursday, to allow council members to consider ordinances and other matters that will be voted on during regular council meetings. (The May Committee of the Whole meeting is being held a week later, which will give council members more time to review the mayor’s budget before they begin discussing it at a public meeting.)
Regular council meetings begin at 6 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of the month.
Meeting dates are posted on the city website’s calendar. The meeting agendas and related documents are usually posted at least 24 hours prior to a meeting.
Community members who are interested in the mayor’s budget address but aren’t able to attend the press conference in person can watch it live on the city’s YouTube page.
According to the mayor’s press release, a video from the press conference and his budget documents will be available on the city’s website by 2 p.m. Friday.
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.
