COVINGTON, Ky. - Covington property owners will have two additional weeks to pay their property tax bills this year, thanks to COVID-19.

 

The City’s Finance Department will mail bills Oct. 1, and payment is due by Oct. 31. In typical years, they’re mailed Sept. 15 and due Oct. 15, according to City ordinance.

 

The explanation for the new timeline is simple:

 

“Because of the pandemic, there was a delay in receiving the assessment information, therefore there was no way we could have sent out the bills during the usual timeframe,” said Shannon White, the City’s Revenue/Collection Manager.

 

Covington Mayor Joe Meyer authorized the new timeline Tuesday via an executive order related to the pandemic.

 

The Board of Commissioners is expected to set the property tax rate(s) for the 2020 calendar year during its legislative meetings on Sept. 15 and 29.

 

For three years, the rate has been frozen at 0.327 - or $3.27 per each $1,000 in assessed value of real estate - with the personal property tax rate set at 0.349.

 

Property tax revenue represents about 14 percent of Covington’s General Fund tax revenue. That money is used for a range of taxpayer services, including things like firefighter salaries, helping small businesses create jobs, recreation programs, and filling potholes.

 

It’s the second delay related to taxes caused by the pandemic.

 

In late March, the City - mimicking the state and federal governments - gave businesses who file occupational license and net profits tax forms with the City 90 extra days to both file the forms and make any tax payments, pushing the deadline from April 15 to July 15.

 

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