GREENUP — Tax rates in Greenup County are going up for real and tangible property. The increases are expected to raise a little more than $100,000 in additional revenue for county government, according to officials.

Despite a protest from the handful who attended Friday afternoon’s tax rate hearing, the Greenup County Fiscal Court voted unanimously to raise rates by the annual allowable 4 percent rate per $100 of assessed value.

Real-estate tax rates will increase from 21.5 cents per $100 in assessed value to 23.6 cents. The tangible personal property rate also will rise from 31.31 cents per $100 in assessed value to 34.65 cents. Water- and aircraft and motor vehicle rates will remain the same at 8.9 cents per $100 in assessed value.

Resident Melissa Mullins was among those at Friday’s meeting. She implored commissioners not to raise rates higher than the state’s mandatory compensating rate because of the continuing burden of the Great Recession on local taxpayers.

“Unemployment is 8.3 percent and has been this high or higher since 2009,” she said. “Since 2009 there has been more than 300 people lose their home to foreclosures. There is still six to 10 properties per month being sold on the courthouse steps. Since 2009, Social Security has had only two raises totaling 7 or 8 percent — at one year they got no raise at all.

“Every year we have people who can not pay their property bills and they are bought by out-of-state companies. They are then doubled overnight and charged 12 percent a year until they are paid off,” she said. “Due to these facts, we feel that the extra money is not justified. ... You should live in your budget like the people of this county have to.”

“I’ve got property out here off Route 2 and it won’t rent for enough money to pay the taxes,” said Glenn Coffee, who also spoke out against the increase.

“You are absolutely killing our real estate in this area. You can’t raise taxes. You have to do it through growth. We’re letting these special taxing districts come in here and build up $4 (million) or $5 million buildings. Every tax district has gotten a tax increase.”

“It is a cost of living (increase). We take it every year. We have for the last 15 years,” said Judge-Executive Bobby Carpenter. “If you don’t, you are throwing it out of the door.” He said the county must take at least the state’s compensating rate to take in as much revenue as the year before. The 2012 compensating rate for Greenup County was 22.7 cents per $100 of assessed value.

School taxes, Carpenter said, have been increasing at a faster rate than the county’s.

According to Treasurer Carol Vinson, real-estate taxes will bring in approximately $2,682,575 during the coming year, while tangible taxes will generate $301,729 in taxes. The rate increase will bring in a little more than $100,000, most of which will go to Greenup E-911, she said. “They haven’t had a rate increase in 10 years.”

Commissioner Tony Quillen said the county has had to make several transfers to the E-911 fund this year because it has needed extra funds to make repairs and federally required equipment upgrades.

Some of the additional tax money will also go to the Greenup County Detention Center, toward road improvements and the county landfill.

Special taxing districts are a separate issue, said Carpenter and Quillen. “(State Auditor Adam) Edelen is looking into that right now as far as getting some of those taxes back under control,” Quillen said.

Commissioner Mike Heineman said the fiscal court frequently asks special districts not to take tax increases. “We have no control over their budgets,” he said. “We ask them all the time: ‘Please don’t take it (tax increase).’”

Quillen said the property tax increase will add 75 cents a month to the tax bill of a $100,000 home, or $9 a year.  

CARRIE STAMBAUGH can be reached at cstambaugh@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.