The long-standing meeting time of 6 p.m. for Hopkinsville City Council might change.
Mayor James R. Knight Jr. wants to move meetings to 5 p.m. for both the council and committee of the whole sessions.
At the Jan. 7 council meeting, Knight said he wants to meet an hour earlier because it would be more convenient for city employees who need to attend. He presented an ordinance to amend meeting times.
“Our staff has to hang out later in the evening,” Knight said, noting that some employees are paid for their time at meetings while some earn comp time. Others are salaried employees and routinely attend the meetings.
He added, “I was asking to do that for the staff reason only. Now I’ll leave that up to you and how y’all decide.”
A few council members asked about feedback from local residents. The mayor said he did not have any feedback.
A change in the meeting time wouldn’t be an issue only for city employees. It would also affect citizens, said Ward 6 council member Travis Martin said.
After raising several questions, council members opted to delay a vote on the meeting time that Knight sought. It will be discussed again at the council’s Jan. 23 committee of the whole meeting.
Members of the public can weigh in by responding to an online survey, which asks, “Is 5 p.m. a more convenient time for Hopkinsville City Council and Committee of the Whole to meet?”
The survey will remain open until Jan. 17, according to a press release from the mayor’s office.
The council meets twice a month on the first and third Tuesdays. Committee of the whole meetings are once a month on the Thursday following the second council meeting of the month.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
