The International Falls City Council Monday discussed the ongoing fight on blight in a regular report and with members of the audience.

Jerry Jensen, Falls fire and ambulance chief, leads with Building Inspector Kelly Meyers the city’s efforts to ensure that city ordinances regulating grass length, junk cars and other blight issues are being followed by residents.

Jensen told the council Monday that the fight on blight was going well and that the city has worked with residents to correct many violations.

A colored-tag system used to notify residents that they are in violation of the city’s blight ordinances has been working well, he said.

City residents Julie Patch and Donald Hughes discussed their concerns with violators of the blight ordinances during the audience portion of the meeting.

Patch and Hughes brought to the council addresses of the properties they believe remain in violation of the ordinances and encouraged the city to investigate.

Jensen said several of the addresses were already known to officials handling blight issues.

Councilors thanked Patch and Hughes for bringing their concerns to the council and said that while most residents comply with the ordinances, the ones who do not must be notified and action taken.

In other business, the council heard from Jensen and paramedics working for the Falls Ambulance Service a status report after having four paramedics on the service for six months. (See Page 1 story in today’s edition.)

Jensen told the council that the service, with the addition of the paramedics, is profitable.

“We’re doing very well,” he said. “We’re keeping in the black, but not well enough to add more paramedics.”

In other business, city Administrator Rod Otterness discussed the cuts made by the recent approval of a state budget to funding the city anticipates.

He clarified that $157,000 would be cut from the market value homestead credit program and $284,000 from local government aid.

“The homestead credit is a program the state abandoned in part because they do not have resources to reimburse the city for a discounted tax it has allowed homeowners to pay,” he said.

He said the cut is considered short term because the state has determined within its system of classification to attempt to mirror the same reduction in taxes to residential homeowners.

He encouraged the council to meet in committee in an effort to better understand how to handle the cuts and address the homestead credit change.