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The Harlan City Council heard an update on tax collection and other city business during the panel’s regular meeting for February.

City of Harlan Mayor Joe Meadors brought the matter up during his comments to council about midway through the meeting.

“I’m going to let you know our tax collections for the 2024 tax year are up to 93 percent,” Meadors said. “We are always considerably higher than county government and city schools. I’d say the county may have hit 80 percent by now, the city schools may have hit the high 80s or so. But we’re at 93 percent, and that’s outstanding.”

Meadors said he appreciates all the residents who pay their taxes on time.

“We try to use their money wisely,” Meadors said.

Meadors also advised the council on an upcoming situation related to inmate work crews.

“I’m just going to prepare you for next month when you get the bills,” Meadors said. “We’re going to have some higher than normal food costs for our prisoners. We had them all of the previous two weeks, that’s allowed us to spend time working primarily on Ivy Hill, which is our problem area for water.”

Meadors explained the mixture of heavy rain and leaves on the ground frequently cause clogs in the drainage ditches on Ivy Hill.

“When it clogs the ditch lines up it goes out in the road and it goes everywhere,” Meadors said. “When you live in the woods and live in the mountains, leaves fall in the fall and when you get a heavy rain it washes them into the ditch lines. You have to keep them maintained. It’s been all we can do to keep up with it.”

Meadors mentioned the city crews will be on duty during heavy rain.

Meadors noted the inmate work release crews provide much needed assistance with keeping the ditch lines cleaned out.