BG finalizes property taxes
Published 6:00 am Thursday, September 17, 2026
A real estate property tax rate of 20.3 cents per $100 of assessed value and a personal property rate of 26 cents per $100 is now set for the City of Bowling Green for 2026 after being given final approval by commissioners on Tuesday.
The rate for real estate property remains unchanged from last year, when it was lowered from 20.4 cents to 20.3 cents. This means that the owner of a piece of property valued at $100,000 would pay $203 in taxes to the city.
The rate for personal property, which applies to things owned by businesses such as equipment, was set in 1980 and has not changed since. Vehicles and boats are excluded from this category.
City officials proposed the tax rates to commissioners earlier this month.
“We feel this is the right number,” City Manager Jeff Meisel told officials then. “It … does not increase our rate at all.”
Revenues totaling nearly $17 million are expected to come into the city through real estate taxes this year, ahead of last year’s total of $15.7 million. Personal property taxes are eyed to generate $2.9 million in revenue this year.
A deadline of Thursday, Dec. 31, is set for tax payments, and late fees will be applied to payments made after this date. Assessments of property are handled by the Warren County Property Valuation Administrator’s office, not by local government or school boards.
Also announced Tuesday was that the city will soon begin design work on phase four of Riverfront Park, the large-scale project to transform vacant land along Barren River into a recreation destination.
The move comes as commissioners approved a $2.7 million change order to its contract with architectural firm MKSK.
“We are at the cusp of really making this park a reality for the community,” Neighborhood and Community Services head Brent Childers told officials.
Phase four, dubbed Riverfront Park East, will encompass a 54-acre tract of land that is currently vacant, save for some walking paths and a biking trail. For reference, the parts of the park currently under construction — the walking area and the playground on Riverfront Park West — sit on a 17-acre site.
The plan now is for the city to carry design work on a whitewater park, currently about 30% finished, all the way to completion. From here, a ten-month permitting process with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will start and a two-year construction phase will start. Childers said the hope is to have the whitewater park open by 2030.
Phase three work is being covered under $6.8 million in grant funding received previously by the city and a local investment of $360,000.
An allocation from the Kentucky General Assembly totaling $16 million over two years was secured this past spring and is being used to fund work on phase four. This will focus on installing needed infrastructure and creating some amenities for Riverfront East.
Phase one of the park, which features a new boat ramp and a walking area with some outdoor seating and tables, started construction earlier this year and is nearing completion. The city expects to open this part of the park to the public on Oct. 28.
Dirt will be turned on phase two, which encompasses a playground area, after phase one is open.
“My goal is to have all four of these phases done in the next five years,” Childers said.