City Commission talks occupational tax and city maintenance at meeting

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - The Bowling Green City Commission revisited a proposed 0.15 percent occupational tax increase at their Feb. 21 meeting, this time with additional evidence of rising prices from city managers.

Officials cited price increases for several commodities around the city, like the cost of concrete going up over 93 percent, as well general fund cost increases for city bodies.

“I’m a conservative, I don’t like to raise taxes,” Mayor Todd Alcott said. “This is a real cost that comes out of people’s pocketbooks, but we want to provide the right services to the people of Bowling Green.”

Were the proposal approved, officials would want to implement it for the 2024 fiscal year, giving Mayor Todd Alcott until June to make a decision.

“I need the time to be able to just stand up to that and say, ‘I believe in our city management, I believe what’s happening, I believe this is the reason why,’ and to be able to account for that,” Alcott said.

Other motions approved the allocation of funding to outsource local businesses to help with city maintenance.

Bids included over $450,000 for mowing services from Hope House Ministries and other local lawn care, and over a million dollars to Scotty’s Contracting and Stone for Ashley Circle intersection improvements.

“I’m very proud of this work, this cooperation,” Alcott said. “This is less people loitering on the street, this is more people contributing towards Bowling Green, contributing towards their self-sustainment.”

It wasn’t all business at the meeting, as family and friends gathered to watch the approval of a memorial area and naming the Bowling Green East Little League Baseball Complex to honor the late Rick Kelley.

“It means a lot, because this would mean so much to him,” said Kelley’s daughter, Caitlin Davis, “He would rather not have his name on it and be able to be here to coach his grandkids, but because he can’t, it means so much to our family to be able to have a piece of him at that ball field forever.”

The next commission meeting will be Wednesday, March 7, at Bowling Green City Hall.

More information on the Bowling Green City Commission, including recordings of meetings, can be found on the Bowling Green city website.

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