The Junction City Council voted unanimously to slightly reduce property tax rate for this fiscal year during Thursday night’s regular meeting.

The new tax rate is 1.04 cents per $100 for all real estate and tangible property including vehicles, aircraft and watercraft. The rate last fiscal year was 1.09, said City Clerk Susan Music.

Mayor Jim Douglas said, “In the past we’ve not raised taxes and they’re going down. We have no need to raise them. We don’t necessarily need income right now.”

Then he added, “We don’t need to put something on people if they don’t need it.”

In other business:

• The council voted unanimously to approve the first reading of a zone change request for property on the south side of Knob Lick Road and U.S. 127.

Douglas said, “It probably isn’t actually a change, because in the Future Land Use Map it’s all highway commercial, and that’s what they’re wanting it to be.”

• The council approved to pay the Junction City Police Department $40 per month and for officers use their own cell phones instead of using the $400 per month plan with phones that were provided.

The council also agreed to purchase two cameras for police officers to use at the scene of accidents.

• Douglas told the council that the business owner of Sweets by Cindy has asked to rent the former Junction City Police Department office space, which is in the building as the bakery. The council agreed that would be OK, and to charge $300 more in rent.

• Sean Reardon, with the Junction City Fire Department, requested, and received $500 from the council for the JCFD to purchase fire prevention materials to share with students at Junction City Elementary School.

The mayor also agreed for Reardon to pursue a Kentucky Fire Commission Junior Firefighter Program or students ages 15-17. “They are the future of your department,” Reardon said.

• Voted to give $275 to the organizer of a cruise-in event scheduled for Aug. 21 to hire a DJ.