Four people pose for a photo. In the center, a man and woman pose with a certificate. The people on each end are wearing identical city official shirts.
Winners of Southgate’s Green Thumb city beautification award for August, Fred and Mary Espenscheid of 125 Electric Avenue, pose with council members Aileen Okura (left) and Mark Messmer (right). The residence at 204 W. Walnut also received a Green Thumb in August. Photo by Robin Gee | LINK nky contributor

After a brief hearing, the Southgate City Council voted to approve new real property and personal property tax rates for the fiscal year 2025-26.

The new rate will be $0.529 per $100 of assessed value for real property. The new rate reflects the Kentucky compensating rate of .509 plus 4%, the maximum amount cities are allowed to add. It is slightly more than last year’s rate of .524.

Revenue expected from the new rate is $1,440,848 to be added to the city’s general fund for administration, public safety, public works and related city services.

Real property is a term used to describe real estate property, including any permanent structures on that property, such as a home.

How do property taxes work?

Property taxes are broken down into several categories. The first and usually largest chunk of your tax bill is real property tax, sometimes referred to as real estate property tax. This is essentially a tax on everything you own that’s nailed down. For residents, this means houses and other real estate property. For businesses, this means office buildings and other buildings and facilities used to conduct business.

Tangible personal property, on the other hand, is another form of property that isn’t real estate. Depending on where you live, residents may not be taxed on personal property at all–this will vary by jurisdiction.

Depending on where you live, other tax-adjacent fees may apply.

Read more here.

The new rate for personal property (tangible movable items on the property) is .435 per $100 of assessed value. This rate is expected to bring in about $24,000.

A resident shares ideas, concerns

“I did review the tax rate before I came down here,” said resident Gene Blanchet. “I know the tax rate is high in Southgate. We’re probably second to Fort Thomas, I believe…But, you know, everything in this world is higher these days. We get good service out of the city, police, public works, fire, so I don’t think there’s anything really to complain about on the taxes.”

He thanked the city for holding the hearing and meeting at the community center, which is accessible to all. He also shared some comments and ideas with the city.

He suggested that the city consider separating out the school tax from the city property tax bill to make the bill more understandable to residents. He noted he was aware that it could result in some loss of revenue for the city.

Council member Mark Messmer, who was serving as mayor pro tem for the meeting, said that the tax would still appear in the county tax bill through the sheriff’s office. By removing it from the city tax bill, Southgate would lose about $20,000 in revenue, about 2%.

City votes to approve

Council voted to approve the new rates. Officials also approved a motor vehicle and boat tax rate of $0.27 per $100 of assessed value, as well as the rate for the firehouse tax at $0.5387 (the same as last year). The firehouse tax helps pay off the loan for the new firehouse and provides for any necessary building maintenance.