OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Paducah City Commission Meeting - July 28, 2026

City CommissionTuesday, July 28, 2026
BodyPaducah, Kentucky
SessionCity Commission
DateTuesday, July 28, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 54:54
Transcript — Verbatim
1:16

Everybody.

1:17

Um probably about 40 years ago I went to the Olympic Games for the first time in a long time ever, and one of the things I was most impressed with, I bought tickets ahead of time, and every single event started exactly when it said it was going to.

1:36

So I'm kind of a I'm passionate about starting our uh our meetings on time.

1:41

Welcome everybody.

1:43

Uh I'll go ahead and call this meeting to order on July 28th and ask the city clerk to call roll.

1:49

Commissioner Henderson.

1:50

Present.

1:51

Commissioner Smith.

1:52

Here.

1:52

Commissioner Thomas.

1:53

Present.

1:54

Commissioner Wilson.

1:55

Present.

1:55

Mayor Bray.

1:56

Present.

1:58

I'd ask uh Commissioner Smith to do the invocation, and then we'll remain standing for the pledge of allegiance.

2:08

Father, we thank you for your grace and goodness.

2:11

May your face continually shine upon us so that your ways may be known in our communities.

2:18

I'm in.

2:19

I'm in.

2:21

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

2:26

And to the Republic.

2:29

One nation.

2:30

Under God.

2:31

Indivisible with liberty and justice for City Manager.

2:45

Are there any additions or deletions to the agenda?

2:47

Mayor, none this evening.

2:50

Okay, we'll move right to the consent agenda.

2:52

Items on the consent agenda are considered to be routine by the Board of Commissioners, and they're enacted by one motion and one vote.

3:03

There will be no separate discussion of those items unless a board member so requests, in which event we will remove that item from the agenda and consider it separately.

3:23

Approved minutes for the July 14th, 2026 Board of Commissioners meeting, receive and file documents.

3:28

Reappointment of Jenna Dawson and Latoya Richardson to the Baduka Human Rights Commission.

3:33

Said term shall expire July 29th, 2029.

3:35

Reappointment of Bonnie Koblitz to the tree advisory board.

3:38

Said term shall expire July 26, 2030.

3:41

Appointment of Deborah Calhoun to the Baduca River Pro Riverfront Development Advisory Board to replace Paul Gore, whose term has expired.

3:50

Said term shall expire June 25th, 2030.

3:53

Personnel actions.

5:01

So moved.

5:02

Second call roll.

5:05

Commissioner Henderson.

5:08

Aye.

5:08

Commissioner Thomas.

5:09

Commissioner Wilson.

5:10

Aye.

5:11

Mayor Bray.

5:12

Aye.

5:14

So we have one municipal order to approve tonight.

5:18

And I'll ask the city clerk to go ahead and read that.

5:21

And then I would invite Michelle Smolin and Chris Yarber to come up and tell us about it.

5:31

I proposed motion of the Board of Commissioners to adopt a municipal order entitled and municipal order authorizing and directing the mayor to execute a lease agreement between the WC Young Community Center and the City of Paducah for lease of the WC Young Community Center located at 505 South 8th Street Paducah, Kentucky.

5:46

I moved.

5:47

Second.

5:50

Good evening, Mayor, Commissioner, City Manager, and City Clerk.

5:53

I'm joined with our public works director, Chris Yarber and Erica Hudson, who is the board with the WC Young Community Board Chair, I guess I should say.

6:17

So I'll talk a little bit about the lease.

6:19

I'll turn it over to Chris to talk about the um project, and then Erica can say anything that she'd like to add.

6:25

So the proposed agreement is a three-year lease with a two-year renewal option.

6:30

So the intent is to provide stability for both parties while giving us flexibility to kind of renew the terms.

6:41

So it's our approach that we are continuing our approach with other leases of partnering with them to share responsibility in the upkeep and the maintenance of the facility.

6:49

But I think the most exciting aspect of this community center lease renewal is the planned enhancements we're gonna undertake.

6:57

So I'll turn it over to Chris.

7:00

I know you all first of all, let me say good evening, Commissioner.

7:03

Evening, Chris.

7:06

Um I know you all have been to the community center, but we're excited to be a part of this because for years we've helped maintain uh the community center um with the WC Young board.

7:18

And for years we've been talking about improvements that need to be made, and we've gotten to the point where we're able to do those improvements, and it's pretty much if you haven't been out by there lately, go take a final look because it would not look like it does currently.

7:31

We're gonna do a complete uh job of a renovation on the facility, and we hope to make it a facility that uh everyone in the community will uh want to use and be a part of.

7:43

So we're excited about that.

7:45

So we'll definitely come back once the renovation starts.

7:48

Uh, we're not planning on starting to hopefully after the August 8th celebration.

7:53

Uh and then we'll start having meetings sooner so we can plan and get it rolling quickly and hopefully have a wrapped up by uh June of next year.

8:06

Erica.

8:07

Good evening, everyone.

8:09

Um, again, as Michelle and Chris have stated, we are just very excited about this collaboration, um, continued collaboration with the city of Paducah.

8:19

And of course, any time that I met with them, I always said, I really want to bring the community center into the 21st century.

8:27

So we are finally going to be there, and so I'm just excited to move forward with these plans and looking forward to this continued partnership with the city, the mayor, and the commissioners.

8:39

So thank you.

8:41

You know, thank you, uh, Erica, for your leadership.

8:44

Uh, you know, one of the things that's kind of been on my desk for the last two or three years, I don't know how long the agreement had expired, but it would, but it it had expired, and so one of the things that I was passionate about was trying to get the lease renewed, and then as it became obvious that there were some upgrades that needed to take place, it just made sense, you know, to do all of that, wrap it up into one agreement.

9:11

And so I remember when Michelle and I met with the board, uh, of which some of the members are here tonight, and uh it was an interesting meeting.

9:21

Uh but I think we got uh uh got everybody on board with what we wanted to do, and and you know, there's an element of trust here, you know, that we wanted to do the right thing.

9:33

Uh, and you know, to get the lease signed, uh, but also uh so we knew what the future looked like, but at the same time do the upgrades.

