FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, DIAL 911!

The City of Union is served by the Union Fire Protection District. They may be contacted at 859-384-3342.

 IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, DIAL 911!

Boone County Emergency Management provides many services for Boone County, including the cities of Florence, Union and Walton. They may be contacted at 859-334-2279.

Planning and execution of disaster and emergency mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.  Development and maintenance of the Boone County Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).  Planning and response coordination for any natural or man-made emergency or disaster.  Provide 24-hour response coverage for any significant emergency within the County and act on behalf of the County and/or City in coordinating multiple agencies and resources as necessary.  Maintaining the Emergency Warning Systems (including the “Communicator” and “Geo Notify” telephone alert system and the Outdoor Warning Siren System).  Maintainance of the primary and alternate Boone County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) facilities and equipment.  Providing information and assistance as necessary to the County Administration and City Administrations regarding any significant emergency situation including any emergency declarations.  Hazardous material release reporting, response, and enforcement. (including the operation of the Boone County Hazardous Incident Response Team – HIRT)  Developing and organizing training exercises annually for public safety agencies to test response procedures within the County EOP.  Retain status as a “StormReady” community as designated by the National Weather Service by maintaining various severe weather preparedness resources.  Maintaining working condition and equipment inventory for the Mobile Incident Management and Communications Unit (299), Mass Casualty Incident Unit (298) and Hazardous Materials Response Unit (373).  Representing Boone County on a number of committees and organizations including: Northern Kentucky Emergency Planning Committee; Ohio River Emergency Response and Notification Committee; Cincinnati Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI); Boone County Citizen Corps Council; Boone County Fire Chief’s Association; Northern Kentucky Hazmat/WMD Response Unit, Inc. and many others.  Providing emergency preparedness information to the public including presentations to organized groups.  Developing and maintaining the Boone County Community Emergency Response Team ( CERT ) program.  Tornado shelter surveys for schools and businesses.  Enforcement of Open Burning laws and ordinances.  Oversight for Boone County Water Rescue.

All documentation of the Award-Winning Union Town Plan can be found on the City’s website by clicking on the “Union Town Plan” link under “Commission”.

• Telephone service – Cincinnati Bell (513) 565-2210 or TWC at (888) 735-0300
• Water Service – Boone County Water District at (859) 586-6155
• Sewer Service – Sanitation District #1 at (859) 578-7450
• Electrical Service – Duke Power at (513) 421-9500 or 1-800-544-6155
• Cable Television – Time Warner Cable at (888) 735-0300

All public works issues can be addressed by calling the City’s offices at 859-384-1511.

If your property is inside the City limits, it receives services from the City, the most visible of which are Trash Collection, City Street and Road repair, Street Lighting, and Snow Removal.  However, the property will also receive services from Boone County, such as operation of County Parks, County Road repair, and the like.  Taxes are collected by both entities for properties in Union.  For questions regarding City of Union Taxes, contact our offices at 859-384-1511.  For questions regarding Boone County Taxes, contact the Boone County Sheriff’s Office at 859-334-2175.  Please, do NOT call 911 with any tax questions.

You can mail your city property tax payment or pay in person at:

The Union City Building
1843 Bristow Drive
Union, KY  41091

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO:  CITY OF UNION, KY 

• Our regular business hours  are Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m.
• Closed Federal & State Holidays – includes the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve day.

 City Taxes can also be paid online by following the link located on the Tax Information Page.  A fee may be applied for the use of a credit card.

State Statutes place the burden to pay property taxes on the property owner on or before the due date regardless of whether they receive a bill or not. If you own property in the City, and do not receive a bill by October 1 each year, please contact the City Treasurer at (859) 384-1511 and we will send you a copy.

It is the responsiblity of the property owner to pay property taxes.  The city DOES NOT send bills to mortage companies, although some, but not all, request electronic copies of bills from our offices.  You should contact your mortage company to ensure proper payment.  We recommend you send a copy of your property tax bill to them to ensure proper payment.

The City of Union utilizes the Boone County Property Valuation to assess City Taxes.  Questions and/or disputes on the assessed value of your property should be addressed to the Property Valuation Administrator at the Boone County office of the PVA: (859) 334-2181.  We are unable to take disputes on these assessments in our office and can not address these complaints on behalf of property owners.

We offer a 2% discount if paid by October 31st.  Bills are due by December 31.  Interest and penalty fees will apply to any property taxes not paid in full by December 31.  Lien notices will be filed on unpaid amounts in March, and deliquencies may be published in both local newspapers and online at the city website.

BIlls are issued to the owner of any property as of January 1 of the billing year.  Please send the bill to the new owner if you know them, or contact the City Treasurer’s office at (859) 384-1511 and give us as much information as you can regarding the new owner. 

