Bowling Green · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Bowling Green public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
FY2027 street paving and gas tax fairness
The city plans to spend $2 million repaving roughly 10 miles of streets and $400,000 fixing broken sidewalks, curbs and gutters under its annual Liquid Fuel Tax program. Sidewalk fixes target trip hazards by priority zone, with downtown and the medical center already addressed and the west end now in focus.
Riverfront Park Phase IV funding push
Phase II brings the park's big attractions — a car-themed playground, river spray ground, food truck area, observation mound and performance lawn — starting around September with about 12 months of construction. Phases three (whitewater park) and four (east side) follow.
FLOCK license plate reader policy
A WKU student told commissioners the city's FLOCK/ALPR program tracks residents' movements with unanswered questions about data storage, deletion and federal access — and urged the city to pause expansion while other Kentucky cities have suspended or curtailed theirs.
Expanded bus service on Route 4
The city is adding a Route 4B with a 50% service increase, cutting waits by about 30 minutes and adding 2,063 annual revenue hours for roughly $218,183. Commissioners also discussed the longer-term goal of Sunday service for WKU students and transit shelters at high-traffic stops.
Stormwater utility rollout
Bowling Green is building a modern stormwater utility because its 80% cave-and-karst drainage system can no longer handle runoff — commissioners referenced the April 2025 floods. The extra $460,000 for GPD Group gets billing integration ready for a January 1 launch.