9:43

And so I think we're all tickled to death that we were we were able to wrap all of that into you know this document.

9:50

So I appreciate your leadership and the leadership of the of the entire board mayor.

10:00

Mayor, in in that in that process, uh I I read it somewhere and I can't remember where I read it, but there are some um things that the WC Young Community Center will do if it reaches a certain level, if it doesn't reach can you can you kind of highlight that for us again?

10:17

There's certain components of maintenance to the facility that the city of Paducah is responsible for.

10:22

Then there's other components that uh they're responsible for up to a certain amount for that amount at the expense of repair or whatever replacement goes over that amount.

10:32

The city of Paducah is responsible for the entire amount.

10:35

Uh and one thing that we want to assure the center of and the committee is that uh like with every other rental, if certain problem is uh a complete uh continuous problem.

10:46

We don't say, well, this time it costs this much this time.

10:49

We we take the totality of uh by the year to take care of it, so no one's gonna dial to death.

10:56

So the community's community center's amount has increased.

11:00

Yes, and to if you would tell us what it comes from to what it is.

11:05

It increased to from a thousand to fifteen hundred dollars.

11:08

And it's for really the major mechanical systems like HVAC, plumbing, electric, that type of thing.

11:15

And you know, we talked with the WC or you know, I talked with Erica and like our other leases that the city's really committed to being communicative, fair and reasonable.

11:24

Um the other thing I would say is um they do have some other maintenance responsibilities like landscaping and that type of thing, but the city also takes on like roof repairs, and if there's any kind of major like foundation type things the city would take on.

11:37

So the intent I think is for the lesse to you know help with kind of those smaller items when appropriate, so that it's really a partnership.

11:46

That makes sense.

11:47

Yeah, it does.

11:47

I just I just knew it was there, just thought we bring it out.

11:51

Yeah, great.

11:52

Mm-hmm.

11:53

Thank you, Commissioner.

11:55

Chris, you you know, just uh for the public's understanding, uh talk a little bit about the renovations that we have done in the last couple of years, where those were exterior, and I know we did some parking lot stuff, but talk about the focus that this is going to be and the estimated cost that we're going to be.

12:10

We anticipate spending the in the neighborhood of around 125 to 130,000 dollars of the city maintenance facility staff uh will act as the general, so we think uh we're probably doing it cheaper than we would if we just went straight out for being for the whole job.

12:24

We think it's something we can handle.

12:26

The good thing about this facility is that it's more of a uh of a residential like build, so you don't have the issues you have with the fire departments or city hall, it's more of a residential type bill, so the renovations will be easier.

12:39

There's some floor leveling that needs to go on from an addition in the back of the building.

12:43

Uh the kitchen will be completely redone with new cabinets, new countertops, new appliances.

12:50

Ceiling grid, the sealing.

12:55

So uh the question is who's gonna cook first?

12:59

So at the reason it's gonna be Amina, you're gonna cook us a meal on it first.

13:04

I anticipate at the ribbon cut, and we're gonna have a nice meal.

13:07

So ceiling tiles, ceiling grid will be replaced, the lighting will be reworked and redone, the bathrooms will be completely redone, um, the flooring uh it's gonna be really nice.

13:19

So we'll make sure it's something to be proud of.

13:23

Thank you.

13:23

Yeah, it's just been a great partnership, really.

13:26

I think between the city and the WC WC Young Community Center, and of course the role that you play with August 8th uh organizing, which is right around the corner now.

13:38

Um, you know, it's so important to the community.

13:41

So we're just we're very excited about the future.

13:47

Thank you.

13:48

Good.

13:49

Thank you.

13:50

Thank you.

13:55

Call roll.

13:56

Commissioner Henderson.

13:57

I commissioner Smith.

13:59

I commissioner Thomas.

14:00

Aye.

14:00

Commissioner Wilson.

14:01

Aye.

14:02

Mayor Bray.

14:03

Hi.

14:06

Uh the next next item is a resolution, um, which I'm getting ready to read in a moment.

14:16

Um, but this started, you know, the the effort for this started some months ago uh when a group came to me uh in the community led by Jeffrey Williams, uh, wanting to officially recognize uh August 8th as the day when the Paducah community actually were notified of the emancipation proclamation.

14:42

And to me, it uh it sounded very very simple.

14:49

I mean it sounded like absolutely from the get-go, the right thing to do.

15:00

Uh, what I what I challenged Jeffrey and the group to do was to make sure that there was alignment within the community, that this is something that everybody wanted to do and wanted to be a part of.

15:09

And so came back.

15:12

We had a we had a follow-up meeting, we had different groups in the community who were represented.

15:18

I know we've got the Paducah uh diversity advisory board here tonight.

15:23

Of course, we got the WC Young Community Center, we have the N NAACP represented here tonight.

15:30

We have others in the community that have come together and supported this initiative.

15:36

So I'm it took a while uh for us to put it together.

15:41

We uh we floated the resolution out there to multiple people to make sure that uh that everybody was on board with the wording, and so that's kind of how we arrived here tonight.

15:55

So as mayor, excuse me, as mayor, uh I I am going to move uh that the Board of Commissioners adopt a resolution entitled a resolution of the City of Paducah, Kentucky, formally recognizing and memorializing August 8th of each year as emancipation day in the City of Paducah.

16:22

Whereas August 8th, 1866 is historically recognized in Paducah in western Kentucky, and in many communities across the region as the date on which formerly enslaved people first learned of and celebrated their freedom.

16:41

And whereas African American churches in Paducah in western Kentucky and in many communities across the region were instrumental in the movement for equality and emancipation, serving as pillars of strength, faith, and community for their members and the community at large.

17:03

And whereas Emancipation Day has been honored for generations in Paducah as a time for reflection, celebration, education, family reunions, and the recognition of the resilience, contributions, and cultural heritage of African Americans, and whereas the City of Paducah acknowledges the importance of preserving and uplifting the histories and traditions that shape the community, including those that highlight the struggle for freedom, justice, and equality, and whereas formally memorable memorializing August 8th as Emancipation Day affirms the city's commitment to fostering inclusion, honoring local history, and supporting opportunities for residents to come together in celebration and learning.

