Paducah Board of Commissioners Meeting – October 27, 2026

The Paducah Board of Commissioners met on October 27, 2026, with Mayor Bray presiding. The agenda was modified to add a Riverport West presentation and to hold one consent agenda item until the next meeting. The board heard public comments, received a Riverport West funding update, reviewed employee benefits and street rehabilitation, and approved a routine consent calendar.

Opening Items

• Commissioner Wilson gave the invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
• Greg Gubert introduced Taylor Mullins as the new assistant city engineer. Mullins grew up in Pikeville, earned a civil engineering degree from the University of Kentucky, spent seven years in the private sector, and has been with the city about a month.
• Mayor Bray read a proclamation designating October 28, 2026, as First Responders Day in Paducah.

Consent Calendar

• The consent agenda was approved by roll-call vote. Approved items included the October 13, 2026 meeting minutes; appointments of Isaac Marsh to the joint 911 parcel fee appeals board and Kevin Terry to the Board of Adjustment; personnel actions; a municipal order declaring 1938 Center Street surplus and accepting Twin River Equity Group LLC’s bid of $100; a policy for use of health/dental/vision spending credits for 2027; a Hub strategic health risk advisor contract for $61,900; the Anthem administrative services agreement for the 2027 group health plan; 2027 health, vision, and dental premiums; stop-loss coverage rates with Voya; and a U.S. Department of Justice bulletproof vest grant application for $8,180 to purchase 20 body armor vests.
• One consent agenda item, item E, was held to the next meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Marshall Davis criticized the commission for ignoring a resident’s issue for more than a year and described a pattern of dismissing community engagement. He cited the city block project, the Catterjon building demolition, and the vacant Showroom Lounge property as examples, and said the commission did not deserve re-election.
• Amy Hackney, a Jackson Street resident, expressed concern that the sidewalk project across 21st Street and Jackson began around April but remained incomplete near November, with no visible work for months. She also noted six closed businesses in the area, including KFC and two gas stations, and asked the city to clean up parking lots and address blight.
• Krista Brookshire described being chased at Noble Park in mid-September by aggressive stray dogs that had reportedly been there since July. She said a park ranger mentioned the dogs were being fed, and she urged the commission to improve animal control oversight before a child is hurt.
• Neil Benson, president of the local Young Americans for Liberty chapter, raised concerns about automated license plate readers (ALPRs) from Flock Safety and Axon. He asked the council to provide answers by November 10 on data storage, access, audits, retention, and deletion. He said if those questions are not answered, the council should consider an ordinance banning ALPRs, terminating the Flock contract, and amending the Axon contract to remove ALPRs.

Discussion Items

• Jim Garrett, executive director of the Riverport Authority, presented an update on Riverport West. The state provided $3.5 million for engineering and environmental work. On July 1, the city received a $24 million BUILD grant, matched with $4.8 million plus an additional $1.2 million to reach $30 million. The day before the meeting, a $40 million Port Infrastructure Development Program grant was announced, matched by $8 million in state funds, for a $48 million package. Combined funding is about $78 million against an estimated project cost of $78.4 million, with $2.8 million in state funds remaining. Next steps include NEPA approval, grant agreements, wetland mitigation for the 20-acre disturbance, and a Section 404 dredge permit. Construction is expected to start in about 12 months and take 18 months, with possible operations in the first or second quarter of 2029. Garrett said a company with an existing contract may use Riverport West, a second nuclear-related company is interested, and Pine Bluff has asked about moving bulk sand and rock through the dock as incremental business.
• DJ Story of Hub presented the 2027 employee benefits renewal. The city’s self-funded health plan pays claims up to $175,000 per person. Employees pay about 11 percent of costs, the Joint Sewer Agency about 10 percent, and the city about 75 percent. City net cost is about $10,000 per employee per year, compared with national averages of about $9,800 for single coverage and $28,000 for family coverage. Cost drivers include specialty drugs, cancer treatment, GLP-1 drugs costing about $130,000 for 36 members through September, and high-severity claims. The stop-loss premium would rise 48.3 percent, a $241,000 net fixed-cost increase, with Voya retaining the $175,000 specific deductible and no-new-laser protection. Other quotes were worse because of individual lasers. For 2026, total projected claims are about $4.13 million, with about $1.64 million from claimants exceeding the $175,000 threshold. Recommended changes included a $25-per-pay-period employee premium increase, an IRS-required increase in the investor-plan deductible from $3,400 to $3,500, and new elite-plan copays of $40 for primary care, $80 for specialists, and $75 for urgent care. Delta Dental increased 3 percent, Mutual of Omaha reduced rates by about 50 percent for about $11,000 in annual savings, and Hub proposed a 25 percent fee reduction.
• The city engineer gave a street rehabilitation update. The state contributed about $400,000 to the MAP fund in each of the last two fiscal years, with city contributions of about $2.2 million in FY26 and $2.1 million in FY27, plus a $500,000 one-time reserve contribution in FY26 and a $100,000 commission-funded increase in FY27. Total street rehabilitation work, including grants and projects, was about $3.8 million in FY26 and $3.9 million in FY27. Awarded grants include the Local Assistance Road Program resurfacing 11 streets, House Bill 501 funding for South 21st Street, and carbon reduction funding for design of the Coleman Road multi-use path. Applications are pending for the County Park Road bridge and FY28 Local Assistance Road Program projects on Jackson, Cruz, James Sanders, and County Park Road.

Key Outcomes

• The board approved the consent calendar, including 2027 health insurance agreements, premiums, and the employee rate changes presented by Hub.
• Riverport West has secured the full $78 million needed for the estimated $78.4 million project; no formal commission action was required on the presentation.
• The board voted to enter a closed session under KRS 61.810(1)(g) to discuss a specific business proposal, with no action to be taken after returning to open session.