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Paducah City-County Addresses Detail Mayoral Projects, Highlight Aging Sewer System

Nicole Erwin, WKMS

  Four days into her new position as Paducah Mayor, Brandi Harless is asking the city’s business leaders to keep her accountable for her campaign promises. Addressing about 350 people at the ‘State of the City-County’ Power and Partnership breakfast Thursday, she then gave out her email address as an act of sincerity. Harless also touched on projects started by the previous administration that she would be completing during her four-year term.

“We have decided to renovate the current city hall and will be looking at what that will look like over the next couple of years... It really did symbolize progress when it was built and I really hope it can symbolize progress for our future,” said Harless.

Completing the Riverfront Development Project, implementing new Enterprise Resource Planning Software for government offices, securing floodwall stabilization and finishishing the Fountain Avenue Neighborhood Programare also projects Harless plans to see through her term.

Harless highlighted Paducah’s opportunities as the new UNESCO Creative Cityof “Craft and Folk Art” meeting location. The first meeting to be held in the U.S. will be in Paducah and Harless says “If we are going to get the grand stage, what do we want the world to see?” Harless says there are many opportunities ahead and challenged the room to think big for their city.

“So that is an opportunity that we need to make sure we don't take for granted, it's a big one and we need to make sure that we keep it at the forefront,” said Harless.  

Harless said brainstorming how the city can be more accessible to the future visitors and business owners should be a priority.

A new Citizen’s Academy will also begin this year, allowing constituents to see the government process in action. Harless says the first year they will take 25 applicants.

Paducah McCracken County Joint Sewer Agency provided breakfast for the gathering and JSA Executive Director John Hodges said it's a way to show support for the people the JSA depend on as well.

“Our industry, has got many many many unfunded compliance mandates by the federal government and state government. And we have not been sitting around, you can see by our capital expenditures that we have spent from 2008-2016, almost $40 million for major capital projects. And our gross revenue during that time period, annually is about $7 million.” Hodges explained that spending does not include existing debt and operating costs.

The first pipe service according to Hodges was implemented in the county in 1899, those same pipes are used today. He says the water treatment facility dates back to 1959.

Besides the gradual degradation of the infrastructure, Hodges says it was built with the public and environmental regulations of 1959 as well, all obstacles the JSA has to overcome.

“You can't have equipment that old without issues.” Said Hodges.

He said the JSA board is committed to rate preservation, quoting the average sewage bill for Paducah at $25.45 per month compared to the average statewide bill of more than $38 per month.

“We can not make these changes and keep costs low without the support of the community, that is one of the reasons we are supporting the breakfast this morning,” Hodges said.  

Deputy Judge Doug Moore spoke in place of County Judge Executive Bob Leeper who missed the event due to illness.

Judge Moore announced that McCracken County is number one in the Commonwealth for collection of tax revenues at a success rate of 90%.

“Thanks goes to the citizens of this county who pay their taxes the way it should be done. That means they want to support this county and they work you do here.” Moore said.

Moore highlighted several county road and property concerns that the office has in the works.

Window replacement at the Courthouse facility is completed, said Moore.

“We replaced the windows a the courthouse annex, I was over there one day and I touched one that I thought just needed painting and the whole thing fell out…” Said Moore.

Moore says Judge Leeper is focused on making improvements to the county parks systems as well, including the soccer complex placed on top of the county’s closed landfill.

Mayor Harless concluded her speech by addressing her previous campaign motto, that Paducah was at its “tipping point.” As she read an excerpt from Malcom Gladwell, she asked the room to decide their role in shaping the future of their city.

"In the end, tipping points are a reaffirmation of the potential for change and the power of intelligent action, look at the world around you, it may seem like an immovable and placable place, it is not. With the slightest push in just the right place it can be tipped."

 

Nicole Erwin is a Murray native and started working at WKMS during her time at Murray State University as a Psychology undergraduate student. Nicole left her job as a PTL dispatcher to join the newsroom after she was hired by former News Director Bryan Bartlett. Since, Nicole has completed a Masters in Sustainable Development from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia where she lived for 2 1/2 years.
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