18:04

And whereas recognizing emancipation day aligns with the City of Paducah's ongoing efforts to promote civic pride, cultural understanding, and community engagement.

18:20

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City of Paducah, Kentucky, the City of Paducah hereby formally recognizes and memorializes August 8th of each year as Emancipation Day in the City of Paducah.

19:03

So moved.

19:05

Second.

19:08

We have a motion and a second, and I would ask the city clerk to please call roll.

19:14

Commissioner Henderson.

19:15

Commissioner Smith.

19:16

Aye.

19:17

Commissioner Thomas.

19:18

Commissioner Wilson.

19:19

Aye.

19:20

Mayor Bray.

19:21

Aye.

19:23

I would invite anybody that would like to say something in the audience to feel free to come up, but you're not obligated to.

19:34

Okay.

19:35

Be it resolved.

19:37

Thank you, everybody, for coming.

19:47

Okay, we have a couple of ordinances to adopt tonight, and uh I'll invite the city clerk.

19:53

We we heard these a couple of weeks ago, so I'll I'll invite the city clerk to read them.

20:00

A proposed motion that the Board of Commissioners adopt an ordinance entitled an ordinance extending the boundary of the City of Paducah, Kentucky by annexing certain property lying adjacent to the corporate limits of the City of Paducah and accurately defining the boundary of said property to be included within the said corporate limits.

20:12

This ordinance is summarized as follows.

20:14

The City of Paducah hereby approves the consensual annexation of certain tracts of property contiguous to the present city limits located at 435 and 485 Burger Road containing approximately 30.78 acres.

20:26

So move.

20:28

Second.

20:30

Any discussion.

20:31

Mayor just received a question about this, and just uh for understanding and as it was read, this is consensual annexation.

20:39

This is not the these had asked for and came into the city on consent, so it wasn't something that the city went out and did.

20:46

They asked to come into the city.

20:49

Just wanted to clarify that because the question had come up about it.

20:52

Thank you.

20:53

Call roll.

20:54

Commissioner Henderson.

20:55

Aye.

20:56

Commissioner Smith.

20:56

Aye.

20:57

Commissioner Thomas.

20:58

Aye.

20:58

Commissioner Wilson.

20:59

Aye.

20:59

Mayor Bray.

21:00

Aye.

21:03

And I'll ask the city clerk to please read the second ordinance to adopt.

21:08

A proposed motion that the Board of Commissioners adopt an ordinance entitled, an ordinance granting a non-exclusive franchise for a term of 10 years for a telecommunication system within the confines of the City of Paducah, Kentucky, to win windstream KDL LLC, a unity company pursuant to the terms and provisions of Chapter 108 telecommunications of the Code of Ordinances, and approving and authorizing the mayor to execute the franchise agreement and all other documents related to the same.

21:31

This ordinance is summarized as follows.

21:33

This ordinance accepts windstream KDL LLC, a unity company's bid and grants a non-exclusive 10-year telecommunications franchise in accordance with Chapter 108 of the Code of Ordinances authorizing Windstream Unity to construct, operate, and maintain a telecommunications facilities within the public rights of ways, subject to the city's regulatory standards, fees, and oversight requirements.

21:56

So moved.

21:57

Second.

21:59

We heard from these folks two weeks ago.

22:02

Are there any additional questions from commissioners?

22:05

Okay, I'd ask the city clerk to please call roll.

22:07

Commissioner Henderson.

22:08

Aye.

22:09

Commissioner Smith.

22:10

Aye.

22:10

Commissioner Thomas.

22:11

Aye.

22:11

Commissioner Wilson.

22:12

Aye.

22:12

Mayor Bray.

22:14

Aye.

22:16

We have a couple of ordinances to introduce.

22:19

Uh the first one be an interlocal agreement between the city and the IDA.

22:24

And I would ask the city clerk to read it and then Audra's up here to talk about it.

22:30

A proposed motion of the Board of Commissioners to introduce an ordinance entitled An Ordinance of the City of Paducah, Kentucky, approving and authorizing the execution of an interlocal cooperative agreement with the Paducah McCracken County Industrial Development Authority related to the construction of 100,000 square foot speculative industrial building to be constructed at 5700 Commerce Drive in Industrial Park West.

22:50

This ordinance is summarized as follows.

22:52

This ordinance approves and authorizes the mayor to execute an interlocal cooperative agreement between the City of Paducah and Paducah McCracken County Industrial Development Authority for the development and construction of a 100,000 square foot speculative industrial building at 5700 Commerce Drive.

23:07

The agreement establishes the party's respective responsibilities for the project management, procurement, construction, administration funding, reimbursement compliance with the Kentucky Product Development Initiative requirements, ownership marketing, sale of property, and repayment of the city's project costs.

23:23

So move.

23:24

Second.

23:25

Audra?

23:26

Okay.

23:28

She gave a pretty good summary of that.

23:30

Stole a lot of of what I had planned to say.

23:32

Uh but this started very quickly though, so maybe they didn't catch all of it.

23:37

This started back in July of last year when the city authorized the application for a two million dollar Kentucky Product Development Initiative or KPDI grant for the construction of this hundred thousand square foot building in Industrial Park West.

23:51

So uh under that application, the city would serve as the grantee and the industrial development authority would serve as the project beneficiary.

23:59

Uh we had with that same uh with that same uh legislation that we passed live last year, it also authorized the city to provide up to six million dollars in local funding towards the construction of the building upon approval of the grant.

24:15

So we were anticipating total estimated project costs at that time of around $8 million, and the KPDI grant has since been awarded in full in the amount of two million dollars.

24:25

So because the city is the grant recipient and the funding partner, while IDA will manage construction and serve as the developer and owner of the facility, an interlocal agreement is necessary to define the responsibilities of each party.

24:38

So under this agreement, the city will maintain the financial and grant oversight through reimbursement, reporting, audit, and other provisions while I'd while IDA will be responsible for project management, procurement, construction, and ultimately the marketing and sale of the facility.

