Paducah City Commission Meeting - May 26, 2026
Paducah City Commission Meeting - May 26, 2026
The Paducah City Commission met on May 26, 2026, to address a range of routine and substantive items, including a proclamation, public comments, consent agenda approvals, multiple ordinances, a major capital contract for the historic Hotel Metropolitan, and a discussion of artificial intelligence use in city operations. The meeting opened with a proclamation declaring May 2026 as Paducah Main Street Month, highlighting downtown successes: 21 new businesses opened since July 2025, 495 local business promotions, 3.4 million social media views, and an average of 140,000 monthly visitors.
Consent Calendar
- Approved minutes for May 11 and May 12, 2026.
- Appointed Michael Youngman to the Board of Trustees for the municipal college to fill the vacancy left by the late John D. Williams (four-year term).
- Approved a contract with DWA Recreation ($87,202) for new shade canopies at Noble Park pool and tennis courts.
- Approved a contract with Miracle Playgrounds of Kentucky and Tennessee ($198,743) for new playground equipment at Cobb Park.
- Approved the first amendment to a janitorial services contract with Right Way Janitorial.
- Authorized a grant application to the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General for a peer support program ($5,000).
- Approved a memorandum of understanding between Paducah Police and Paducah Independent School District allowing school resource officers to conduct law enforcement beyond school property.
- Approved a contract with Hen and Supply ($86,757) for light fixtures for the Marine Way improvement project.
- Approved a contract with Allied Contracting (not to exceed $249,491) for City Hall administration renovation.
- Approved a contract with Window Energy (not to exceed $175,360) for City Hall window film.
- One item (item in) was removed from the consent agenda at the request of a commissioner and discussed separately (the Hotel Metropolitan contract).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Bonnie Kobitz (city resident) expressed total opposition to the proposed AI data center for Western Kentucky, citing risks of water leaks, noise, enormous power consumption, air pollution from natural gas, and existential dangers of AI. She quoted Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Jeffrey Hinton. The Mayor clarified the evening's AI discussion was about city operational efficiency, not data centers.
- Stephanie Shepherd (McCracken County resident, son swims at McCracken) advocated for installing an inflatable seasonal bubble over the Noble Park Pool to create a year-round aquatic center. She noted the only indoor pool in McCracken County was recently condemned, leaving swim teams and lessons without a facility. She asked the commission to direct Parks and Recreation to conduct a feasibility study or issue a request for information. Commissioners acknowledged the gap in indoor swimming but noted the need for broader funding beyond city taxpayers, given the city represents 37% of the county population. The Mayor committed to follow up on the suggestion.
- Paul Shaw (North 24th Street resident) described escalating fireworks dangers in his neighborhood, particularly near the Easter Seals building on 29th Street. He reported that last year the Easter Seals grounds caught fire, a neighbor's house caught fire from fireworks, and two young men were arrested after an unauthorized party drew large crowds. He requested full-time police patrol on July 4th. Commissioners thanked him and said they would follow up with the police chief.
Discussion Items
- Hotel Metropolitan Renovation Contract: The commission separately considered a municipal order approving a $499,002 contract with Ray Black & Son for capital improvements to the Hotel Metropolitan and Purple Room. The project, funded by a 2024 Mellon grant, includes exterior and interior renovations. The contractor indicated they could begin the following week. Betty (representative of the hotel) expressed excitement, noting the hotel is potentially the last surviving Green Book hotel built for that purpose. The order passed unanimously.
- Zoning Ordinance Adoption (R3 Medium Density Residential Zone): The commission adopted an ordinance amending Chapter 126, Section 104 of the Zoning Code to allow a better transition to R4 high-density residential zones by expanding permitted uses and reducing minimum lot size and width to reflect historic patterns and encourage infill development. Passed unanimously.
- Budget Amendment Ordinance: The commission adopted an ordinance amending the FY2025-2026 budget with revenue/expenditure adjustments across multiple funds, including a $58,901 increase in the general fund, $2,471,988 increase in Capital Projects Fund, and others. Passed unanimously.
