OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Paducah City Commission Meeting - July 14, 2026

City Commission — Tuesday, July 14, 2026
BodyPaducah, Kentucky
SessionCity Commission
DateTuesday, July 14, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 31:36

Transcript — Verbatim
2:02

Call this meeting to order.

2:04

Good afternoon, everybody.

2:06

Um I'll go ahead and call this meeting to order on July 14th, 2026, and ask our city clerk to please call roll.

2:13

Commissioner Henderson.

2:14

Present.

2:15

Commissioner Smith?

2:16

Here.

2:16

Commissioner Thomas.

2:17

Present.

2:17

Commissioner Wilson.

2:18

Present.

2:18

Mayor Bray.

2:19

Here.

2:21

I would ask uh Commissioner Ronaldo Henderson to do the invocation and then we'll remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

2:29

Father, we do love you and we do honor your name.

2:32

You're such a great God, and you're greatly to be praised.

2:35

And so now, God, we thank you for the privilege of being able to call upon your name.

2:40

As we share today, Lord God, we pray that you'll be in the midst of this meeting.

2:44

We pray that you will guide our thoughts, that you will guide our understanding.

2:48

We pray now, God, that you will cover this commission, cover those who are employed here, cover our city in Jesus' name.

2:55

Amen.

2:56

Amen.

2:58

I pledge allegiance to this side of the United States of America and to the Republic, for which it stands.

3:26

Okay, we have no public comments tonight.

3:28

I'll move right to the consent agenda.

3:30

Uh the consent items on the consent agenda are considered to be routine by the Board of Commissioners and will be enacted by one motion and one vote.

3:40

There'll be no separate discussion of these items unless a board members so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered separately.

4:15

Personnel actions, a municipal order authorizing the mayor to execute a lease agreement between the city of Feduca and the Commonwealth of Kentucky Department of Corrections for lease of the facility located at 400 South Sixth Street.

4:26

A municipal order authorizing the finance director to pay Clean Earth Incorporated in an amount of $58,000 and 76 cents for the disposal of household hazardous waste and electronic waste collected during the City County 2026 cleanup day.

4:39

A municipal order authorizing the mayor to execute a memorandum of understanding between the City of Paducah and the Commonwealth of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Department of Highways, and the amount of 101,000 for the Levin Avenue Resurfacing Project.

5:08

So moved.

5:09

Second.

5:10

Call roll.

5:11

Commissioner Henderson.

5:12

Aye.

5:12

Commissioner Smith?

5:13

Aye.

5:14

Commissioner Thomas.

5:15

Aye.

5:15

Commissioner Wilson.

5:16

Aye.

5:16

Mayor Bray.

5:18

Aye.

5:20

Okay.

5:20

We actually have have five ordinances to um to enact tonight to vote on and enact.

5:28

I'll uh many of them, several of them are related.

5:32

But um I'll let the uh city clerk read the first one.

5:37

We we read both of them the first time a couple of weeks ago, and we'll see if there's any questions.

5:42

A proposed motion that the Board of Commissioners adopt an ordinance entitled an ordinance amending chapter 126-69, mobile home parks and 126-79 qualified manufactured homes of the code of ordinances of the city of Paducah, Kentucky.

5:54

This ordinance is summarized as follows.

5:56

This ordinance amends the Paducah zoning ordinance to replace references to mobile home parks with land lease communities, update applicable development standards and revise regulations for qualified manufactured homes to comply with KRS 100.348, effective July 1, 2026.

6:10

The amendment allows qualified manufactured homes in residential zones where single family homes are permitted, subject to applicable performance and compatibility standards.

6:17

The planning commission held a hearing on June 1st, 2026, and forwarded a favorable recommendation to the Board of Commissioners.

6:24

So moved.

6:25

Second.

6:26

Are there any questions on this?

6:28

The first three ordinances that we are enacting tonight are all related.

6:33

Uh we talked about it a couple of weeks ago.

6:35

So if there's no questions, I'll ask the city clerk to call roll.

6:40

Commissioner Henderson.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████46%
Parks and Recreation████████████████████████████29%
Public Engagement█████████████13%
Public Safety███████7%
Technology and Innovation█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Paducah City Commission Meeting - July 14, 2026

The Paducah City Commission met on July 14, 2026, to approve consent agenda items, enact several ordinances, introduce a telecommunications franchise ordinance, receive an update on the riverfront development project, and discuss illegal dumping and a building lease. The meeting concluded with a motion to enter closed session for real estate, business, and city manager performance review.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved personnel actions: a lease agreement with the Kentucky Department of Corrections for the facility at 400 South Sixth Street.
  • A municipal order authorizing payment of $58,000.76 to Clean Earth Inc. for disposal of household hazardous waste and electronic waste from the 2026 City County cleanup day.
  • A municipal order authorizing a $101,000 memorandum of understanding with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for the Levin Avenue Resurfacing Project.
  • All items were approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • None.

