North Dakota
Property tax credit to cost North Dakota more than anticipated
BISMARCK, N.D. (NORTH DAKOTA MONITOR) – North Dakota can expect a key property tax relief program to cost about $430 million for the 2025-2027 budget cycle — about $20 million more than what the state planned to spend.
The 2025 legislature set aside $408.9 million for the primary residence credit for the two-year budget cycle, State Tax Commissioner Brian Kroshus said.
“That discussion was had during the last session, that I don’t think this is enough,” he told state lawmakers at a Tuesday meeting of the Tax Reform and Relief Advisory Committee. “We were given every assurance that if we need to ask for additional funds, they will be found.”
The credit, created in 2023, subsidizes property taxes for most homeowners. Initially it provided a $500 discount every year, but lawmakers in 2025 increased that amount to $1,600 as part of a major property tax relief package, House Bill 1176.
Kroshus said the cost of the program is outpacing the state’s initial projection for several reasons. First, the credit is becoming more well-known, and more people are persuaded to apply for $1,600 in relief compared to the original $500.
“The $1,600 credit tends to get your attention a little bit more,” he said.
More North Dakotans are also becoming homeowners as the state’s housing supply increases, he added.
The deadline for homeowners to apply for the credit this year is April 1.
House Bill 1176 also sought to provide tax relief by capping annual property tax increases by local governments to 3% annually.
The North Dakota League of Cities, the North Dakota Association of Counties and the North Dakota School Boards Association recently conducted informal surveys of their members to see how communities are responding to the cap.
The associations told lawmakers Tuesday that many members report that the new cap is making budgeting more stressful.
All three organizations found widespread confusion about how the law works, and said the statute is too rigid. They said the law isn’t flexible enough to accommodate their communities, which have varying budgeting processes, scheduling deadlines, population sizes and tax bases.
“Langdon School District, located in the northeast part of the state, was especially direct in their response, saying that the district did not feel confident that it could even determine whether it was in compliance with the 3% cap,” Amy De Kok, executive director of the North Dakota School Boards Association, said during the meeting.
Many local government officials also emphasized in the survey that the costs of basic expenses like emergency services and employee benefits — especially health insurance — are increasing more than 3% a year. They said they’re worried about how they’ll pay for those costs in the long-term under the cap.
Some counties reported being “unable to provide the adequate competitive salary increases” and that “they were limited in their ability to budget for large projects,” said Donnell Preskey, government and public relations specialist for the North Dakota Association of Counties.
Some local governments also say the law makes it harder to qualify for certain state funding opportunities, since some programs require them to tax their communities above a certain threshold to qualify.
“Township officers are being pushed in two different directions,” Larry Syverson, executive director of the North Dakota Township Officers Association, said during the meeting.
Communities suggested increasing the cap or making it proportional to inflation, the informal surveys found. Another common request was for the law to be amended to be more forgiving of administrative deadlines and to make it easier to correct paperwork mistakes, since communities are still getting used to the new system.
They also raised the possibility of allowing costs like public safety, infrastructure and election expenses to be exempt from the caps.
House Bill 1176 allows for local governments to exceed the 3% cap if voters approve it on the general election ballot.
None of the association representations said they were aware of any communities proposing cap increases to voters during the 2026 general election at this time. They said some local governments are dipping into reserves or tapping into other funding sources in order to make up for money lost due to the cap, however. Local governments also have an ability to carry over unused property tax increases from year-to-year in certain circumstances.
Several lawmakers on Tuesday questioned why communities aren’t going to voters to override the cap if it’s putting so much stress on their budgets.
Kory Peterson, former mayor of Horace, in testimony to the committee noted it’s hard for communities to get tax increases approved on the ballot.
“There’s a lot of tax fatigue,” he said. “As a former mayor, I know that it would be very, very difficult to try and bring up a tax increase in the city of Horace.”
Not all of the feedback was negative. De Kok said some school districts said the cap made the budgeting process more predictable and transparent for taxpayers, for example.
The committee expressed interest in exploring legislation to address some of the local governments’ concerns later this year. It’s scheduled to meet again in June.
“We knew after the session that there was going to be some adjustments necessary,” Rep. