Property owners in the city of Harlan will not see an increase in tax rates this year. The city council voted Monday to actually lower real and tangible property taxes.

During a regular scheduled meeting on Monday, council members voted to drop the real property tax rate from 47.2 cents per $100 of assessed value to 46.8 cents. They also voted the tangible property tax rate be dropped from 43.47 cents per $100 of assessed value to 43.39 cents.

Harlan Mayor Joseph Meadors said he is pleased to give the taxpayers in Harlan County a break this year and that he is “certainly not opposed to lowering taxes.”

“Any time you can give taxpayers a break is a good day,” Meadors said. “We’ve collected quite a bit of money in back taxes. I don’t want anything that ain’t ours, but I want everything that is ours.”

Meadors added even if the council were to double the tax rates, the city would still need more money to cover debts.

The council was notified the state of Kentucky sets the motor vehicle and watercraft rates, which is currently set at 32 cents per $100 of assessed value.

Also discussed during the meet were the hours for trick-or-treating on Halloween coming up in October.

The council made a motion to keep the business hours for trick-or-treating from 3 to 5 p.m. and regular hours from 5 to 7 p.m.

“We want to give the kids an opportunity to do it and be off the streets before dark,” Meadors said.

In other activity, the council:

• heard a reading of the city engineer report for the month of August;

• approved the city treasurer report and made a motion to pay the bills;

• made a motion to approve the first reading of the 2018 audit;

• made a motion to approve the second reading of the franchise ordinance;

• made a motion to approve the second reading of the procurement ordinance;

• made a motion for three vehicles and a box trailer from the Harlan City Police Department be sold as surplus;

• heard and approved each department head report, including the mayor’s report.