City Council recognizes the Mayor’s Youth Council, receives a report from HES

The Hopkinsville City Council recognized the Mayor’s Youth Council and received an annual report from Hopkinsville Electric System at Tuesday’s meeting.

City Public Information Officer Amanda Brunt spotlighted the 13 high school students in the 2025-26 class of the Mayor’s Youth Council. The council offers high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to experience the inner workings of local government, share ideas on city matters and strengthen their leadership skills.

Brunt says the council is also an opportunity for the city to learn about the needs and wants of some of Hopkinsville’s younger residents.

Western Kentucky is expected to receive some snow this weekend, and Mayor J.R. Knight says the Hopkinsville Public Works Department is keeping an eye on the forecast, and trucks have already been outfitted with snowplows.

Then, HES General Manager Jeff Hurd presented the utility company’s 2025 report. Last year, HES launched a $4.2 million project to make high-speed fiber internet connection available to everyone in Hopkinsville. Hurd says by the end of 2026, they plan to have the project completed.

In 2025, HES also completed a $1.2 million reliability and redundancy upgrade to its Network Operating Center and received a $6 million FEMA Mitigation Grant to replace utility poles and make other system improvements.

Mayor's Youth Council members