The property tax base in Mineral County has generally been increasing although it experienced fairly significant fluctuations in the early 1990's and in 1996. Generally, the value of property per resident is increasing. Taxable sales per resident are generally increasing. Generally, the tax base study shows that Mineral County has more tax base per capita now than it had ten years ago. The most significant concern is the volatility of the tax bases, especially net proceeds of mines.
Local governments receive revenues from various sources.
Some sources are relatively stable while others are affected by the business cycle and growth of the community. The community needs to have sufficient revenues to provide the necessary services while having a mix of revenue sources that will not be too sensitive to any downturn in the local economy. The elastic revenue sources are those sensitive to the business cycle. If the share of revenues coming from elastic sources is rising, this may forebode problems in the event of an economic downturn. A community's tax rates are an indicator of whether the tax base is keeping pace with growth or whether higher rates are needed to finance necessary services for growth.