Valdese approves new budget

The Valdese Town Council have approved the budget for the upcoming year. Inside this budget, the tax rate was reduced from 54.1 cents to 51.5 cents to help residents offset the county property reevaluation that took place at the beginning of the year. The town reports a tremendous increase in operating expenses, for example fire hydrants have increased from $1,700 in 2020 to over $4,500 today. Valdese employees received 5% cost of living increase as part of this new budget. For more on the Valdese budget go to townofvaldese.com