Hopkinsville City Council approved the 2021 property tax rate at Tuesday night’s meeting, along with a change to the monthly garbage collection rate for economy customers.
Council members unanimously approved a recommendation from Chief Financial Officer Robert Martin to keep the 2021 rate for real property at 23.9 cents per $100 per assessed value with a .1 cents per decrease to the personal property tax from 24.0 cents to 23.9 cents per $100 assessed value. The projected calculated revenue is over $5.16 million.
Martin said the motor vehicle and watercraft property tax would remain at 25.1 cents per $100 assessed value — the same rate for the past thirty years.
In other action, council had a lengthy discussion when it came time for the second reading of the Hopkinsville Solid Waste rate increase – a $25 flat monthly rate for garbage collection affecting all customers – apartments, economy, and residences. It was pointed out at the last council meeting and again Tuesday night, the proposed rate of $25 is a 105.42 percent increase for economy customers.
Councilman Travis Martin said he had spoken with Tony Sicari, the general manager of Hopkinsville Solid Waste, and Councilman and Solid Waste board member Phillip Brooks about his concerns regarding the rate increase on the economy customers after he heard from several of his elderly constituents who stated they couldn’t afford it.
Brooks then explained they came up with the option to reduce the monthly rate for more than 700 economy customers with about 200 of those senior citizens.
The change for the economy group would be in the fall of 2022 with their smaller trash cans to be removed and replaced with larger totes.
Council approved the amended motion with the reduced rate for the economy group and then after more discussion City Clerk Crissy Fletcher presented the first reading of the ordinance with the new rates.
Council approved the ordinance by a 10-2 vote with council members Alethea West and Chuck Crabtree casting nay votes.
At the end of the meeting, emotions were high as West seemed to question Sicari’s leadership abilities as well as the board for not being able to forecast or project a rate increase would be needed to offset expenses and Councilwoman Amy Craig felt like it was an attack on the Solid Waste general manager.
The second reading of the Solid Waste rates will be at the next regular council meeting, Tuesday evening, September 7, at 6:00.
The full council will meet as the Committee of the Whole Thursday night at 6:00 in the Council Chambers at the Municipal Building.
