The Preston County tax office can be contacted at 304-329-0105.
KINGWOOD — Preston Commissioners kept the tax levy the same for 2020-21, meaning it’s as high as it can go without a hearing and state approval.
State code allows counties to go beyond the levies set by law if they hold a public hearing.
Commissioners voted 3-0 on the levies Tuesday.
Preston County’s rates are 14.3 cents per $100 assessed value for Class I property, 28.6 cents per $100 assessed value for Class II property and 57.2 cents per $100 assessed value of Class III and IV property.
While the Class I property designation formerly used for farmland and agricultural property was phased out, it still represents the base rate. Class II is owner-occupied, and Class III and IV are commercial.
By law, counties also charge 2% above their levy to fund the assessor’s evaluation fund. County assessors use these funds to help with the ongoing costs of their offices.
After a 7% allowance for delinquent and uncollectible taxes, and exonerations, the county estimates it will collect $5,635,866 in taxes for the county budget.
While the tax office is closed to walk-in traffic, County Administrator Kathy Mace said people are mailing their taxes and using the online payment option, which is available at prestoncountywv.gov. Choose the option “pay taxes” at the top of the page or go directly to prestontax.cssiwv.com/ to pay. A tutorial, “Instructions to pay Preston County taxes online,” is also available on the home page.
A fee of 2.2% of the total taxes plus $1 is charged for using a credit or debit card to pay.
Also at this week’s meeting, commissioners reappointed Robert Bailey to Public Service District No. 4’s board of directors, retroactive to March 1. The term ends Feb. 28, 2026.
Commissioners also agreed to lease space at the Kingwood Plaza for early voting. The lease is for May 1-Dec. 31 and is $600 per month, utilities included.
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