MARSHALL — A property tax abatement program for new construction in Lyon County has drawn plenty of applicants over the past four years, county staff said Tuesday. County commissioners said they were happy with the response, and voted to extend the tax abatement policy for five years.

“I think it’s been a fantastic program for us,” Commissioner Charlie Sanow said.

At Tuesday’s board meeting, commissioners held a public hearing, and later took action on tax abatements for a total of 16 parcels of land. Abatements were granted for each of the parcels, which included residential properties in Marshall, Ghent, Minneota, Cottonwood and Tracy, as well as in rural Lyon County.

Most of the properties had estimated total abatements of between $1,000 and $3,000 of the county’s portion of property taxes over four years.

Lyon County put a property tax abatement policy for new residential construction into effect in July 2018. That action was followed by a tax abatement policy for commercial and industrial construction that took effect in October 2019.

The intent of the policies was to help encourage development within Lyon County.

Both the residential and commercial property tax abatement programs were scheduled to sunset at the end of 2022.

Lyon County Auditor/Treasurer Aurora Heard said the county has had a total of 50 residential applicants and six commercial or industrial applicants over the past few years.

Commissioners voted to extend the new construction abatement policies for a term of five years.