The Hopkinsville City Council approved creating the Hoptown Helps program and addressed land development matters at their Tuesday meeting.
Hoptown Helps is a newly established program that will offer grant funding to nonprofit organizations within city limits. Each year a portion of the city’s budget will be appropriated toward Hoptown Helps and then local nonprofits can submit grant applications which will be reviewed by the Future Funding Committee.
City Clerk Brittany Byrum read the municipal order detailing the program which was unanimously approved by the council.
Continuing with municipal orders, Mayor J.R. Knight requested the council to approve a loan of $375,000 to the Hopkinsville Industrial Foundation for an interest payment due on March 31.
The municipal order was not listed on the meeting agenda nor was it discussed at a Committee of the Whole meeting, according to Ward 4 Council Member Chuck Crabtree. He says he would like to discuss the loan with members of the foundation before voting on the motion.
The council unanimously approved further discussion on the loan at an upcoming committee meeting.
Turning toward land development, Tom Britton the executive director of Community and Development Services presented a zoning recommendation to the council. Britton recommended for a parcel of recently annexed land known as Newcomb Oil Co. LLC to be zoned as an arterial commercial district.
The land is along Pembroke Road across from Bill Bryan Boulevard and is set to be home to a FiveStar gas station and convenience store. The council voted to discuss the recommendation at an upcoming committee meeting.
Then the council approved annexing an unincorporated property known as the Ronald K. Berry property into the city. The property sits along the CSX railroad near Long Pond Road and U.S. Highway 41.