At Thursday night’s meeting, the Committee of the Whole unanimously approved forwarding a proposed Hopkinsville Solid waste increase in commercial rates to Hopkinsville City Council.
Solid Waste General Manager Tony Sicari said they have not had any kind of rate increase in seven years and the proposed increase is needed in order to offset the rising costs of operations.
He noted commercial is a little more expensive because of the type of waste collected.
Sicari presented a chart with the proposed increase of rates by seven to nine percent.
He said the increase in rates, if approved city council, would go into effect April 1st and would generate an additional $10,000 a month to help with rising costs.
In other action, the committee unanimously approved a resolution for the City of Hopkinsville to unite with Carentan, France as Sister Cities.
Chamber of Commerce Director of Military Affairs, Lindsey Geraci explained this will form a unique partnership to celebrate and commemorate the 101st Airborne Division and its heroic efforts during World War II. As part of this Sister Cities partnership, she added Carentan are sending a delegation of six people to Hopkinsville.
Sister Cities International was founded as a Presidential Initiative by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on September 11, 1956, to create more community-led global relationships so people of different cultures could appreciate their differences and build partnerships to lessen the chance of new national conflicts and promote a peaceful and prosperous future.
Sister Cities International currently has over 570 member cities, counties, and states with relationships with over 2,300 communities in 150 countries, spanning six continents having representation in nearly every district represented in the House of Representatives.
And Community and Development Services Planner Adam Cannon presented key initiatives and additional steps to advance the City of Hopkinsville from a silver to a gold TVA Sustainability Community geared toward economic development in order to attract larger businesses. Some of the steps include develop a business recognition program, develop incentives to encourage additional sustainable construction in the city, develop a sustainable business park, offer recycling in city and county parks, install a fuel-efficient electric car recharging station, and establish a city or county government advisory committee for environmental policies and issues.
