FLORENCE, Ky. — Residents express growing concerns after the Florence City Council annouced the cancellation of a third of their scheduled city council meetings.

Florence resident Karla Alonso says the city is home and doesn’t see herself anywhere else.

As she walked through the streets of Florence, she said, “I love it because it’s a very family-oriented city, very safe. My neighbors are great, my community is great.”

While she loves her community, Alonso says she has major concerns with how the Florence City Council is leading the community.

”The homelessness situation, the low-income families and transparency. When the council is canceling all these meetings back-to-back to back,” she shared as some of her biggest concerns.

According to City Announcements, since the start of 2024, the city council has canceled nine out of 22 scheduled city meetings.

"Why can’t they give a simple reason on canceling the meetings every week?” she asked.

Nearly a dozen residents have expressed concerns in past city council meetings and on social media.

Angie Cable Resident of Florence says she plans to run for a council seat. “You top it off with missed meetings. Nine so far this year, it seems like somebody is hiding something. There needs to just be more transparency, more accountability,” she said.

Spectrum News 1 reached out to the City of Florence and the mayor’s office. While the office denied an in-person interview, Administration Director Josh Hunt shared a written statement that says in part: “Despite some cancellations, the Florence City Council has convened 13 times in 2024…The changes in the meeting schedule does not affect the city…. city services have never been disrupted, and residents’ questions have never gone unanswered due to a postponed city council meeting…Since the Florence City Council meets weekly, there is no need to reschedule a meeting. We already meet more frequently than any other neighboring legislative body…. We simply move the agenda item to the next meeting.” 

While some residents are frustrated, Kentucky law says that a 24-hour notice is needed to schedule a special meeting, not to cancel one. 

Hunt also expressed that if a meeting is canceled, residents have other avenues to communicate with council members and the mayor’s office via phone or email.

However, Alonso says council meetings are a time that allows the community to come together.

“When a city cancels the meeting, even if it’s just two or three meetings with no reasoning, citizens are going to get upset because their voice is not being heard by the government,” she said.