Mayor Knight talks budget, L&N Depot, department appointments

It’s been a busy stretch of time for the City of Hopkinsville recently, and Mayor J.R. Knight says he’s focused on moving forward and planning for growth.

The mayor has appointed Jason Newby to serve as Hopkinsville Chief of Police, who began his service in that role this week, and he has appointed Toby Hudson to serve as superintendent of Parks and Recreation, effective May 1.  He will serve alongside retiring Superintendent Tab Brockman for a few months, and Mayor Knight says Hudson was the natural choice for the job.

The L&N Depot is back in the hands of the City after a recent deed transfer, and the mayor says they’re taking the responsibility very seriously, as the cost of repairs—no matter what those end up looking like—would be taxpayer dollars.

That’s on his mind as he begins shaping his first budget as mayor, and he says his main priority continues to be public safety.

Work continues on cleaning up downed trees and other damages caused by storms on both March 3 and March 31, and Mayor Knight continues to urge for patience, as it will likely take some time before everything cleaned up and repaired.