In a Special Meeting held Monday, the Owensboro City Commission put the economy at the forefront.

Despite communities across the country feeling the impact from COVID-19, the Owensboro saw an excess in revenues and a drop in unemployment.

“It’s amazing how our workforce has continued to work through this pandemic," Mayor Tom Watson said. "We have such a diverse economy -- all the different corporations in our economy just never stopped.”

Because of that, the commission approved a bigger budget for the upcoming fiscal year — boasting higher revenues from 2019.

But the main takeaway — a two cent cut in the tax rate— a change the city said could make the most impact for residents.

“We’re proposing a rate of 24.4 cents, which is a decrease from 26.6 cents in 2019 so the practical effect of that is a property, a house valued at $100,000 would pay $264 to the city in property taxes this year,” said city manager Nate Pagan. 

Before the meeting adjourned, the commission also approved a plan allowing the city to acquire 24 acres of land from an unicorportaed territory in Daviess County for a new road extension project. A start date for the project has not been set.