Fallon lowers property taxes by 3 cents

FALLON - After holding steady for the past three years, Fallon will lower property taxes by 3 cents per $100 assessed valuation.

Mayor Ken Tedford Jr. said he knew city residents would soon carry the financial burden of operating Fallon's new arsenic-removing water treatment plant "so we wanted to see if we could decrease something else."

Another addition to the city's income is a boost in the number of business licenses issued. A campaign to track down out-of-area businesses that perform services in Fallon without a license resulted in 766 new business licenses issued this year.

That effort put about $50,000 into city coffers, although the certified letters sent out for the campaign cost about $20,000. City Clerk Gary C. Cordes said those licenses will likely be renewed, but only cost the city some envelopes and postage stamps.

Aside from a raise in the city's non-property tax revenue, Cordes credits efficiency in the city with holding the budget fairly steady in recent years. The average municipal employee has worked there more than eight years.