Paducah staff to draft ordinance to compensate boards and commissions; mayor backs $75 per meeting proposal

City staff presented options for compensating members of Paducah’s boards and commissions, and the commission directed staff to draft an ordinance to implement a per-meeting stipend system, with Mayor Bray proposing a $75-per-meeting rate. City Clerk Lindsay Parrish told the commission that Paducah currently has more than 200 appointed members across multiple boards, with existing payments for a subset (for example, the Planning Commission and CDA receive $50 for chair and $30 for members; the electric plant board is paid through Paducah Power under state law). Staff recommended a per-meeting stipend approach and identified administrative steps required for implementation: ordinance drafting, vendor/EFT setup, attendance tracking and possible 1099 reporting. Parrish noted one statutory constraint: certain boards (airport, golf commission, Convention Center, Riverport Authority, senior citizens board, IDA) are not eligible for compensation under relevant KRS provisions or their governing documents. Commissioners discussed administrative burden and benefits. Commissioner Smith voiced concern about the upfront staff work and tracking costs; Mayor Bray advocated moving forward to improve recruitment and engagement and asked staff to draft proposed ordinance language reflecting $75 per meeting, noting an estimated net annual increase of about $90,000 at that rate. “The boards that we have out there... they set policy and direction of the city,” Bray said. The commission did not adopt ordinance language at the meeting but asked staff to prepare drafts and return for consideration, with a target implementation date of Jan. 1.