The Pineville City Council officially accepted the resignation of Mayor Scott Madon during a special called meeting on Monday, Dec. 30. Madon’s resignation comes after he was elected to the Kentucky State Senate in November. He will be sworn in to the Senate on Jan. 7.

“I certainly appreciate the opportunity and the trust the citizens of Pineville placed in me electing me to three consecutive terms, and I am truly grateful,” Madon said in his letter of resignation. “I will be available to assist in any way possible with any projects, concerns or questions you may have. I will put forth every effort to facilitate a smooth transition. I wish the City of Pineville continued growth and success in the future.”

Monday was turned into a celebration for the city and its employees with a catered lunch before the meeting in the Bell Theater and surprise cake thanking Madon for his time serving as mayor.

“I want to first thank everyone for being here. I thank you for this occasion, for this surprise meal and for everyone turning out to eat. It’s a good day, even though it’s a little bit sad for me,” Madon said as he opened the meeting. “I’m going to Frankfort to come back and help these guys, I hope a little more than I’ve been able to help lately.”

He shared a packet of information with the council members that showed the city’s bank balances on Jan. 1, 2015 when he first took office and those same balances as of Dec. 30, 2024.

“My predecessor asked for an audit as she exited. I’m not going to do that, I don’t think we need one. I’m perfectly fine with it if you want to do one (but) I think it would be a waste of $7,000,” Madon said. “You can see that on Jan. 1, 2015 when I took office we had $198,220.06 total in all  of our accounts. Today, as we leave, there is $2,203,227.54 in the City of Pineville bank accounts.

“I think that should pretty much speak for itself and where we’ve come. That’s not just me, it’s the council, the employees, people watching what we’re doing. We’ve been a stewart of our money and this young lady (City Clerk Samantha Ellen Bishop) has called me out more times than one about spending money.”

He also went over some of the accomplishments the city has seen in each department over the last ten years while he was serving as mayor.

The Fire Department was able to lower their ISO fire rating from Class 4 to Class 3 in 2016 to provide significant savings on property insurance rates for citizens. A new used fire truck was purchased and the department was renovated and expanded last year with additional garage space as well as a new training space and sleeping quarters. A new Ford Explorer and a new golf cart have been purchased for the department along with turnout gear and equipment totaling over $560,000.

Since the sale and taxation of alcohol was started in 2015, the Police Department has gone from rotating four older cruisers to purchasing ten new vehicles so each officer now has their own. All police vehicles are equipped with new handguns, new AR-15s, bulletproof vests and new computers for faster response times. In all, $650,000 has been invested in the department. A $30,000 grant has also been filed to purchase new tasers.

The Street Department has seen a new street sweeper purchased along with a new 4-wheel-drive riding mower for the floodwall and a new riding lawnmower for the parks. They now have a water truck, two transport vans to haul inmates working for the city, as well as new weedeaters and other maintenance equipment.

Parks around the city have also been updated with more improvements on the way. A shelter has been added to Newtown Park along with a walking trail, new basketball goals, swings and a zip line with $150,000 in additional equipment that will be installed in the spring. Wallsend Park has been painted and new tables and grills added and the court there will be painted in the spring. The Mini Park on Walnut will receive a $277,000 remodel this spring that includes a new Splash Pad, Pickleball courts and a remodeled shelter house and bathrooms.

Madon also praised the city’s Main Street program for bringing life back to downtown.

“Former Main Street Director Jacob Roan and I created a business incentive package to attract small businesses downtown,” he said. “The business district once stood at about 20% occupancy but is now full. Our current Main Street ladies, Tammy (Jones) and Johnna (Callebs) have written a $50,000 grant and are in the process of updating the pocket park next to the theater with additional bathrooms and dressing rooms.”

Other projects over the last ten years include:

• Investing $500,000 to purchase and remodel the Bell Theater;
• A new roof on City Hall;
• Updating the entrances to the city;
• Blacktopping nearly all the streets in town with just 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Streets in Wallsend, Jones Ave. in Newtown and Maple Street and a portion of Tennessee Ave. downtown. The paving has been paid for through grants, restaurant tax funds and discretionary money from the state;
• Corridor annexations on 25E to the water plan and on 119 up to Hwy. 987 for possible future development;
• The second phase of the nearly $8 million downtown streetscape project is well underway and expected to be completed this spring;
• Several million dollars in water plant and water line updates have been completed.

Madon also pointed out that the city was able to lower property taxes this year for the first time in over 30 years.

“None of this would have been possible without us working together and having the best city employees. We are truly blessed to have the dedicated staff we have,” he said and thanked all the individual department heads and agencies for their efforts. “I want to thank the people of Pineville for allowing me the opportunity to serve the past 10 years. My motto has been leaving it better than you found it, and that is my challenge to the new mayor and council as you all move forward.”