Hopkinsville council repeals curbside recycling ordinance after heated debate; staff to study outsourcing
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Summary
After hours of debate and public pleas, Hopkinsville City Council voted to repeal the city’s curbside recycling ordinance, effective Sept. 30, 2025. Council rejected a proposed deferral and directed staff to explore outsourcing and return options to the business list in September.
Hopkinsville City Council voted Aug. 19 to repeal Section 93.06 of the city code, ending the municipal curbside recycling program effective Sept. 30, 2025, after extended public comment and council debate.
Resident Betty Howard urged the council to pause the repeal and seek more public input, saying she “strongly oppose[d] the repealing of the curbside program” and asked councilors to delay the final vote so that alternatives such as a modest household fee could be considered. Several council members and Solid Waste staff described the program as chronically unprofitable and warned that continuing service would require city subsidy.
A council member moved to defer the second reading for 60 days to collect public feedback and let staff present options such as a mandatory participation requirement, a rate increase, or other fixes. Solid Waste and finance staff told council that recycling has run at a loss and that continuing the service after Sept. 30 would require funds from the city’s budget. Staff and council cited participation figures shown to the council (1,082 participating households versus about 10,772 not participating, as reflected in materials before the council) and annual loss figures discussed in the meeting (staff said the program had been losing on the order of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year; council discussion referenced a $238,000-per-year figure and a multi-year spend figure of roughly $2.3 million).
Council debated alternatives including outsourcing to a third-party operator (councilors referenced Bowling Green’s model), raising rates for existing participants (cited rough calculations near $32.50 per participating household per month on the current customer base), or making the service mandatory to reach a sustainable scale. Solid Waste representatives said the ordinance would need amendment to permit a private contractor to contract directly with residents because current city code treats recyclables as city property.
The motion to defer failed on a roll-call vote; the clerk recorded approximately 10 votes against the deferral and 2 votes in favor. The council then proceeded with the second reading of Ordinance 23-2025 to repeal Section 93.06. The repeal passed on second reading with one recorded dissenting vote (Council member Martin voted "No"). The ordinance sets the repeal’s effective date as Sept. 30, 2025.
Following the repeal vote, councilors moved to add a study of curbside recycling, potential ordinance amendments and outsourcing options to the city business list and tasked staff (including Solid Waste representatives and finance staff) to begin preparing proposals and to return with information in September. Council said they expect proposals or contractor outreach to be ready by the next council consideration so residents and council can review practical options for continuing subscription recycling without direct subsidy.
The council’s actions separate discussion from decision: the formal decision to repeal the ordinance was the vote on Ordinance 23-2025; the council also issued a direction to staff to evaluate outsourcing and possible rate structures and to place that work on the business list for future consideration.
What happens next: the repeal is set to take effect on Sept. 30, 2025. Staff and council will pursue follow-up work on the business list in September to present potential outsourcing arrangements, possible fee structures, and ordinance language changes if the council chooses to revisit or replace the current model.