24:54

So the municipal order before you tonight authorizes the execution of that agreement, which establishes the framework for those responsibilities.

25:01

It includes compliance with the grant requirements, the city's funding commitment, reimbursement procedures, and repayment provisions upon dis disposition of the property.

25:16

Okay, thank you.

25:20

So I think all the commissioners hopefully have had a chance to read the document and um so are there any discussion points?

25:32

I think there is a discussion point.

25:34

Oh, you want me to mind.

25:35

Okay, sure.

25:36

Yeah, just uh a concern I had about it was that uh uh the city is uh funding this in its entirety, and uh if the building sells to a prospect for less money than the uh money then money is put in and there's a deficit, uh but let me back up.

26:00

IDA is a creature of both the city and the county 50-50.

26:06

So if the city is funding this spec building entirely with city money, then if there's an overage, if we put in six or eight million dollars into this spec building and it sells for um eight and a half million dollars, then there's a $500, $500,000 gain, and I'd like for the gain to be credited toward the city.

26:36

It stays with the IDA, but also if there's future money that goes into the IDA between the city and the county, then the city needs to get credit for that $500,000 overage that is staying in the IDA.

26:52

So I'd like to see this agreement amended so that the city is protected and that everything stays.

27:04

So city money is kept city money and it doesn't get thrown completely into the pot for the IDA and gets mixed in with city and the county money.

27:14

So it needs to stay the city money or the city's contribution to the IDA.

27:18

So just to follow up on this a little bit more, we had discussions when we were developing an agreement.

27:25

The city is protected on the on the low end, so if a prospect comes in and you know, we the IDA decides that we want to sell this building for half price because they're gonna have a thousand jobs.

27:40

I mean, I'm making it up.

27:42

Yeah.

27:42

You know, then the IDA has to come to the city because we were all in by ourselves, the IDA has to come to us to get commission approval.

27:55

Uh what we didn't cover was if the building sells, which Commissioner Smith has pointed out, for more than what we have in it.

28:05

You know, we uh Commissioner Smith has raised the issue that we should uh get a credit uh against the money that we put in there because we are in there alone, and to your point, it's a city-county function 50-50, and it's you know it seems very fair to me that we get credit for that, you know, for that money.

28:29

Um, as it relates to spec buildings, you know, our history with spec buildings in Paducah.

28:41

Yeah.

28:41

It's not such that people have been knocking our door down in past years to buy a spec building.

28:48

For more than what we have in it.

28:50

So this would be a great problem to have.

28:52

Yeah.

28:53

It's it's fairly unlikely.

28:56

Um, you know, in my experience, although you never know.

29:01

I mean, I don't even think the the IDA would probably in the interest of trying to attract somebody.

29:08

You know, they wouldn't uh try to charge more for the building than what we have in it because it's not really a profit motive.

29:17

It's it's the motive is to get jobs in the community.

29:20

But this is just a small protection just in case something like that were to have.

29:26

And I'd Bruce, if you want to I'd I'd invite you to come up and sure.

29:37

Well, first and foremost, thank you to the city for your partnership with the industrial development authority and working with us on this.

29:44

So um, I understand what you're saying, and I assume we're gonna talk about this amendment here momentarily.

29:54

Um a couple of things.

30:00

come up and sure well first and foremost thank you to the city for your partnership with the industrial development authority and working with us on this so um I understand what you're saying and I assume we're going to talk about this amendment here momentarily a couple of things the call it uh the the bids that came in they came in about six point five million dollars okay that does not include the price of the land so when a building is priced we would price it accordingly that included the cost of the building plus the cost of the land so what would that price be we would have to determine that but I would also be mindful that while we're very appreciative from the city's partnership with us this is effectively a loan and the loan is at a net present value such that there's no cost to the city the city's looking at doing a six million dollar bond issue over a three year term and then taking the net present value of that six million dollars and discounting it down accordingly and then also taking a haircut with the issuance costs uh cost associated with that such that the net proceeds are somewhere expected to be around 5.25 three million dollars if I'm right there and that's correct 5.51 project dollars yeah so um the intent of the Kentucky product development initiative was to uh put monies in and then you know to help help drive uh economic development while you know mayor you're in a difficult position being the chair of the IDA as I manage the IDA I think the IDA is going to have issue with accepting that you know I understand the control mechanism that needs to be in place if the building were to sell for less than what is in it uh I would be in the same position with you as well but if you looked at it from the other side uh the city is effectively acting as a financial institution so think of it this way if you borrow a hundred thousand dollars from a bank and you turn around and sell your house for 1500 the bank's not going to profit on your sale so I I think the members this would definitely need to be taken back to the IDA board and discussed while I can't speak but you know while I manage it I don't have a vote but I I think it would be problematic and I don't think it would pass certainly with the way this motion is written uh as I as I read the motion the way it's written uh it would include the two million dollars uh of the KPDI because the the net proceeds and the way this is worded I I think it's gonna be problematic so uh again try to be candid honest open with you um yeah so I I appreciate that I appreciate that and we don't necessarily have to do this motion tonight tonight um but I think before we have before we vote on it I think the commission is gonna have to be satisfied and Audra you know all of us are gonna have to be satisfied with the scenarios that could happen out there and because without the city we would there would be no spec building right or we would have to go borrow the money from a financial institution or someone else right yeah so you know maybe it's a discussion for executive session later but yeah probably so happy to have that conversation if I if you wouldn't mind because I do have a question there's yes right surprise go ahead so my question was that you have a motion on on the on the floor you have you have an initial motion the original motion you have not read into the amended motion yet so uh a couple things so if there was no action tonight on a motion even though it's a first reading because it uh it's an ordinance and there's no action on that um since that original motion is there it could always come back and be amended but if we do not take any action does that impact our issuance on the second issue tonight yes that's what I was gonna bring up I that's gonna impact our our timeline on our uh a debt issuance that's what we wouldn't want to set that timeline in motion until we had an ILA in place so and madam clerk correct me but we have the original motion on the floor it's been read and because it is an introduction there's no vote on that so I believe the body could leave it as is and you could always have another first reading at a future date after you discuss this if you wanted to and then that would not impact us moving forward with the authorization on the second matter is that correct would that hurt the timeline it uh I mean the the hope or the plan was that the city would adopt the ILA agreement tonight and then we would start the process of notifying the contractor of the award and then we would uh you know get everything permits obtained and all that and start construction as soon as possible but as it was always just an interest

35:06

Is that correct?

