BONNIEVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- In less than a month, a local city that's been around since 1958, will no longer exist.
People who live in Bonnieville voted to dissolve it and it’s the talk of the city.
The question on the ballot read, “Are you in favor of dissolving the city of Bonnieville?”
The majority of voters said yes.
Just off Interstate 65 North about 270 people live in what was the City of Bonnieville.
"It’s my hometown. It's where I was born and raised," said Connie Whitehead. "It's where I played softball, went to school. It's me."
Whitehead never thought her city would go back to being a small town. She voted no to dissolving the city.
"It's been that way all my life. It seemed like everything was OK," Whitehead said.
Sixty people in Bonnieville voted no, while 67 voted yes to dissolving the city.
"They were not wanting to pay the city taxes. They didn't think they were doing enough stuff with them when they collected them," Whitehead said.
Bonnieville Mayor Marie Whitlow said residents were paying about $360 annually in property tax.
“They decided to close the city so they wouldn’t have to pay," Whitlow said.
Now city council has 30 days to move out before Hart County takes over.
"Disappointed, hurt, and a little bit angry at first. Just mainly hurt because I thought these people have worked so hard to get this city started," Whitlow said.
Street lights and city signs will disappear and the county will take over the city hall building.
BONNIEVILLE | Voters dissolved the City of Bonnieville on Election Day. At 5 & 6pm on @WDRBNews, what this means for the people living within its’ city limits. #HartCounty #Kentucky pic.twitter.com/3nfBwY1z5y
— Molly Jett (@MolJett) November 6, 2024
Without city hall, Whitlow said they can no longer apply for grants to help their volunteer fire department or host annual city events around the holidays.
"It hurts a lot of people, a lot of people," Whitlow said.
WDRB spoke with several people off-camera who voted to dissolve the city. They said they didn't want to brag about the win, but ultimately kept repeating, they weren’t getting enough bang for their buck.
"It will still be Bonnieville just not an incorporated city," Whitehead said. "I try to look at the bright side of everything. It's done went through now. It is what it is. And it'll be OK."
The mayor said the city attorney is working to find out if the Bonnieville Elementary will still exist.
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