Hopkinsville City Council approved a $38.5 million budget on second-reading at Tuesday’s meeting and heard a positive financial report.
The budget for fiscal year 2020-2021 requires departments to make four percent cuts to operations, while anticipating a seven percent drop in payroll tax revenue. It also includes a 1.25 percent cost of living increase for city employees. During his monthly financial report, Chief Financial Officer Robert Martin says the decrease in payroll tax revenue was not as bad as he had feared, which is good news.
He says he hopes to see that trend continue, and the city is ending the fiscal year with an available cash balance of $9.5 million, which is better than prior years.
In other action, council approved an ordinance that repeals the existing ordinance that required dogs and cats in city limits to be registered—it is now removed in its entirety.
Mayor Wendell Lynch says council intends to hold in-person meetings once again that the public can attend starting on July 7, though meetings will continue to be aired online, as they have in the past.