Ordinances Enacted

  • Ordinance 1: Amends Chapter 126-69 (mobile home parks) and 126-79 (qualified manufactured homes) to replace references to mobile home parks with "land lease communities," update development standards, and allow qualified manufactured homes in residential zones where single-family homes are permitted, per KRS 100.348. Approved unanimously.
  • Ordinance 2: Amends Chapter 126-102 (R-1 low-density residential) to require all new single-story homes to have a roof pitch of at least 5:12 and a permanent foundation, intended to maintain neighborhood character and compatibility of qualified manufactured homes. Approved unanimously.
  • Ordinance 3: Amends Chapter 126-103 (R-2 low/medium density residential) to impose the same roof pitch and foundation requirements as Ordinance 2. Approved unanimously.
  • Ordinance 4: Amends Chapter 2, Article 8 (Finance and Procurement) of the city code. Approved unanimously.
  • Ordinance 5: Authorizes the mayor to execute an agreement with Professional Firefighters of Paducah Local 168, International Association of Firefighters, effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029. Approve ed unanimously. The mayor and commissioners expressed appreciation for the firefighters' service.

Ordinance Introduced (First Reading)

  • An ordinance granting a non-exclusive 10-year telecommunications franchise to Windstream KDL LLC (doing business as Unity) to construct, operate, and maintain telecommunications facilities in public rights-of-way, subject to city regulations. Windstream/Unity currently serves commercial entities and hospitals and has no plans for residential build-out. The introduction was approved unanimously.

Discussion Items

  • Riverfront Development Project Update: Presented by city staff (Melanie). Progress since April 2026 includes concrete work, installation of "Port of Paducah" letters on the grand staircase, completion of the pier pilings and fenders, sod and paver installation in the amphitheater, completion of the compass rose, and placement of picnic tables and greenway trail shelters. A limestone pedestal for a historic chain monument was set. Expected completion: commons area by end of July, excursion pier and plaza by end of August, with a grand opening in September. The first cruise ship is anticipated in October.

Commissioner Comments

  • Commissioner Smith requested a profit-and-loss analysis on the probation parole building lease (400 South Sixth Street) to evaluate its potential as an asset to fund a police station.
  • Commissioner Thomas reported illegal dumping issues, especially affecting elderly residents, and suggested a partnership between Code Enforcement and the Police for sting operations. The mayor noted that inexpensive cameras could help, and Commissioner Thomas added that a 92-year-old resident could not set up cameras. City staff are working on a list of local organizations to assist affected residents.

Executive Session

  • The commission voted unanimously to enter closed session for discussion of: future sale or acquisition of real estate, a specific business proposal (location/retention/expansion), and performance review of the city manager. No action was expected following the session.

Key Outcomes

  • All five ordinances were enacted unanimously.
  • The Windstream/Unity franchise ordinance was introduced and will return for final reading.
  • The riverfront project remains on schedule for September grand opening.
  • Commissioner requests for financial analysis of a building lease and for action on illegal dumping were noted.
  • Closed session was conducted as authorized.

Meeting Transcript

Call this meeting to order. Good afternoon, everybody. Um I'll go ahead and call this meeting to order on July 14th, 2026, and ask our city clerk to please call roll. Commissioner Henderson. Present. Commissioner Smith? Here. Commissioner Thomas. Present. Commissioner Wilson. Present. Mayor Bray. Here. I would ask uh Commissioner Ronaldo Henderson to do the invocation and then we'll remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Father, we do love you and we do honor your name. You're such a great God, and you're greatly to be praised. And so now, God, we thank you for the privilege of being able to call upon your name. As we share today, Lord God, we pray that you'll be in the midst of this meeting. We pray that you will guide our thoughts, that you will guide our understanding. We pray now, God, that you will cover this commission, cover those who are employed here, cover our city in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. I pledge allegiance to this side of the United States of America and to the Republic, for which it stands. Okay, we have no public comments tonight. I'll move right to the consent agenda. Uh the consent items on the consent agenda are considered to be routine by the Board of Commissioners and will be enacted by one motion and one vote. There'll be no separate discussion of these items unless a board members so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered separately. Personnel actions, a municipal order authorizing the mayor to execute a lease agreement between the city of Feduca and the Commonwealth of Kentucky Department of Corrections for lease of the facility located at 400 South Sixth Street. A municipal order authorizing the finance director to pay Clean Earth Incorporated in an amount of $58,000 and 76 cents for the disposal of household hazardous waste and electronic waste collected during the City County 2026 cleanup day. A municipal order authorizing the mayor to execute a memorandum of understanding between the City of Paducah and the Commonwealth of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Department of Highways, and the amount of 101,000 for the Levin Avenue Resurfacing Project. So moved. Second. Call roll. Commissioner Henderson. Aye. Commissioner Smith? Aye. Commissioner Thomas. Aye. Commissioner Wilson. Aye. Mayor Bray. Aye. Okay. We actually have have five ordinances to um to enact tonight to vote on and enact. I'll uh many of them, several of them are related. But um I'll let the uh city clerk read the first one. We we read both of them the first time a couple of weeks ago, and we'll see if there's any questions. A proposed motion that the Board of Commissioners adopt an ordinance entitled an ordinance amending chapter 126-69, mobile home parks and 126-79 qualified manufactured homes of the code of ordinances of the city of Paducah, Kentucky. This ordinance is summarized as follows.

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