City Council discusses the plan to fill the Ward Eight seat vacancy

Hopkinsville City Council Members were presented with the procedures for filling the council seat vacancy and heard from local drug rehabilitation advocates about how the Opioid Settlement Funds should be used at Tuesday’s meeting.

Ward Eight Council Member Seth Meek announced his resignation last week, and now the council is tasked with selecting the individual who will serve the rest of his term, which concludes at the end of the year.

Interested Ward Eight residents have until March 27 to apply for the position, and applications can be picked up at the Hopkinsville Municipal Building. Then, the candidates' applications and resumes will be sent to council members for consideration on March 30, before they are interviewed at the April 7 meeting.

At that meeting, City Attorney Doug Willen says council members will have time to interview each applicant, and afterward they will vote to select a candidate who will then be immediately sworn in.

A few years ago, the City of Hopkinsville received around $750,000 in Opioid Settlement Funds. During the public comments period, representatives from drug rehabilitation organizations Grace and Mercy, Redeemed and Restored and Genesis West shared their preferences for how the city should use the money.

Redeemed and Restored Program Director Ashley Grell says there needs to be more outpatient resources for those who have completed rehabilitation programs. She says around 60% of people who complete rehab only stay sober for around a month.

Hopkinsville Mayor J.R. Knight says they have a committee formed, including city department leaders, who will discuss how to use the settlement funds. At Thursday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, Chief Financial Officer Melissa Clayton will share more information about the funds.

Then, the council approved the closure of seven unnamed alleys between West 2nd Street and West 7th Street on South Kentucky Avenue and Oneal Avenue. Community and Development Services Executive Director Tom Britton says Second Street Baptist Church already takes care of the alleys, and they are already being used as parking lots.