The Christian Fiscal Court got together in a special meeting Wednesday morning, as they combed through the data acquired through a recent survey and worked to develop a plan on how they’ll use that data moving forward.
Just shy of 600 people took part in the survey, which Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam considers a huge success, and they saw that a lot of people—from those who have lived in the county all their lives to those who are just now calling it home—shared a lot of the same wants and ideals.
At the top of the list of wants was a focus on public safety, with a good percentage of county residents saying they feel their needs to be a larger law enforcement presence.
People are also concerned about a lack of housing, and Judge Gilliam says they’ll need to determine how they want to go about bringing more housing to rural parts of the county.
The participants had mixed feelings on zoning in the county, which some feeling it was necessary to some degree and others against establishing zoning at all. The judge says people were more in favor of exploring ways to protect land and infrastructure.
One priority going forward will be improving infrastructure county-wide, with a big focus on one-day widening I-24—Judge Gilliam says that conversation needs to start now.
A good amount of discussion was had involving county volunteer fire departments, with numerous survey takers saying they need more funding and more support, with magistrates set to discuss how to make that happen.
The top areas participants wanted the Fiscal Court to focus on was public safety, roads, the Christian County Animal Shelter, the Hopkinsville Public Library and county fire departments.
The special-called meeting and planning session went into the afternoon, with magistrates and other county officials brainstorming and working to develop a strategic plan.