Fennimore’s common council approved the 2012 budget at its regular meeting Monday night. The city’s budget for next year is $2,290,578, which is less than the projected numbers for 2011 ($2,583,801). The levy will be $658,898 for the city’s portion of the local tax roll—a 4.17 percent reduction from last year. When factoring in the state, county, school and VTAE (vocational, technical and adult education) calculations, and the city’s decreasing numbers, taxpayers in Fennimore will be happy to see their taxes going down.

“Because last year’s allowable levy ($757,543) was higher than the actual levy ($715,724), the law allows the city to utilize half of a percent of the actual levy, which equals $3,579,” City Clerk Margaret Sprague explained. “So that plus the debt payment and the one loan we paid off at $23,000 are a big part of the reduction in the city’s levy.”

Considering the state, county, school and technical college numbers in addition to the city’s, all taxable property within the city of Fennimore will see an approximate mill rate at $20.79 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Various state credits could further reduce the taxes due for property owners.