Pike County keeps 2026 tax rates unchanged; judge warns of population, Medicaid cuts

Pike County Fiscal Court voted Sept. 18 to keep the county's 2026 tax rates unchanged: 18¢ per $100 assessed value on real property, 25¢ on personal property, and 14¢ on motor vehicles and watercraft. The court also acknowledged tax rates for the conservation district (8¢), the Board of Health (6¢), the Extension Board ($3.80 per $100 on real and personal property; $1.10 on vehicles), and the Pike County Public Library (9.9¢).

Judge Jones used the tax-rate discussion to emphasize broader fiscal pressures: he warned the county is losing population and cited projections from the Kentucky Data Center and the University of Louisville Urban Planning Department. "If we get below 50,000, it's going to be really hard for anybody to afford power bills or water bills," he said, and he raised concerns about Medicaid funding cuts that he said could affect local hospitals and trauma services.