Ask Mr. Answer Person: What do Winneshiek County, Decorah Schools and NICC think about tax abatements?

Paul asks: "Did the City of Decorah check with Winneshiek County and the Decorah School District before passing those tax abatements on housing construction in the city?  I heard they didn't."

Mr. Answer Person says, "You heard wrong!  The minutes of the August 25th Winneshiek County Board meeting note that "Chad Bird, Decorah City Administrator, met with the Board to discuss the city council's plan to
implement a tax abatement program to encourage housing development."  Bird also had discussions with Decorah School Superintendent Mike Haluska and NICC Vice President of Finance John Noel about the tax abatement proposal.

Interestingly, state law does not require that cities consult with other taxing bodies.  However, city officials decided to contact the school, the county and NICC as a courtesy to the other local governments, to make sure all their questions had been answered.