HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – As the new fiscal year goes into its second month in Hopkinsville, the city has welcomed new city staff positions to support the Growing Home initiative.

During Mayor JR Knight’s budget presentation in May, he told citizens that the 2025-25 fiscal year budget has the goal of promoting economic growth and improving the quality of life for people in the city. The budget was previously reviewed by the Hopkinsville Committee of the Whole, and the new fiscal year began July 1.

New positions budgeted for 2024-25

“Public safety is still my top priority here,” said Knight during the budget presentation. The city budgeted for four new School Resource Officer’s to promote public safety. Since the new fiscal year began, the city has sworn in new SRO’s that will act as mentors and role models for students while also keeping campuses safe.

The Hopkinsville Police Department is fully staffed for the first time in 13 years with one new Police Patrol Officer position still open. A full-time fire department chaplain also joined HFD.

“Clear communication is critical during emergencies. We want to make sure the team is fully equipped to meet all the needs in Hopkinsville,” said Knight when talking about the new ECC position added to the budget. The latest hired ECC tech has already been sworn in amidst continued training.

In order to promote overall cleanliness in the city, two additional street maintenance workers on the abatement crew and two groundskeepers for downtown cleanup are included in the budget along with a facility maintenance tech for city properties. The City of Hopkinsville website shows that the street maintenance and groundskeeper positions are still open and have not been filled.

Salary increases for existing staff of 6.5% was also a priority for this budget to help retain staff an increase employee satisfaction. The city’s total budget for this fiscal year is $51,194,831, an increase of last year at $47,444,241.

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