By Todd Hatton
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-976750.mp3
Paducah, KY – Since 1902, 105 city/county merger referendums have come before voters across the country. Of those, 27 have passed, the most recent being Louisville's merger with Jefferson County in 2000. Last year, however, voters turned down a proposed merger of Memphis, Tennessee and Shelby County. Considering the different ways cities and counties can combine and operate, the reasons for those failures and successes are just as varied. In McCracken County, a specially-appointed commission has been working over the two years on a draft plan to give voters a concrete idea of just what a merged Paducah/McCracken County would look like. John Williams, Junior is with Wells Fargo Advisors in Paducah, and underwrites programming on WKMS. He's also a member of the Charter County Government Commission. And he joined us on the line to talk about the draft plan and what they're doing to get this plan in front of residents.
John Williams is a member of the Paducah/McCracken Charter County Government Commission. He spoke with us from his office at Wells Fargo Advisors in Paducah. Wells Fargo Advisors also underwrites programming on WKMS.