You can contact the Boone County Property Valuation Office to correct any address issues with your property.  We receive property information from the Boone County PVA, and they are responsible for the proper ownership registration of property information.

Every property owner will receive a bill from the City for taxes, provided the correct information has been provided to the Boone County Property Valuation Office.  This owner is the owner of record as of January 1 of the tax billing year.  If ownership has changed, please contact our offices with new owner information, or forward the bill to the new owner.

In order for a mortgage company to pay your taxes, they must request bills or tax information each year from our offices.  Similarly, bills may have been paid in escrow.  The property owner is responsible to ensure payment is made, so follow up with your mortage company or title company to be sure proper payment is processed.

By mailing billing information, the city provides property owners with a record for their income taxes, and documentation that they can use to query their mortgage online. You can find out information at cityofunionky.org/taxes

The homestead exemption is a reduction in the assessed valuation of your property for persons either over 65 years of age or who are classified as permanently disabled.

The maximum homestead exemption on real estate owned by qualified persons has been set at $36,000 for the 2020 tax year.  The amount of the homestead exemption is adjusted every two years in accordance with KRS 132.810 to compensate for changes in the purchasing power of the dollar.

Property owners who do not qualify for the exemption will absorb this amount through the compensating property tax rate process. To qualify for the homestead exemption, a person must be at least 65 years old during the tax period or have been classified as totally disabled by any public or private retirement system. The property must also be owned, occupied and maintained by the taxpayer as a personal residence on the January 1 assessment date. Disabled persons less than 65 years of age must make an application on an annual basis.

More info: http://boonepva.ky.gov/

No, they must be paid separately. The City bill payment is mailed to the City Treasurer, City of Union, 1843 Bristow Drive, Union, KY 41091-0053 (or paid in person at the City Building). The County bill payment is mailed to the Boone County Sheriff at the address shown on the bill.  

Trash collection and recycling is provided to residents by the city through our contractor, Rumpke of Kentucky. You can contact them to set up your service by calling 513-742-2900 or at www.rumpke.com  

Collection is on Thursday morning of each week, and receptacles should be put at the street curbside on Wednesday night.  Pickup times are after 7 a.m.  If your trash is being picked up earlier than that time, contact the City at 859-384-1511.  Receptacles should be removed promptly after trash is collected and stored by the property owner.  

All residents of the City of Union receive curbside recycling through their city trash services.  Residents can request a FREE recycling container through Rumpke.  https://www.rumpke.com/for-your-home/recycling.  Non-city residents receive recycling through Boone County Solid Waste.  http://www.boonecountyky.org/departments/solid_waste/recycle.aspx

At this time, no recycling drop off points are in Union.  The closest recycling center is at the Walton Fire Protection District.

Call the City’s offices at 859-384-1511 and we will report the failure to collect to Rumpke’s offices.  Note that some items are not allowed to be collected by Rumpke, and oversized items are not covered in our city contract.  To learn more about what items can be collected, or how to arrange for oversized items to be picked up, visit the Rumpke website at www.rumpke.com

Rumpke’s service includes collection of six, 32-gallon cans or bags per pick-up (may vary by service region). Cans and bags should not exceed 50 pounds. Please do not place trash at the curb in boxes. All boxes should be broken down and bundled. Rumpke is not responsible for damaged or missing plastic cans or lids.

• Please contact Rumpke at least 48 hours before your regularly scheduled collection to request a large item pick-up for acceptable large items, and/or excessive amounts of trash. Television sets cannot exceed 32 inches for curbside pick-up. Any mattress or upholstered furniture must be completely sealed in disposable plastic for removal. Additional fees may apply.

• Freon containing appliances require special handling procedures prior to pick-up. Please complete a refrigerant recovery statement and contact Rumpke for more details.

• According to Federal law, Rumpke is not permitted to accept batteries, tires, liquids, combustible materials or any items identified as hazardous.

• Bulky materials including drywall, concrete, bricks, dirt or rocks are not acceptable.

• Drums, barrels, yard and household containers are not acceptable trash containers and will be assumed trash if placed at the curb.

• Rumpke is not responsible for damage beyond the curb line.

For questions regarding item pick up, oversize items or accepted items, residents should call Rumpke at 1-800-828-8171 for questions and to arrange service. Any additional service provided by Rumpke beyond normal trash service is at homeowner expense.

You can report damaged or inoperative street lights directly to Duke Energy by clicking HERE.

Voter registration is handled in Kentucky by each County Clerk’s office. In Boone County, full information on registering to vote can be found at the Boone County Clerk’s website.  You can also register to vote online through the Kentucky Secretary of State