While there have long been calls to institute Juneteenth as a federal holiday, the movement has taken on renewed significance in the wake of the killing of 46-year-old George Floyd by Minneapolis police on May 25.
Buses will provide free transportation to the city's single polling place, the James E. Bruce Convention Center, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23.
After a voter receives and completes the ballot, it can be returned in the mail or dropped at locations established in each county. If it is mailed, it must be postmarked no later than June 23. Two locations are available where voters can personally drop off ballots — at the Christian County Courthouse on South Main Street or at the drive-thru lane at the new Christian County Sheriff’s Department on West Seventh Street.
Democrat Wendell Lynch, a retired banker who is serving as interim mayor, will face the Republican nominee, local business owner James R. Knight Jr., in the Nov. 3 general election.
Race, as much as party affiliation, figured into the council's split vote. Opponents said the council should not adopt the ordinance during the coronavirus crisis while meetings are being conducted by teleconference and members of the public are limited in their ability to give council feedback.
Many city employees will continue to work from home to ensure space for social distancing in offices. Those working in offices will be restricted from sharing meals and congregating in common areas.
The city projects payroll tax revenue will decline about $1 million in the last three months of this fiscal year and be down $1.3 million next fiscal year.
