Top stories of the week: Wells are back in use and assessed values drop

We take a look at some of the biggest stories of the week. This
week: farmers turn to wells to supplement water supplies and tax
assessments for housing drops for the first time in decades.
1. More San Benito farmers are turning to wells for water

Some local farmers dealing with cutbacks in supplemental water are turning to old wells that need extensive repairs – or drilling new ones altogether.

Dick Swank of Hollister’s Swank Farms off San Felipe Road said he recently brought two wells back into production.

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b2. County tax assessment roll drops for first time in decades/b

The net tax assessment roll in San Benito County has decreased for the first time since 1972 at the earliest, according to the annual report from the assessor’s office.

The report showed a net decrease of 1 percent, amounting to a decline of about $70 million in property value. That includes a 4.2 percent drop in residential assessment values, largely attributable to the foreclosure crisis and reduced home sales, according to the document presented at the board of supervisors’ meeting today.

Read the a href=”http://www.freelancenews.com/news/248329-county-tax-assessment-roll-drops-for-first-time-in-decades”target=blank”>full story.