Four days after Christian County Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam delivered a comprehensive budget address to the community, magistrates unanimously approved a first reading Tuesday morning.
The $48 million plan now heads to the Department of Local Government, and will come back for a second and final reading likely in the first June meeting — where the public and local leadership still have time to discuss its nuances before the final stamp of approval.
In a side-by-side comparison of FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25:
— The general fund appropriation is down from $20.6 million to $18.5 million.
— The road and bridge fund is down from $4.1 million to $3.7 million.
— The jail fund is up from $9 million to $9.2 million.
— The LGEA fund is up from $240,000 to $415,000.
— The E-911 fund is slightly down from $3.8 million to $3.7 million.
— The health insurance fund slightly up from $3.4 million to $3.5 million.
— The general obligation bond fund stays the same at $1.2 million.
— And the American Rescue Plan Act fund decreases from $10.8 million to $7.48 million.
In that general fund, more than $700,000 is appropriated for recreation and culture, and more than $5.6 million will be set aside for capital projects.
In other court news:
— Diane Croney-Turner lauded the most-recent Christian County Sheriff’s Office Citizen Academy, of which she participated.
— A unique piece of property was annexed by the City of Hopkinsville.
— Raychel Farmer, executive director for the Hopkinsville-Christian County Human Rights Commission, announced that the 50th Annual Unity Breakfast is coming up and planned for 7:30 AM Thursday, October 24 at The Bruce. She teased a big celebration surrounding “50 Years of Compassion,” with a guest speaker to be revealed at a later date.
