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Paducah commission adopts 2025–26 priorities including housing, South Side revitalization and human services
Summary
The Paducah City Commission unanimously adopted a municipal order setting 10 two‑year priorities and three continuous improvement items, with debate over whether to explicitly mention homelessness in the human‑services priority.
The Paducah City Commission on March 25 adopted a municipal order outlining the city’s commission priorities for calendar years 2025 and 2026, including quality housing, South Side revitalization, downtown economic development, city facilities and support for human and social services.
Michelle Smolven, who presented the priorities, said they were developed during a leadership retreat and with assistance from the Kentucky League of Cities. “This presentation will look a little bit different than it has in the past,” Smolven said, asking the commission to adopt 10 priority areas and three continuous improvement items so staff could move into budget and implementation planning.
The adopted priorities are: quality housing; residential rental property occupancy permitting; downtown economic development; South Side revitalization; growth (including selective annexation when fiscally appropriate); quality of life; city facilities; city staffing needs; revenue equity; and support for human and social services. Continuous improvement items are stormwater, trails and bike lanes, and mental health awareness.
Commissioner Thomas and others pressed to explicitly include the word “homelessness” in the human‑services priority. Thomas said the term matters to advocates and residents who described homelessness as a specific concern. Smolven and other commissioners replied that the broader wording — “support for human and social services” — was intended to encompass homelessness plus related needs such as food insecurity and utility assistance, and that staff would work to clarify the language for public materials.
The commission voted to adopt the municipal order with a unanimous roll call: Commissioners Henderson, Smith, Thomas and Wilson and Mayor George P. Bray all voted “Aye.” Smolven said staff will return with tactics and implementation steps and that the priorities will be used in the budget and project planning process.
