Richmond commissioners approve tax rates, zoning changes, procurement and 911 interlocal update

Richmond commissioners met in a special-call session Sept. 23 and adopted a package of ordinances and orders affecting city taxes, zoning, procurement and public safety. The board voted unanimously on the measures that required final action and authorized several administrative hires and contracts.

The commission adopted Ordinance 25-22 setting the city's 2025 ad valorem tax rates. The ordinance sets the general-fund personal-property rate at 13.7 cents per $100 of assessed value, the real-property rate at 11.1 cents per $100, and the motor-vehicle rate to be collected by the Madison County court clerk at 28.7 cents per $100 of assessment. The ordinance includes a 2 percent discount for taxes paid before Nov. 1, 2025; the face amount is due Nov. 1'Dec. 31, 2025; a 10 percent penalty applies to unpaid taxes after Jan. 1, 2026, and unpaid balances will accrue interest at 15 percent per year from Jan. 1, 2026. At the meeting the city manager noted the commission took the compensating rate and pointed out the city's taxable base has grown to approximately $396,000,000.

Ordinance 25-23, a zoning map amendment for a 0.289-acre parcel at the corner of Heath Street and Estill Avenue (165 S. Estill Ave., deed book 867 page 598), passed on second reading to change the property from B-1 (neighborhood business) to I-1 (light industry). The Richmond Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended approval after a public hearing on Aug. 20, 2025.

Ordinance 25-24, amendments to the city's zoning and development ordinance, was approved on second…