Hopkinsville City Council members discussed and approved fiscal year tax rates and budgets at their meeting on Tuesday.
On the property tax ordinance’s first reading the Council unanimously approved a tax levy rate of 22.3 cents per $100 of real property, 29.3 cents per $100 of personal property and 25.1 cents per $100 of motor vehicle and watercraft property.
City Clerk Brittany Byrum highlighted the decrease of the real estate tax rate from 22.5 cents from the 2022-23 fiscal year. Rates for personal property and motor vehicle and watercraft property have remained consistent.
The Council also unanimously approved amendments to their operational and capital budgets that work to base both budgets on estimated revenues and expenses. The amendments increased both projected revenues and expenses for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
From fiscal year finance to community events, Alissa Keller the Director of the Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County and Margaret Prim the Executive Director of the Pennyroyal Arts Council spoke about the upcoming Big Read event.
The Arts Council is one of 62 organizations nationwide that will receive a Big Read grant from the National Endowment of the Arts, making it the ninth year they have received the grant.
This year’s Big Read will be centered on poetry book, “Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude” by Ross Gay. Keller says Big Read events will kick off on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. with a mural unveiling at the Hopkinsville Brewing Company.
Concluding the meeting, during the council member comments, Mayor J.R. Knight was asked about the current condition of former mayor Wendell Lynch after he was hit by a car while riding his bike in August. Knight says he heard Lynch is going through physical therapy and is looking forward to getting back on his feet.
The Council will reconvene on September 14 for a special called meeting.