35:07

Would that hurt the timeline?

35:09

It uh I mean the hope or the plan was that the city would adopt the ILA agreement tonight, and then we would start the process of notifying the contractor of the award, and then we would uh you know get everything permits obtained and all that and start construction as soon as possible.

35:27

But as it was always just an introduction, though.

35:31

We were not gonna adopt tonight because it has to be a ordinance.

35:36

On the ILA.

35:37

Yeah.

35:37

I I wouldn't want to drag it out too long because you start doing DERT work too late in the year.

35:43

Yeah.

35:44

Well, and the grant expires in September of 27.

35:47

You know, everything's on a pretty strict timeline.

35:51

Um I wish Mark was going to be here tonight.

35:55

Mark had planned on being here uh this evening to go over the second ordinance.

35:58

He's not here uh to ask him specifically about about the timeline.

36:04

Uh well, as long as we could come up with something pretty much.

36:09

Yeah, as long as we have the first reading in place, and that if we want to adjust any language, we can still have the second reading.

36:17

You you could come back with if you're going to do a substantial change, Madam Clerk, correct me if I'm wrong.

36:22

There's a substantial change to the ordinance or the ILA that would be you know large, then um that would need to come back for another introduction.

36:33

Right.

36:34

And timing wise, you could always call a special commission meeting for that sole thing.

36:40

And then with 24 hours after that, you could have another meeting to have the second.

36:43

So you could have a first reading if you needed to do another first reading, you could have that, and you could do a second reading and vote on within 24 hours after that first reading.

36:53

Am I correct on that?

36:55

Thought I had that right, but I want to make sure.

36:57

Thank you.

37:00

Okay.

37:02

So I believe if you if you leave what you have right now, uh, the motion as is, it's the first reading.

37:09

You can move to the second, like we would plan to do.

37:12

And if there's any changes, we can do that in the interim and come back and adjust that.

37:15

All right, we'll do that then.

37:16

That's the option for the the commission or yeah, yep.

37:20

Okay.

37:22

All right.

37:22

Any other questions or thoughts?

37:25

So uh Commissioner Wilson.

37:27

Okay.

37:29

All right, thanks for being here, Bruce.

37:31

Thank you.

37:31

I will be talking.

37:39

Okay, I would ask uh the city clerk to read uh uh the next ordinance.

37:45

A proposed motion of the Board of Commissioners to introduce an ordinance entitled an ordinance of the City of Paduca, Kentucky authorizing the issuance of its City of Paducah, Kentucky General Obligation Notes, taxable series 2026A and a maximum aggregate principal amount of six million dollars for the purpose of financing the cost of a commercial building and related furnishings and equipment for the public purpose of promoting economic development within the city, approving the form of the notes, authorizing designated officers of the city to execute and deliver the notes, authorizing and directing the filing of a notice with the state local debt officer, providing for the payment of and security for the notes, establishing a note payment fund for the notes, affirming the maintenance of the existing sinking fund, authorizing the acceptance of the bid of the purchaser of the notes, and repealing any inconsistent ordinances.

38:32

This ordinance is summarized as follows.

38:46

In a maximum aggregate principal amount of six million dollars for the purpose of one financing all or a portion of the cost of the acquisition construction, installation, and equipping of the commission commercial building, and relating furnishings and equipment for the purpose of promoting economic development within the city here and after the project, two paying capitalized interest on the notes if desirable, three, paying all or a portion of the cost of credit enhancement on the notes, if any, and four paying all or a portion of the cost of the issuance of the notes.

39:16

Provisions are made in the ordinance for the payment of the notes and the security therefore, the application of the proceeds of the notes, the establishment of the note payment fund, the continuation of the city's previously established sinking fund, and certain covenants of the city with respect to the notes.

39:30

The notes are to be sold at public competitive sale and shall mature on September 1, 2029.

39:36

The notes pledge the full faith credit and taxing power of the city and provision is made for the collection of tax to pay the principal and interest on the notes subject to certain credits as provided in section 17 of the ordinance.

39:48

The sale of the notes is contingent upon the satisfaction of the requirements and conditions of the city regarding the project.

39:54

The following section 17 of the ordinance is set forth in its entirety.

39:57

Section 17 general obligation.

40:00

The notes shall be a full general obligations of the city and the full faith credit and taxing power of the city are hereby pledged for the prompt payment of the notes and the interest thereon.

40:10

During the period the notes are outstanding, there shall be and thereby is levied on all of the taxable property in the city in addition to all other taxes without limitation as to rate, a direct tax annually, and the amount sufficient to pay the principal of the interest on the notes as and when due.

40:26

It being hereby found and determined that the current tax rate of the city are within all applicable limitations.

40:32

The tax shall be and hereby is ordered to be computed, certified, levied, and extended upon the tax duplicate, and shall be collected by the same officers in the same manner and at the same time that taxes for general purpose for each year, each of the years are certified, extended, and collected.

40:46

The tax shall be placed before and in preference to all other items and for the full amount thereof, provided, however, that in each year to the extent that other lawfully available funds of the city are available for the payment of the notes and are appropriated for such purpose.

40:59

The amount of such direct tax upon all of the taxable property in the city shall be reduced by the amount of such other funds so available and appropriated.

41:08

So move.

41:09

Second.

41:10

Okay.

41:11

So this ordinance authorizes the issuance of the general obligation notes and an amount not to exceed six million to finance the city's share of project costs.

41:34

The note will be callable after one year and will require interest-only payments during the three-year term.

41:40

If the building is sold during that period, the notes may be retired from the city's repayment proceeds after the one year call date.

41:48

If the notes remain outstanding at maturity, then the city would have to evaluate repayment or restructuring of uh a refinancing option at that time.

41:57

So the city's total commitment to the project is capped at six million.

