OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Paducah City Commission Meeting Summary – June 23, 2026

City Commission — Tuesday, June 23, 2026
BodyPaducah, Kentucky
SessionCity Commission
DateTuesday, June 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 47:29

Transcript — Verbatim
0:11

I'll go ahead and call this meeting to order on June 2020 June 23rd, 2026, and ask the city clerk, city clerk to call roll.

0:22

Commissioner Henderson.

0:23

Commissioner Smith.

0:24

Here.

0:25

Commissioner Thomas.

0:26

Here.

0:26

Commissioner Wilson.

0:27

Present.

0:28

Mayor Bray.

0:29

Here.

0:30

Um I'll ask Commissioner Wilson to do the invocation, please, and then we'll remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:39

Let us pray.

0:40

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you on behalf of all of us who are gathered here for the many blessings that we have.

0:46

Thank you for the ability to be involved in useful work on behalf of our city.

0:50

And thank you for your loving kindness that you show us every day.

0:54

Please grant us wisdom as we make decisions on behalf of our citizens.

0:58

In Jesus' name we pray.

0:59

Amen.

1:02

Oh, I pledge to the flag of the United States of America.

1:08

And to the Republic for which it stands.

1:22

City Manager, are there any additions or deletions to the agenda?

1:26

Mayor, none this evening.

1:28

Okay, we've got a couple of new employee introductions.

1:32

Uh Greg Cherry is uh gonna introduce a couple of people.

1:40

And Chief Steve Cott.

1:44

Good evening, Mayor, Commissioner, City Manager.

1:47

We have uh two new code enforcement officers with us.

1:49

First of all, we got Nick Smith.

1:53

Nick Nick started with us in February, he's originally from Graves County.

1:57

Uh you may recognize him.

1:59

He spent 16 years on the radio and Willie and whatever other stations used with WKYQ.

2:05

He's got that radio voice.

2:07

Then uh spent several years in car sales and he's working on the north side doing code enforcement this time.

2:14

Next, we have Sean Bell.

2:16

He's a Paducah native when St.

2:18

Mary's.

2:19

He uh started with us in April.

2:21

He uh spent several years working in construction, then he also spent 10 years working with the railroad.

2:27

So we're glad to have both of them and wanted y'all to meet him tonight.

2:30

Yeah, welcome.

2:33

Thank you, sir.

2:34

Appreciate it.

2:37

Good to have you, sir.

2:38

Thank you.

2:38

Good to have you here.

2:39

Thank you for here.

2:40

I'm glad we all go to St.

2:41

Barbara.

2:47

The three of us all over the city.

2:48

Yeah, he'll be there.

2:51

Thank you guys for being here.

2:52

Good luck.

2:53

Uh code enforcement's very important.

2:56

It's a tough role, you know, for those of you out there uh doing it, working it.

3:01

Uh, but it's very important.

3:04

Uh you know, we have to walk uh uh fine lines, slippery slope trying to keep people in line out there, but also recognize you know some of the issues that people have.

3:14

So we appreciate your dedication to the job.

3:17

Thank you.

3:21

Okay.

3:22

Um I want to recognize uh we have a candidate here for mayor in Bent in the Benton, Kentucky mayoral race, uh Stephen Platt.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████19%
Public Safety███████████████15%
Affordable Housing██████████████14%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████12%
Personnel Matters██████████10%
Parks and Recreation██████████10%
Historic Preservation████████8%
Economic Development███████7%
Arts And Culture█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Paducah City Commission Meeting Summary – June 23, 2026

The Paducah City Commission met on June 23, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. (approximate start from transcript) to handle routine consent items, hear development updates, approve several contracts and agreements, and introduce ordinances on zoning, annexation, labor contracts, and procurement. Commissioners present included Mayor Bray, Commissioners Smith, Thomas, and Wilson; Commissioner Henderson was absent. The meeting opened with an invocation by Commissioner Wilson and the Pledge of Allegiance.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes from the June 9, 2026 Board of Commissioners meeting.
  • Received and filed documents, including reappointments and appointments to various boards (Paducah McCracken County Senior Citizens Board, Civic Beautification Board, Paducah McCracken County Joint Sewer Agency, Paducah Transit Authority Board, Paducah McCracken County Convention Center Corporation Board).
  • Declared city-owned property at 1301, 1303, and 1305 North 6th Street as surplus and approved its sale to the Paducah McCracken County Joint Sewer Agency.
  • Approved an employment agreement for Police Officer Matthew Wentworth.
  • Authorized grant applications to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for Local Assistance Road Program (LARP) funds and HB 501 grant pool funds.
  • Authorized payment of $1,362,381 to Kentucky League of Cities for workers' compensation, liability, and property insurance.
  • Adopted the Title VI program plan for the city for July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027.
  • Approved an amendment to a subaward agreement with Andrew McLennan, PEM Enterprises.
  • Declared surplus property at 1411 Burnett Street and accepted a bid of $1 from Kentucky Modern Housing Development LLC.
  • Authorized a sole source purchase of CPAT equipment from CPAT Distribution Inc. for $74,895.80. All consent items were approved unanimously.

