BONNIEVILLE, Ky. — Melody Shanaberger lives at the center of Bonnieville, a small town in Hart County about an hour south of Louisville with a population of 244.
"This town -- I don't think it's going to be any more than what it is right now," Shanaberger said.
Her home is positioned on the "business corridor" of the 0.5 mile town, complete with a gas station, Dollar General, thrift store and a vacant movie theatre.
Right across the street from her is the city hall, once at the center of debate, and now shut down. It became effective on Sunday.
"The lady in the flamingo house brought the city down," Shanaberger laughed.
She's the woman who led the movement to dissolve the local government.
"We weren't getting anything for our taxes," Shanaberger said. "No bang for our buck."
"Taxes for nothing" was the slogan of the petition that circulated the town in April. She garnered 57 signatures, which is more than double the amount needed to make it on the general election ballot.
Despite her slogan, her city tax was $30 a year.
"The amount is nothing to complain about," Shanaberger said. "It's just that we weren't seeing anything done."
Her efforts were a success. Bonnieville residents voted 67-60 on Election Day to dissolve into Hart County, wiping out the six person city council, mayor and services like city-operated street lighting. She said public street lights was the biggest concern for residents.
"Yes, a few streetlights did go out," Shanaberger said. "It didn't make that much of a difference."
She wants to get back to the once-thriving version of Bonnieville that existed from the 1950s until the construction of I-65 was complete. She said that led to a declining city and a shrinking population.
Shanaberger ran for office in case the petition didn't pass, meaning in her eyes, it was either dissolve the government or be the one to raise taxes.
"We would have had to raise taxes so high that the citizens would have been very upset," Shanaberger said.
"As a councilmember, I would upset many more [citizens] because I would just give it to them with the taxes," she said.
Shanaberger said the mayor is in opposition. Mayor Marie Whitlow previously told WHAS11 News that she believed new residents are trying to avoid paying taxes.
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