Bowling Green property owners will see no change in the city's portion of their tax bill next year. The Bowling Green City Commission gave final approval to a 2026 real estate property tax rate of 20.3 cents per $100 of assessed value, the Bowling Green Daily News reported Sept. 17.

The Details

• The rate: 20.3 cents per $100 of assessed value for real estate, and 26 cents per $100 for personal property, according to the Bowling Green Daily News.
• Compared to last year: The real estate rate is unchanged from 2025, when the city lowered it from 20.4 cents to 20.3 cents, the Daily News reported. The personal property rate — which applies mainly to business equipment — was last changed in 1980 and has stayed at 26 cents ever since, per the same report.
• What it means in dollars: Under the 20.3-cent rate, the owner of a property assessed at $100,000 would pay $203 in city real estate taxes, the Daily News reported. Because the rate itself didn't move, a resident's city tax bill will only change if their property's assessed value changed; for the exact dollar effect on your own bill, check ahead with the Warren County Property Valuation Administrator's office or the city's online property tax search.
• The timeline: Commissioners approved the rate on first reading Sept. 1 and gave it final approval on second reading Sept. 15, according to the Bowling Green Daily News articles published Sept. 3 and Sept. 17, respectively.
• Who approved it: The Bowling Green City Commission, led by Mayor Todd Alcott, sets the rate each year; the commission also includes Carlos Bailey, Dana Beasley-Brown, Melinda Hill and Sue Parrigin, according to the city's official Board of Commissioners listing at bgky.org. The Daily News did not report an individual vote breakdown.

Why It Matters Here

This is the second straight year the city has held or lowered its real estate rate rather than raising it, according to the Daily News. For most homeowners, a flat city rate means the city's share of a property tax bill stays predictable from one year to the next, though the total bill on a property can still shift based on reassessment or other taxing districts, which set their own rates separately.

City property taxes are one piece of a Warren County resident's overall bill, which also includes county and school district levies; this story covers only the city of Bowling Green's rate.

What People Are Saying

• Bowling Green city government presented the proposed rate to commissioners ahead of the Sept. 1 first reading, according to the Bowling Green Daily News' Aug. 20 report, "Proposed steady tax rate presented to Bowling Green officials." The city's finance department, led by Chief Financial Officer Erin Ballou, oversees the city's financial affairs, per the city's official Senior Management page at bgky.org.
• No direct quotes from commissioners or city staff about this specific vote were available in the sources reviewed for this story; check the Bowling Green Daily News' full coverage for any additional attributed comments.

Before You Go

• When bills go out: The city typically mails roughly 23,000 property tax bills each year, due in full by Dec. 31, according to the city's property tax information at bgky.org. The exact mailing date for 2026 bills had not been separately announced in the sources reviewed for this story — check ahead at bgky.org/finance/property-taxes closer to October.
• Check your own bill: Residents can look up individual property tax invoices through the city's online Property Invoice Search at bgky.org.
• Questions: The city's Finance Department can be reached through the contact information listed at bgky.org/finance for questions about a specific bill or payment.

This is a draft for internal review. Every figure above is attributed to the Bowling Green Daily News or the City of Bowling Green's official website; details that could not be confirmed from a named source, such as a specific vote count or 2026 mailing date, are flagged as "check ahead" rather than estimated.

Sources

• BG finalizes property taxes — Bowling Green Daily News, Sept. 17, 2026: final rate, comparison to last year, personal property rate, dollar impact.
• City approves unchanged property tax rate, public safety ordinance — Bowling Green Daily News, Sept. 3, 2026: first-reading vote date and details.
• Proposed steady tax rate presented to Bowling Green officials — Bowling Green Daily News, Aug. 20, 2026: rate proposal presented to officials ahead of first reading.
• Real Estate and Personal Property Tax Rates — City of Bowling Green official site.
• Property Taxes — City of Bowling Green official site: billing volume and due date practice.
• Board of Commissioners — City of Bowling Green official site: names of mayor and commissioners.
• Senior Management — City of Bowling Green official site: CFO Erin Ballou's role.