Mercer County Board of Education adopts amended 2025-26 tax rates

At a special meeting, the Mercer County Board of Education adopted amended property tax rates for 2025-26, approving a 70.5¢ rate on real property, a 71.9¢ rate on personal property and affirming a 49.1¢ rate on motor vehicles.

The board read a recommended motion that said the 70.5¢ real-property rate "will produce no more revenue for real property, exclusive of revenue from new property, as defined in KRS 132.010," and that the 71.9¢ personal-property rate "will produce no more revenue from personal property than 4% over the amount of revenue produced by the compensating tax rate," with the motor-vehicle rate affirmed at 49.1¢.

Billy Montgomery moved to adopt the amended tax rates; Cliff Pruitt seconded. A roll-call vote recorded yes votes from Amber Franceschi (District 1), Amy Hart (District 2), Billy Montgomery (District 3), Cliff Pruitt (District 4) and Randy Phillips (District 5). The motion carried unanimously.

The board’s action ties the amended real- and personal-property rates to the compensating-rate provisions referenced in KRS 132.010, language the board read aloud during the meeting. The transcript shows no extended public comment or debate on the text of the motion before the vote.

Before the tax-rate vote, the board approved the meeting agenda by motion. After the tax-rate motion passed, the chair asked for comments; none were offered, a motion to adjourn was made and seconded, and the meeting was closed.

Details the board read into the record, including the KRS citation and the specific cent rates, were recorded in the meeting transcript.