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Clark County Sets Property Tax Rate at 8% After PVA Questions Compensating-rate Calculation
Summary
Clark County Fiscal Court voted to keep the property tax rate at 8% after a presentation from the county property valuation administrator (PVA) that challenged how the state'calculated the compensating rate and explained why assessments are rising.
Clark County Fiscal Court voted Thursday to set the county'wide property tax rate at 8% for the coming year after a public presentation and internal debate about how the state calculates the compensating rate.
Brady, the county'property valuation administrator (PVA), told the court that rising assessed values in 2025 should produce a lower compensating rate if real and personal (tangible) property are calculated separately. Brady said the Department of Local Government'calculation produced a weighted average compensating rate of 7.8 per $100 of assessed value but that the true compensating rate for real property alone computes to about 7.5443 per $100. "I know 0.01 feels like nothing," Brady said, "But I'm doing everything I can to abide by the Kentucky constitution and do what's best for Clark County." Brady urged the court to consider the lower rate or to reserve the right to appeal the certified rate.
The PVA cited House Bill 44 and KRS 132.10 Section 6 and pointed to an Attorney General opinion and Department of Local Government paperwork in the packet. Brady argued that the first sentence of KRS 132.10(6) excludes personal property from the compensating-rate calculation and that the later use of "all" in the statute has produced a weighted average interpretation that combines real and tangible property.
Judge Yates and other court members discussed the legal uncertainty and short-term fiscal needs of the county. The judge made clear the court must "go based on what Robert Brown is saying," referring to the local certification by the state/local finance office cited in the packet. Several magistrates noted the dollar impact on a typical homeowner would be small; Brady estimated the difference between the certified weighted average and the PVA'preferred calculation would be less than $100 on an average single-family bill.
After debate and the statutorily required public hearing earlier in the day, a motion to set the county'wide property tax rate at 8% carried by voice vote.
Why it matters: The compensating-rate calculation determines whether a taxing district can maintain the same property-tax revenue after reassessments. Clark County's large assessment increases this year — Brady told the court the county'wide assessed value grew by roughly $100 million — led the PVA to press whether real and personal property calculations should be separated. The court's choice to set the rate at 8% preserves current revenue but leaves open the legal question Brady raised.
The fiscal court did not adopt any formal legal appeal at the meeting; Brady invited the court or interested parties to pursue clarification through state channels.
The court approved the rate by voice vote; no roll-call record of individual yea/nay votes was given in the meeting minutes.
