Hopkinsville City Council voted to accept a recommendation on how CARES Act funding will be used going forward from the Economic Assistance Fund Committee at Tuesday’s meeting.
The committee was formed following council’s wish for what that $2.2 million in stimulus funding would go towards to have further discussion. Serving on the committee was council member Travis Martin, who says they recommended putting $1.5 million towards future pension obligations, but much of the other funding be absorbed back into the general fund. He says they felt the pandemic is far from over, so it was prudent to save the money for future needs.
The Downtown Renaissance initiative will still receive funding, but the money that had been originally set for the Sportsplex parking lot, the Bruce Convention Center and non-profit agencies will be retained. Council voted to accept the recommendation with council member Amy Craig the lone no vote—she says she doesn’t see the point in not giving that money to the agencies who need it now.
A Small Business Stimulus program, allowing businesses to apply for a portion of the CARES funding, was previously established with the amount of $335,000. In other action, council approved second-reading of a budget amendment to officially accept the $2.2 million in CARES Act funding into the spending plan. It also allows for an increased expenditure amount under Fort Campbell contracts, raising it from $553,271 to $962,575.