"Recalculating" -- City of Decorah now says residential tax abatements were up in 2019

With the approval of the latest round of residential tax abatements by the Decorah City Council, city officials are now saying the number of tax abatements in 2019 is higher, not lower, than in 2018.

City Administrator Chad Bird noted in a November meeting, "The decline in units (for) the year may be attributed to an increasingly tight economy and/or uncertainty about the City's residential tax abatement program's continuation."  But some late filings have changed the totals.  Now Bird says tax abatements were given to 22 property owners, up from last year's total of 14 property owners.  The total value of construction given tax abatements was $7.9 million—also higher than in 2018.