42:00

And as Bruce said earlier, that's inclusive of all financing costs and interest expense.

42:05

So that would include any of our uh financial advisor fees, closing costs, um, and interest expense over that time period.

42:12

So based on current estimates, that's expected to provide just over 5.1 million in project funds.

42:19

Uh the IDA awarded the construction bid last week and the amount of approximately the amount of six point five two three million uh with the two million dollar KPDI grant, the construction bid is within uh the funding available for the project.

42:34

So with approval of this ordinance, the notes are currently scheduled for sale on August 20th with closing anticipated on September 3rd.

42:48

And just so having questions.

42:49

I do so with the interest, who's paying that interest the city or so yeah.

42:53

So how that would work is uh well let me let me back.

42:57

I'm gonna while we did a three-year note.

43:00

Uh we thought a one year was a little bit too quick of maturity to get the building completed and sold and closed.

43:06

So we thought a three-year note would be a reasonable period uh post-construction to get the building sold and closed out.

43:14

So the way we structured it is during that time the city will make the the interest payments on the note, and we accounted for that in our fiscal 27 budget.

43:23

And uh when we sell the building, the proceeds would uh reimburse us for those interest expenses that we paid.

43:30

Okay.

43:32

Good job.

43:33

Any other questions on that?

43:36

No.

43:37

Um I have lots of questions on what our next steps are, you know.

43:42

So we'll we'll sit down and talk through that.

43:47

And uh so Bruce, thanks for being here.

43:52

Audrey, thanks for helping out.

43:57

Okay, the last item before an executive session is uh Taylor Morrising is here to talk about the 100th anniversary of Noble Park.

44:11

How many executive sessions?

44:13

One tonight.

44:15

Yeah.

44:18

Later, you come bearing gifts.

44:20

I do.

44:20

I will save that for the end, though.

44:24

Nice shirt.

44:26

I shirt.

44:26

Um thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight in regards to the Noble Park 100 celebration.

44:31

Um 2026 is the hundredth anniversary of Bob Noble Park, which opened in 1926.

44:37

And this week we are having our big event.

44:40

Um so this Thursday, uh July 30th is the first day.

44:45

Um we will start off with an opening ceremony at 3 o'clock PM.

44:49

Um that'll be at shelter 10 in Bobnable Park, which is in between the pool and the lake.

44:54

Um we will have some giveaway items if there's needs to be incentive for people to show up.

45:00

We'll also have remarks by our city commission here if available.

45:03

And hopefully that'll be just a fun way to start the week.

45:07

Then we will have our pop-up farmers market from 3 30 to 6 30.

45:11

And we have like 26 vendors, I believe, and one food truck.

45:14

I'll be there for that.

45:15

And then we will cap the evening off with movies in the park and a showing of Back to the Future on our inflatable movie screen, which will start a little after 8 o'clock PM.

45:26

And it will be cooler on Thursday.

45:39

What makes this night special is we'll have Jazz Patrol at 5:30, and then the Paducah community band will be at 6 30.

45:45

So we'll have the full orchestra there.

45:53

So should be very good.

45:55

On Saturday, we kind of have a more of a full day of events planned.

45:59

We're starting at 8 o'clock with yoga in the park at the amphitheater.

46:03

So if anyone's interested in that, encourage you to take part.

46:18

And then at 10 o'clock, we have our history talk.

46:27

And then we also have the arts and craft station and family activities from 10 to 12, which will be by the boundless playground on the Peck Education Trail.

46:35

So a little bit of something for everyone that morning.

46:37

And then in the evening, we have three amusement rides coming to Noble Park from four to eight o'clock.

46:44

Those will have free rides for anyone that is interested.

46:48

We have a berry go round, uh, Phantom's Revenge, and a supersonic ride.

46:54

So those will be in the parking lot closest to the lake, but in between the pool and the lake again.

46:59

And then also we'll have a concert at the Noble Park Amphitheater.

47:03

Um four o'clock, we have kind of family music with Miss Reeves, Rosemary Reeves, and then five o'clock is Todd Belt and 6:30 is Cory Evits band.

47:12

That'll also wrap up around 8 o'clock.

47:14

And then finally on Sunday, we have half price admission to the Noble Park Pool.

47:18

Noble Park Pool's been in operation that location since 1937, so it's been a key part of the park for many years.

47:25

So that'll be how we recap the week.

47:28

And now to the gift.

47:33

Now to the goodies.

47:36

Did I see Noble Park Pool's gonna be closing soon?

47:40

For uh for the record here.

47:42

Yes, Noble Park Pool also closes on August 2nd.

47:45

So that is the final day to attend the pool.

47:48

So will there be any like uh food or drinks or anything Saturday afternoon while all of that's going on?

47:54

Uh we don't have anything in the morning, but in the evening, the Noble Park Pool concession stand will be open throughout the duration of the event.

48:00

So we'll have our hamburgers, hot dogs, drinks available there.

48:04

Okay.

48:06

All right.

48:08

Now I have a t-shirt for everyone here.

48:14

That is what I have on too.

48:16

Oh Thursday.

48:18

You are allowed to wear them Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and Sunday.

48:25

I'm not sure about that.

48:28

Not sure about that.

48:34

Thank you, sir.

48:35

Thank you.

48:36

Thank you.

48:42

It's a good looking shirt.

48:46

Who designed that?

48:48

We did the logo.

48:49

So the logo was designed by myself.

48:54

Thank you.

48:54

Spencer.

48:56

Good job.

49:03

Okay, so any comments from commissioners.

49:08

I know you have been uh taking sponsorships for planting trees.

49:13

Just wondering how that's going.

49:14

And are you still I'm sure you're still doing that?

49:17

Yes, we are still um accepting sponsorships for our Noble Park 100 tree planting.

49:22

We're planning to plant 100 trees this year to commemorate the 100 years.

49:26

Um we did plant 50 trees in the spring.

49:29

Um, and we have raised the equivalent of 49 trees at this point.

49:34

So we are still open to sponsorships.

49:37

Do you have me down?

49:38

Did I didn't I tell you that I was gonna you have okay?

