Mayor Warns Harrodsburg Residents About Possible Utility, Tax Increases
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Robert Moore
Herald Staff
[email protected]
Harrodsburg Mayor Bob Williams said the city is trying to find solutions to their ongoing funding issues, but he had a warning.
“They are going to be hard,” Williams said at the Harrodsburg City Commission’s regular meeting on Monday, July 13.
In June, the commission approved the city’s $19.8 million budget for the 2027 fiscal year, with the mayor voting against it. The budget includes a $2.1 million shortfall, with more than $1.4 million in water and sewer and another $671,443 on the general fund side.
Last week, the mayor met with Chief Administrative Officer Stacey Marnard, City Attorney Norrie Currens and Terri Bradshaw, who is running to replace Williams as mayor in the upcoming general election, to discuss the financial issues facing Harrodsburg.
“We are looking at a lot of problems,” Williams said Monday. “We’re going to have to raise water rates, we’re going to have to raise sewer rates, we’re going to have to raise tax rates, or we’re going to have to die.”
Williams, who is not running for reelection, said they will continue to meet and possibly invite others to contribute over the next six months.
“I don’t want anybody to be caught by surprise,” the mayor said. “It may hurt, but if you love your city, it’s necessary.”
In related news, Chief Administrative Officer Stacey Marnard gave a progress report on the city’s efforts to improve utility billing. In 2025, the city entered into an agreement with Springbrook Software to update its billing system.
She said the new billing website Springbook has created is scheduled to go live next month. Maynard said the city’s current online system will go dark on Thursday, Aug. 13, and the new system will go live Monday, Aug. 17. The due date and cut-off time will remain the same, Maynard said.
The city will notify the public online and on utility bills.
Maynard also said the utility rate increase based on the Consumer Price Index went into effect July 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year. She assured the public they would not be double-billed. Bill payers will see two different totals from the rate change. Maynard also warned residents that the new $59 cutoff fee went into effect on July 1.
The City of Harrodsburg is applying for a Community Development Block Grant to replace waterlines in Riverview, from Scenic Hills to the end of the line. Maynard said they are some of the oldest waterlines in the city. She said city employees have been conducting income surveys in the area as part of the grant application process.
Maynard also discussed the city’s raw waterline issue. In May, the city was forced to ask residents to stop all non-essential water use after discovering a line break in the 12-inch line that pumps raw water from the Kentucky River to the city’s water treatment plant. It was the second time in two years that the city had to ask citizens to reduce their water consumption.
On Monday, Maynard told the commissioners they have reworked a project profile already approved by the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority to replace the raw water intake and update portions of the water treatment plant.
“We don’t have money sitting around to replace the raw waterline,” Maynard said.
