Hopkinsville council to review legacy neighborhood program after residents warn cuts will hurt services

At the June 3 Hopkinsville City Council meeting, residents pressed the council to keep funding for the city's legacy neighborhood program and said recent budget changes jeopardize home repairs and neighborhood activities.

The issue moved from public comment to formal direction when Mayor James R. Knight Jr. announced a committee to review the program and its budget. "We will look at all of the inner city legacy budget, and we will look at the money they have on hand," the mayor said as he named committee members from wards representing the inner-city neighborhoods.

Why it matters: the legacy program has long paid for home repairs, neighborhood events and other services in established neighborhoods; residents said cutting funds would harm older homeowners and community activities.

Multiple residents described tangible services tied to legacy funding. "We use it in our neighborhood quite a bit to help people, older people like me, to get our homes fixed," said James Campbell, identifying himself with the Westside Neighborhood Association. Barbara…