49:43

So I I would just challenge as well.

49:47

Me too, Mayor.

49:47

Meeting.

49:48

Yeah, okay.

49:48

I I would challenge all the commissioners.

49:51

Me too.

49:53

I I'll sponsor one.

49:55

It's what's it $19?

49:57

Was it?

49:57

You should take three, Commissioner Smith.

50:00

You should take three.

50:02

Okay.

50:02

Oh, oh wow.

50:08

And then the there's supposed to be a commemorative plaque or something that you know signifies all time capsule.

50:13

You want that.

50:15

Um so we have been putting together a time capsule.

50:18

Um we have collected a variety of items up to this point.

50:22

Um we've have some menus from local restaurants, we have some of the pamphlets from the CVB that they have, so some things of the time.

50:30

Um we'll include a park map, we'll include the t-shirts.

50:34

Um, and so there will be some items in the time capsule.

50:38

Um, we're not bearing it on Thursday or anything.

50:40

We plan to take pictures of the event and include all that in it too.

50:43

But yes, there will be a time council.

50:45

And then also the first hundred people that come, is that on Thursday that get the maybe what you've been talking about?

50:51

The first uh hundred people that attend the opening ceremony on Thursday will get a giveaway item.

50:56

We do have coasters that have some mobile park stuff we're calling.

51:01

So it should be good.

51:03

So let me just say this.

51:04

I mean, since I was a kid, you know, Noble Park has been, you know, a central part of my life.

51:15

I mean, I can remember, you know, when my girls were young, we took them over there to ride the rides.

51:22

You know, it used to be amusement rides over there.

51:25

Uh you know, the pool, the pool itself is so important.

51:29

Uh, you know, to the the overall community.

51:32

Uh we really don't have a lot of availability, you know, of outdoor pools in the community, so this is very important.

51:39

And so Noble Park is really, you know, it's a central theme for Paducah.

51:44

Uh people that come here from out of town, from out in the county.

51:50

Um, don't say anything, Commissioner Smith.

51:53

Um, or in the outlying counties, you know, come to Noble Park to have picnics.

51:59

I mean, it's it's just it is our best green space.

52:04

And you know, I lived in Columbus, Ohio for 10 years, and they have an amazing series of parks up there that they've developed.

52:13

And really, you know, from our perspective, you know, really we've got a uh a number of different parks, but Noble Park is the granddaddy of them all.

52:23

And so there's a lot of people as somebody that actually lives in the county outside the city limits, came to me a few months ago concerned.

52:32

Uh well, I don't mind telling telling you it is, is JP Kelly, you know, came to me concerned about the trees, the life cycle of the trees, and the fact that you know that they they had a life expectancy, and what were we what were we gonna do about the long-term uh tree cover, you know, in Nobel Park, how we were gonna protect it.

52:55

So the fact that we're selling sponsorships, planting more trees is a responsible uh add uh actions toward making sure that there's gonna be tree uh tree canopy for future generations.

53:10

So it's just a very important asset of the city, and I am off my soapbox.

53:16

So all right.

53:19

Thank you.

53:20

Um thank you very much, Taylor.

53:23

City manager, any comments?

53:25

None this evening, Mayor.

53:26

Okay.

53:27

Commissioners.

53:29

Uh we'll just say one thing because I didn't get the chance when we did the Manson Basin resolution, but just wanted to say I'm proud that we've been able to make history today.

53:37

You know, it's it blew me away when I learned that the 8th of August wasn't an official recognized holiday yet.

53:43

So uh just thank you to the community and to all of you up here that you know helped pass that resolution.

53:48

So um it's just great making history and for a good cause.

53:52

Yeah, thank all of you all for showing up commissioners, commissioners?

53:58

Good okay.

54:00

All right, we will have an executive session.

54:03

We will not be taking action, and I would uh invite the city clerk to read it.

54:08

A proposed motion of the board of commissioners to go into closed session for discussion of matters pertaining to the following topics proposed or pending litigation is permitted by KRS 61.810 subsection one C.

54:20

So move.

54:21

Second.

54:22

Call roll.

54:23

Commissioner Henderson.

54:24

Commissioner Smith.

54:25

Hi.

54:25

Commissioner Thomas.

54:27

Commissioner Wilson.

54:28

Hi, Mayor Bray.

54:29

Hi, the city.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation██████████████████18%
Procedural█████████████████17%
Economic Development█████████████████17%
Community Engagement██████████10%
Urban Renewal██████████10%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████8%
Fiscal Sustainability████████8%
Racial Equity██████6%
Technology and Innovation███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Paducah City Commission Meeting - July 28, 2026

On July 28, 2026, the Paducah Board of Commissioners met to discuss routine consent items, a lease renewal and renovation of the WC Young Community Center, a resolution recognizing August 8th as Emancipation Day, two ordinances for adoption (annexation and telecommunications franchise), two ordinance introductions (interlocal agreement for speculative industrial building and bond issuance), and a presentation on the 100th anniversary of Noble Park. The meeting concluded with an executive session for litigation discussion.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes from July 14, 2026 meeting.
  • Reappointed Jenna Dawson and Latoya Richardson to the Paducah Human Rights Commission (terms expire July 29, 2029).
  • Reappointed Bonnie Koblitz to the Tree Advisory Board (term expires July 26, 2030).
  • Appointed Deborah Calhoun to the Paducah Riverfront Development Advisory Board, replacing Paul Gore (term expires June 25, 2030).
  • Approved routine personnel actions.

Municipal Order: WC Young Community Center Lease

  • Michelle Smolin, Chris Yarber (Public Works Director), and Erica Hudson (WC Young Community Center Board Chair) presented a three-year lease with a two-year renewal option.
  • Chris Yarber announced a complete renovation of the facility, estimated at $125,000-$130,000, to be performed by city maintenance staff. Renovations include floor leveling, kitchen remodel, new ceiling, lighting, bathrooms, and flooring. Work is expected to start after August 8, 2026 and be completed by June 2027.
  • Mayor Bray noted that the lease had expired years ago and that the city and board worked together to renew it and plan upgrades.
  • Commissioner Wilson asked about maintenance responsibilities: the city handles major mechanical systems (HVAC, plumbing, electric) and roof/foundation repairs; the community center is responsible for smaller items up to $1,500 (increased from $1,000). The city will cover costs exceeding that amount.
  • The motion passed unanimously.

