slideshow

Joe P. Asher

Staff Writer

The Harlan City Council declared a property on Ivy Street blighted during a meeting on Monday.

Harlan City Attorney Scott Lisenbee brought the matter to the council’s attention.

“The property at 409 Ivy Street that we started the blighted process on about 90 days ago has run its course,” said Lisenbee. “Unless it’s been cleaned up without anybody telling me we need to go ahead and you all as a review commission declare that property blighted and deteriorated or vacant so I can send this report out to that individual. That way they will know they have twenty days to request a hearing in writing. If they don’t do that we can go ahead and proceed.”

Mayor Danny Howard asked the council for a motion “to declare 409 Ivy Street as blighted.”

Council Member Croley Forester made the motion, which was passed with no opposition.

Forester asked Lisenbee if there were any other properties in line to be declared blighted property.

“That’s the only one right now. If there’s any that you know of that you want done, just get me the address and we can go to work on it,” said Lisenbee.

“Have we had anything further from the owner’s of the property over in Fairview with the trash on it?” asked Forester.

Howard clarified what has been done.

“I have talked to one of the owners and so has the Chief (Harlan City Police Chief Mike Thomas) and (we are) trying to work it out before we go this way. I’ve explained to them that they are leaving us with no option but to do that. We don’t want to, but it has to be cleaned up,” said Howard.

The council performed the first reading of the 2012 property tax rates. City Treasurer Charles Guyn gave the council his recommendations for the new tax rate.

“I’m recommending that the personal property rate go to .4380,” said Guyn.

“What’s this going to do for our tax intake?” inquired Forester.

“Basically it will be even. We will be on the same footing as we were last year. Those are the compensating rates,” said Guyn.

Howard gave a more in-depth explanation.

“What they do is they go through that formula — that’s what those papers are back in there — that’s a calculation that is done so that we get the same amount of revenue as we had last year. There might be $200 or $300 difference,” said Howard.

The proposed new property tax rate would be a decrease from last year.

“The real property would be .452, personal property would be .438,” said Howard.

Guyn pointed out that he would recheck the numbers before the second reading to insure they are accurate.

A motion was made and passed to accept the first reading of the 2012 property tax rates.

Reach Joe P. Asher at 606-573-4510 or jasher@heartlandpublications.com