Hopkinsville City Council approved the first reading of the 2021-22 budget Tuesday night.
City Clerk Chrissy Fletcher presented the $41.1 million budget, with councilman Jason Bell making a motion to amend the Inner-City REZ budget to add $50,000, which would raise the program’s budget to $500,000.
The budget for the program was originally at that level before budget cuts a few years ago, and Bell explained why the Inner-City REZ needed that funding.
The budget amendment passed 6 to 4, with councilmembers Alethea West, Steve Keel, Tom Johnson, and Chuck Crabtree voting against it.
On the 2021-22 budget, the city is facing an additional $600,000 in pension costs, and city employees will receive a two-percent cost-of-living raise. The budget was approved unanimously on the first reading.
The budget will go for a second reading at the next city council meeting.
The council also approved executive orders that immediately appointed councilmember Alethea West to the Future Funding Review Committee and appointed Reverend Buddy Slaughter to the Hopkinsville Electric System Board from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2025.
