Budget Presentation from Paducah-McCracken County 911 Administrative Board
Jeff Parker, chairman of the Paducah-McCracken County 911 Administrative Board, provided a presentation about the upcoming fiscal year 2026 budget for the Paducah-McCracken County 911 Service which operates as a division of the Paducah Police Department. The expenses for the current fiscal year are approximately $3.8 million. However, the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year which begins July 1 is lower at approximately $3.34 million, a 12 percent reduction. The difference between the two budgets is due to one-time purchases that occurred during the current fiscal year.
In reviewing revenue sources for the current fiscal year (FY2025), the City contributed $1.713 million with the County contributing $1.257 million. The remaining revenue sources include telecommunications taxes, Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS) from the state, and grant funding.
The newly created 911 Parcel Fee revenue source will ease the burden on the City and County general fund accounts for fiscal year 2026. Parker said the 911 Parcel Fee and other expected revenue sources will cover the vast majority of the expenses with the City and County covering a shortfall of approximately $466,470. The 911 Parcel Fee may be amended in the future to avoid the need to cover shortfalls from the City and County general funds.
Adopt the 2025-2026 City Commission Priorities
The Paducah Board of Commissioners held strategic planning sessions on February 21 and 22 to develop priorities for calendar years 2025 and 2026. At this meeting, the Board officially adopted ten priority areas which are listed below in no particular order.
- Quality Housing
- Rental Property Occupancy Permitting
- Downtown/Economic Development
- Southside Revitalization
- Growth
- Quality of Life
- City Facilities
- City Staffing Needs
- Revenue Equity
- Support for Human and Social Services (i.e. Homelessness, Food Insecurities)
The Board selected the following continuous improvement action items:
- Stormwater
- Trails and Bike Lanes
- Mental Health Awareness
Police Department Deflection Program Update
Paducah Police Chief Brian Laird provided an update on the Department’s Deflection Team which has been in place since last summer. The Deflection Team, which includes Deflection Specialist Allison Blackwell and Deflection Officer Matthew Wentworth, work to reduce police contacts with people who may have mental health or substance abuse crises by working with these individuals by building relationships and connecting them with community stakeholders who promote recovery and mental health stability. This work provides needed assistance to the individuals with the goal of deflecting away from incarceration. Seventy-five percent of Blackwell’s salary is funded by opioid abatement settlement funds.
In reviewing the statistics from 2024, more than 33,000 people had contact with emergency services in Paducah with 28 of those people having more than 30 contacts during the year. The top ten people who reached out to emergency services in 2024 averaged 59 contacts.
To determine who may benefit from the assistance of the Deflection Team, the Team reviews individuals who have a high volume of police interactions and a drug history. They also receive referrals from officers and through community outreach. Once someone has been identified, the Deflection Team works to build a relationship by checking-in daily, helping the person satisfy their basic needs, and linking them with resources through partnerships with approximately three dozen organizations.
The Team currently has more than 50 clients. In the last quarter of 2024, the Team made more than 226 contacts and visited the Community Kitchen 90 times. Since the beginning of the program, there has been a 20 percent decrease in client contacts with police and emergency services. The Deflection Team’s assistance is helping the clients find coping mechanisms and support without calling for police and emergency assistance.
Chief Laird outlined a few barriers to the deflection program’s success. Some clients don’t want mental health or medical services. Plus, appointment scheduling can be a challenge. Laird also mentioned that most clients need housing or identification. As the Deflection Team looks forward, they want to work to establish a rapid connection to medication and treatment, a streetside connection, with a goal of providing services in less than 48 hours. Chief Laird would like to increase the team by adding another Deflection Specialist.
Budget Discussion – Investment Fund
As the Fiscal Year 2026 budget is being developed, budget topics will be discussed at various Commission Meetings. The new fiscal year begins July 1. At this meeting, Finance Director Jonathan Perkins provided an overview of the Investment Fund.
Each year, the city sets aside 25 percent of the annual payroll tax received into a separate fund called the Investment Fund. For the current fiscal year (FY 2025), the Investment Fund expenditures are divided into the following categories:
- Debt service (15 percent)
- Ongoing agency commitments (15 percent) – GPED, Barkley Regional Airport, Grant-in-Aid, Sprocket, Community Scholarship Foundation, etc.
- Recurring capital (32 percent) – paving of roadways, maintenance and improvements of city facilities, demolitions, etc.
- Other ongoing initiatives (16 percent) – Southside Development, Downtown Programs, etc.
- One-time projects (22 percent)
The revenue projection for the upcoming fiscal year is $6.97 million. However, there is an expected increase in debt service payments.
Additional Meeting Information
- City Engineer Greg Guebert introduced Engineering Technician Andy Shelton to the Board.
- Mayor Bray presented a proclamation to LivWell Community Health Services representatives proclaiming March 25 as HIV Awareness Day. Mayor Bray emphasized the importance of identifying and treating the disease so that people can live normal lives.
- Reappointment of Cindy Ragland, Basil Drossos, and Cheryl Sullivan to the Creative and Cultural Council.
- Municipal Order approved to apply for Kentucky Division of Waste Management’s Household Hazardous Waste Grant which will help fund the 2026 City-County Spring Clean Up Day. This year’s event will be Saturday, May 3.
- Municipal Order approved to apply for the Kentucky Division of Waste Management’s Crumb Rubber Grant in the amount of $43,650 which, if awarded, would be used for a pour-in-place rubber surface for a new playground for children ages 2 through 5 to be constructed at Keiler Park.
- Municipal Order approved to reimburse the McCracken County PVA for aerial imagery for GIS maps.
- Municipal Order approved to authorize a joint letter of support with the McCracken County Fiscal Court supporting Greater Paducah Economic Development’s application for grant funding through the Kentucky Cabinet of Economic Development to construct a speculative building. The grant request is for $2 million. If awarded, the remaining cost to construct a spec building in Paducah would be divided between the City (75 percent) and County (25 percent). Future action would be taken by the City Commission to formally approve the allocation.
- Ordinance introduced to amend Chapter 42 of the Paducah Code of Ordinances. Changes include amendments to Code Enforcement Board powers and hearings, residential rental occupancy permits, lienholder notification system, enforcement procedures, nuisances, and more.
- Ordinance approved amending Chapter 26 of the Paducah Code of Ordinances regarding cemeteries. Many of the edits are to bring the ordinance in line with the administrative policy for cemetery operations and to clarify language. One of the amendments is to now allow saddles on a headstone.
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