Discussion Items

  • Circo Properties Development Agreement Amendment (318 Broadway): Blake, representing Circo Properties, presented a second addendum to extend the timeline for the Kreske lot park project. Work includes building restrooms, a service window, and a gate with wrought-iron columns. The park will feature a bar (operated by Over Under), a stage, playground, dog park, and seating. Completion is now targeted for spring 2027 (June 1, 2027). Commissioner Henderson asked about a “coming soon” sign; Blake said signage would go up within a week. The amendment was approved unanimously.
  • Clement Street / Farley Place Sidewalk Project: City Manager Greg introduced a contract with Young Blood Excavating and Contracting LLC for $205,000 to remove and replace sidewalks on Clement Street on the South Side. The project supports the South Side Initiative. Approved unanimously.
  • Barbecue on the River 2026 Contract: The city approved a $65,000 agreement with Paducah Downtown Development (Main Street) to subsidize the festival. Main Street subcontracted Tyler Parker as festival director. Mayor Bray noted the cash outlay is the same as in 2025 but emphasized the city also provides significant in-kind services (e.g., police overtime). The festival name and assets now belong to the city. Approved unanimously.
  • 911 Parcel Fee MOU: An ordinance (second reading) authorized a memorandum of understanding with the McCracken County Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) for the PVA to assist with assessment and administration of the 911 parcel fee at a rate of $0.04 per parcel. Approved unanimously.
  • Zoning Text Amendments (Introduction): City Planner Josh presented three interrelated ordinances to comply with Kentucky House Bill 160, effective July 1, 2026:
    • Amend Chapter 126-69 (mobile home parks renamed to land lease communities) and Chapter 126-79 (qualified manufactured homes) to allow qualified manufactured homes in all residential zones where single-family homes are permitted, subject to performance standards (minimum square footage, roof pitch, permanent foundation, removal of wheels/axles). Qualified manufactured homes are not allowed in any existing or pending historic district to protect areas identified for National Register nomination (e.g., South Side). Planning Commission gave a favorable recommendation on June 1, 2026.
    • Amend R-1 (low density residential) to require a minimum roof pitch of 5/12 and a permanent foundation for all new single-story homes, including qualified manufactured homes.
    • Amend R-2 (low medium density residential) with the same roof pitch and foundation requirements. All three ordinances were introduced and ordered to a second reading.
  • Annexation (Burger Road): An ordinance introduced for the consensual annexation of properties at 435 and 485 Burger Road (approximately 30.78 acres), including rights-of-way (Oak Street, Grundy Street, Emmett Street, and part of Burger Road). The property owners (Merriman House and Mountain Comprehensive) requested annexation. Introduced unanimously.
  • Firefighters Union Contract (Introduction): An ordinance authorizing the mayor to execute a three-year agreement (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2029) with Professional Firefighters of Paducah Local 168. Highlights include updated management rights language, acting pay clarifications, reduced labor-management meetings, modified grievance procedures, increased specialty team pay from $40 to $50, a 2% wage increase in years 2027 and 2028, and a one-time adjustment in 2026. Introduced unanimously.
  • Procurement Code Amendment (Introduction): An ordinance updating Chapter 2, Article 8, Division III to align with state law changes. The small purchase threshold is raised to $50,000 (following state increases). The city manager is authorized to approve contracts up to $75,000 without commission approval. Above $75,000 requires commission approval. Introduced unanimously.
  • Public Safety Reminders: City Manager noted the July 4th holiday schedule (offices closed July 3rd) and reminded residents that fireworks that go “boom” are not allowed within city limits. The city will host a large celebration downtown on July 4th featuring a Ferris wheel, bands, and fireworks. Enforcement of fireworks regulations will be conducted by police.

Key Outcomes

  • All consent agenda items approved unanimously (vote: 4–0).
  • Circo Properties development agreement amendment (second addendum) approved unanimously.
  • Clement Street sidewalk contract with Young Blood Excavating approved unanimously.
  • Barbecue on the River 2026 contract ($65,000) approved unanimously.
  • 911 Parcel Fee MOU ordinance (second reading) adopted unanimously.
  • Three zoning text amendments (qualified manufactured homes, R-1 roof pitch, R-2 roof pitch) introduced for second reading.
  • Annexation ordinance for 30.78 acres on Burger Road introduced.
  • Firefighters contract introduced.
  • Procurement code amendment introduced.
  • The commission voted unanimously (4–0) to enter closed session for discussion of pending litigation and a business entity’s specific proposal (no action expected afterward).

Upcoming Events

  • July 4, 2026: Independence Day celebration downtown with bands, Ferris wheel, and fireworks. City offices closed July 3rd.

Meeting Transcript

I'll go ahead and call this meeting to order on June 2020 June 23rd, 2026, and ask the city clerk, city clerk to call roll. Commissioner Henderson. Commissioner Smith. Here. Commissioner Thomas. Here. Commissioner Wilson. Present. Mayor Bray. Here. Um I'll ask Commissioner Wilson to do the invocation, please, and then we'll remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you on behalf of all of us who are gathered here for the many blessings that we have. Thank you for the ability to be involved in useful work on behalf of our city. And thank you for your loving kindness that you show us every day. Please grant us wisdom as we make decisions on behalf of our citizens. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Oh, I pledge to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. City Manager, are there any additions or deletions to the agenda? Mayor, none this evening. Okay, we've got a couple of new employee introductions. Uh Greg Cherry is uh gonna introduce a couple of people. And Chief Steve Cott. Good evening, Mayor, Commissioner, City Manager. We have uh two new code enforcement officers with us. First of all, we got Nick Smith. Nick Nick started with us in February, he's originally from Graves County. Uh you may recognize him. He spent 16 years on the radio and Willie and whatever other stations used with WKYQ. He's got that radio voice. Then uh spent several years in car sales and he's working on the north side doing code enforcement this time. Next, we have Sean Bell. He's a Paducah native when St. Mary's. He uh started with us in April. He uh spent several years working in construction, then he also spent 10 years working with the railroad. So we're glad to have both of them and wanted y'all to meet him tonight. Yeah, welcome. Thank you, sir. Appreciate it. Good to have you, sir. Thank you. Good to have you here. Thank you for here. I'm glad we all go to St. Barbara. The three of us all over the city. Yeah, he'll be there.

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