Unchanged tax rate passes 1st reading

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August 11, 2010

By BURTON SPEAKMAN Glasgow Daily Times The Glasgow Daily Times Wed Aug 11, 2010, 12:13 PM CDT

GLASGOW — Property tax rates will not increase in Barren County for another year.

During Tuesday’s fiscal court meeting, magistrates unanimously chose to keep the property tax rate at 13.5 cents per $100 of property value. The tax rate was only passed during its first reading. It still must pass during a second reading at the county’s next scheduled meeting on Aug. 24.

The 2011 motor vehicle and watercraft property tax rate was also set and will remain at 15.3 cents per $100 of property value.

Barren County Judge Executive Davie Greer said during the meeting that it had been some time since the county had increased either tax rate.

There was no discussion about either tax rate prior to it being passed. Although during a jail committee meeting prior to the meeting, magistrates Carl Dickerson, Carlie Coe Jr. and Billy Houchens, had all discussed ways to cut the county’s expenses.

The county was able to keep the tax rate the same by cutting the budget of every county department except the sheriff’s office, Greer said.

“We didn’t raise the sheriff’s budget but we didn’t cut it,” she said. “County employees also will not receive raises this year.”

The county did provide employees with a little more money to pay their health insurance, because there was a large increase in insurance costs, Greer said. The county will also pay more to the Kentucky retirement system for county employees, Greer said.

Expenses involving the new jail or its construction did not have an impact on the 2011 tax rate, she said. The county will not have to start making bond payments for the facility until the next year.

Greer said she remains confident because of less repair costs and other savings the county will be able to continue paying for a new jail without raising taxes.

“If we would have had to raise taxes it would have been because everything in the county is going down, not because of the jail,” Greer said.

The budget for this year will be tight for the county and magistrates, along with department heads, will have to watch every dollar they spend, she said. But in the current economy every business in Barren County is having to do the same thing.

The tax equates to the owner of a $100,000 home paying $135 per year to the county in property taxes. The owner of a car or boat valued at $10,000 would pay $15.30 in property tax to the county for their vehicle.

A significant part of why the county cutting department budgets is because fewer people are building home or buying new cars in the current economy, Greer said.

“We live off those taxes,” she said. “People have no idea about a lot of things the county spends money on.”

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