TONOPAH -- Nye County expects a drop in the consolidated tax, which includes sales taxes, from $14.68 million to $12 million this fiscal year due to the slowdown in the economy.

The figures were released by Nye County Assistant Manager Pam Webster Tuesday.

County commissioners asked for the study to determine whether additional positions requested by the county clerk and district attorney's office could be supported permanently. The commission approved hiring the additional staff, contingent upon Webster's financial analysis, but now they won't be hired.

The slowdown in purchasing housing supplies and other purchases was blamed for the drop in the consolidated tax. The annual consolidated tax projections for the next 2008-2009 fiscal year beginning July 1, have been marked down further to $12 million but Webster said it doesn't include the opening of the new Home Depot store.

While sales taxes are going down, Webster said she's optimistic gold prices will keep rising, generating more net proceeds from mining. The county realized an additional $1 million this year, with $1.79 million in net proceeds, after gold prices rose to over $900 per ounce, Webster told the board.

Among the offsets that could be used for the revenue shortfall: the county transferred $300,000 in administrative positions to the Nye County nuclear waste project office, has a $600,000 contingency, didn't fill personnel positions totaling $250,000, received $300,000 in sales proceeds and has $123,000 from increasing the fund balance in fiscal year 2007.

"We're knocking on trees to find wood," Webster told commissioners. "We have a huge challenge to be able to cover what's already in union contracts for negotiated labor agreements and get the new justice of the peace."

Cost-of-living and other personnel wage and salary increases will add up to $600,000 next fiscal year, Webster said.

Ad valorem property tax revenues are still projected to bring in $13.3 million this year, but are marked up 15 percent to $15.3 million for the next fiscal year. Payment in Lieu of Taxes from the federal government brings in another $1.6 million, charges for services $2.3 million and other revenues $2.6 million.

All told, the county had expected $35.4 million in revenue this year; the latest projections mark that down to $33.8 million.