- FY2026-2027 Budget Introduction (First Reading): City Manager Darren presented the proposed annual budget. Total general fund budget is approximately $51.9 million; all funds total approximately $116.4 million. The budget theme is "Strengthening Today, Preparing for Tomorrow." Key points: nine unfilled positions frozen, the investment fund projected at $7.9 million for strategic priorities, and a proposal to increase the general fund reserve target from 10% to 25% for long-term stability. The budget also recognizes unfunded future needs (e.g., a new police station, Fire Station 4 replacement). The commission praised the budget process and finance team. The ordinance was introduced and will be voted on at a future meeting.
- Artificial Intelligence Update: Presented by the technology director. He explained AI types (generative, computer vision, natural language processing, etc.) and shared use cases from other cities: urban blight detection, cybersecurity, FOIA redaction, plan review, meeting minutes, financial auditing, resident inquiries, facial recognition for missing persons, and pay/comparison studies. Current city uses include OCR in document management, email security, endpoint detection, generative AI for policy review and presentations, and Flock cameras for license plate reading. Next steps: finalize an AI policy (in draft), form an internal AI working group, and assess small-scale use cases—starting with a potential citizen website companion or phone agent for after-hours queries. Commissioners expressed support for efficiency while emphasizing the need to maintain human interaction ("human in the loop").
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously with one item removed for separate vote.
- Hotel Metropolitan Contract: Approved unanimously (vote: 5-0).
- Zoning Amendment (R3): Adopted unanimously.
- Budget Amendment: Adopted unanimously.
- FY2026-2027 Budget: First reading introduced; will return for adoption.
- Public Comments: The commission agreed to follow up on the pool bubble feasibility study request and to address fireworks complaints with the police chief.
- AI Policy: Draft policy under internal review; a working group will be formed to guide responsible implementation.
Meeting Transcript
And whereas the Kentucky Heritage Council honors small businesses, historic preservation efforts and vibrant downtown districts across the Commonwealth during Kentucky Main Street Week each May. And whereas Paducah Main Street transitioned into 2025 to an independent organization with support from the City of Paducah. And whereas since 2020, since July 2025, 21 new businesses have opened in downtown Paducah with more than a dozen additional projects under development. Whereas outreach efforts to promote downtown events and business have resulted in 495 local business promotions, 3.4 million social media views, and contributed to an average of 140,000 monthly visitors to downtown. Whereas to bring people downtown and celebrate culture, music, and community, Paducah Main Street is launching Fridays after 5, a concert series held on Friday evenings from June 5th through August 7th. Now, therefore, I, George P. Bray, Mayor of the City of Paducah proclaimed May 2026 as Paducah Main Street Month. Congratulations, ladies. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, we have uh well, first of all, okay. Uh City Manager, are there any additions or deletions to the agenda? Mayor none of this evening. Yes, there might be. Oh, okay. Uh we have Miss Betty here. Oh. And I was wondering where is that item? Uh item in. And I would uh suggest that we remove in and talk about it. All right. So when you get down to that section, you just remove in. Okay. Yep. All right, very good. We have three uh people who want to make public comments tonight. The first one is Bonnie Kobitz, and uh who lives um. Well, I'll let you come up and tell us where you live, Bonnie. You've been here before? I have been here before a few times. Thank you for um giving me your attention and time for my remarks this evening. Um I saw that you were going to be discussing later in this meeting the AI data center that's proposed for Western Kentucky, and so my remarks have to do with that. Um I am totally against this project. We don't need it. Although it was said that the water use that a data center uses is a closed system, and there won't be any water pollution, no leakage, no one can guarantee that there won't be any leaks, and when it does leak, who knows what contaminants will end up in the groundwater, the drinking water, or the river. Data centers make noise, they use an enormous amount of power. I don't think anyone knows where that power will come from and what effect it will have on homeowner electric bills. Burning natural gas to power the center will be a very significant cause of air pollution. And then uh I have here a list of comments that have been made by the so-called experts in this technology. The first is from Elon Musk, and he says, I quote, AI is a fundamental existential risk for human civilization, it's potentially more dangerous than nukes, it scares the hell out of me. By the time we react with legislation, it'll be too late. End quote. Sam Altman, quote, I'm a little bit afraid. I'd be crazy to not be a little bit afraid. End quote. Data centers can build data centers, which can build more data centers. Then what? Jeffrey Hinton, grandfather of AI, warned AI could wipe out humanity. Newsweek reported that 96% of the time, AI will blackmail its user when threatened. And 96% of the time AI chose the nuclear option in war games.
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