Council members approved forwarding the proposed budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year to the Hopkinsville City Council at Thursday’s Committee of the Whole meeting.
During a committee meeting earlier in the month, council members discussed the budget and proposed amendments but did not approve the budget itself. The $56.9 million budget includes a 3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) wage increase for city employees, insurance increases, no tax raises and the creation of the Hoptown Helps Program which became a source of discussion.
The program was approved at a City Council meeting in March and any 5013c nonprofits in Hopkinsville can apply to the program for grant funding. With the creation of the program, funding for nonprofits was not included in the budget.
On Thursday, Ward Six Council Member Travis Martin re-proposed an amendment to provide $44,000 in funding to the Pennyroyal Arts Council from the Hoptown Helps fund, which was approved by the committee.
Ward One Council Member Vance Smith then made a motion to include all nonprofits in the budget that appeared as line items in last year’s budget.
Before council members voted on the motion, Ward Five Council Member Amy Craig called the idea terrible because it would basically throw the Hoptown Helps Program aside after they approved its formation.
Craig also says there is more funding allocated to the Hoptown Helps Program than has ever been put toward nonprofit funding. Groups that applied to the program will have to wait until August to receive funding.
Smith’s motion was rescinded and the committee voted to forward the budget to the City Council.