Resolution: Recognition of August 8th as Emancipation Day

  • Mayor Bray moved to adopt a resolution formally recognizing August 8th of each year as Emancipation Day in Paducah. He noted that the effort was led by Jeffrey Williams and received community alignment.
  • The resolution passed unanimously.
  • Commissioner Smith expressed pride in making history and thanked the community for supporting the resolution.

Ordinances Adopted (Second Reading)

  • Annexation: Consensual annexation of two properties at 435 and 485 Burger Road, totaling approximately 30.78 acres. The property owners requested annexation. Passed unanimously.
  • Telecommunications Franchise: Granting a non-exclusive 10-year franchise to Windstream KDL LLC for telecommunications facilities in public rights-of-way. Passed unanimously.

Ordinances Introduced (First Reading)

  • Interlocal Agreement with Industrial Development Authority (IDA): Audra (city staff) presented an ordinance approving an interlocal agreement for construction of a 100,000 square foot speculative industrial building at 5700 Commerce Drive. The city received a $2 million KPDI grant and will provide up to $6 million in local funding. IDA will manage construction and marketing.
    • Commissioner Smith raised a concern: if the building sells for more than the city's investment, the surplus should be credited to the city rather than remaining with the IDA (a 50-50 city-county entity). He requested an amendment to protect city funds.
    • Bruce (IDA representative) said the IDA would likely oppose that amendment, noting the city is effectively acting as a lender and a bank does not profit from a borrower's sale. He also noted the net proceeds from the bond sale would be about $5.1 million after costs.
    • Discussion ensued about timeline and the ability to amend. City Manager suggested that if no action is taken on the first reading, it can be reintroduced later. The commission agreed to leave the motion as a first reading and discuss amendments later.
  • Bond Ordinance: Authorizing issuance of up to $6 million in general obligation notes (taxable, Series 2026A) to finance the city's share of the industrial building project. The notes will have a three-year term with interest-only payments, callable after one year. Sale is scheduled for August 20, 2026 with closing on September 3, 2026. Passed first reading.

Presentation: 100th Anniversary of Noble Park

  • Taylor Morrising presented events for the 100th anniversary celebration, running July 30 to August 2, 2026.
    • Thursday, July 30: Opening ceremony at 3:00 PM (shelter 10), pop-up farmers market (3:30-6:30 PM, 26 vendors), movies in the park (Back to the Future at 8:00 PM), live music (Jazz Patrol at 5:30 PM, Paducah Community Band at 6:30 PM).
    • Saturday, August 1: Yoga at 8:00 AM, history talk and arts/crafts (10:00 AM-12:00 PM), free amusement rides (4:00-8:00 PM), concerts at the amphitheater (Miss Reeves at 4:00 PM, Todd Belt at 5:00 PM, Cory Evits Band at 6:30 PM).
    • Sunday, August 2: Half-price admission to Noble Park Pool (pool closes for the season on August 2).
  • Taylor also updated on the Noble Park 100 tree planting initiative: 50 trees planted in spring, sponsorships for 49 trees raised so far. Commissioners were encouraged to sponsor trees ($19 each). Commissioner Smith offered to sponsor three. A time capsule is being prepared.
  • Mayor Bray highlighted the importance of Noble Park as a central community asset.

Executive Session

  • The Board moved into closed session to discuss proposed or pending litigation as permitted by KRS 61.810(1)(c). No action was taken after the session.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda approved unanimously.
  • Lease and renovation for WC Young Community Center approved unanimously.
  • Resolution recognizing August 8th as Emancipation Day adopted unanimously.
  • Annexation and Windstream franchise ordinances adopted unanimously.
  • Interlocal agreement and bond ordinances introduced as first readings; discussion on amendment deferred.
  • Presentation on Noble Park 100th anniversary received; tree sponsorships encouraged.
  • Executive session held; no action taken.

Meeting Transcript

Everybody. Um probably about 40 years ago I went to the Olympic Games for the first time in a long time ever, and one of the things I was most impressed with, I bought tickets ahead of time, and every single event started exactly when it said it was going to. So I'm kind of a I'm passionate about starting our uh our meetings on time. Welcome everybody. Uh I'll go ahead and call this meeting to order on July 28th and ask the city clerk to call roll. Commissioner Henderson. Present. Commissioner Smith. Here. Commissioner Thomas. Present. Commissioner Wilson. Present. Mayor Bray. Present. I'd ask uh Commissioner Smith to do the invocation, and then we'll remain standing for the pledge of allegiance. Father, we thank you for your grace and goodness. May your face continually shine upon us so that your ways may be known in our communities. I'm in. I'm in. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic. One nation. Under God. Indivisible with liberty and justice for City Manager. Are there any additions or deletions to the agenda? Mayor, none this evening. Okay, we'll move right to the consent agenda. Items on the consent agenda are considered to be routine by the Board of Commissioners, and they're enacted by one motion and one vote. There will be no separate discussion of those items unless a board member so requests, in which event we will remove that item from the agenda and consider it separately. Approved minutes for the July 14th, 2026 Board of Commissioners meeting, receive and file documents. Reappointment of Jenna Dawson and Latoya Richardson to the Baduka Human Rights Commission. Said term shall expire July 29th, 2029. Reappointment of Bonnie Koblitz to the tree advisory board. Said term shall expire July 26, 2030. Appointment of Deborah Calhoun to the Baduca River Pro Riverfront Development Advisory Board to replace Paul Gore, whose term has expired. Said term shall expire June 25th, 2030. Personnel actions. So moved. Second call roll. Commissioner Henderson. Aye. Commissioner Thomas. Commissioner Wilson. Aye. Mayor Bray. Aye. So we have one municipal order to approve tonight. And I'll ask the city clerk to go ahead and read that. And then I would invite Michelle Smolin and Chris Yarber to come up and tell us about it.

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