During a special called meeting of the Corbin City Commission last week, the commission approved the second reading of a one percent occupational tax ordinance on employee wages and net profits for businesses in Laurel County.
With this approval, the city can charge newly annexed businesses an additional one percent occupational tax that will stack on top of the tax that they are already paying to Laurel County. This is similar to how businesses in the Knox County portion of Corbin are taxed. Meanwhile, businesses located in the Whitley County portion of the city are taxed based on an agreement with the Whitley Fiscal Court that allows for occupational tax revenue generated inside the city limits to be split, with the city keeping 75 percent and the county keeping 25 percent.
At the Corbin City Commission’s last regular meeting, held on Aug. 19, City Manager Scott Williamson said that the city had proposed the same interlocal agreement to Laurel County that it currently has with Whitley County, but Laurel County never responded to that offer.
Also, at the special called meeting last week, the commission voted to approve a pay raise of $1.50 per hour for the following Corbin City Police officers: Patrolman 1st Class Chris Brown, Patrolman 1st Class Caleb Hester, Corporal Estes Rhodes and Corporal William Stewart.
Finally, the commission voted to terminate the employment of Gary Caplinger, an employee who was working in the city’s parks and recreation department. This was the second termination of a city employee in a ten-day period, with the commission voting to terminate public works employee Troy Edwards at the Aug. 19 regular meeting.
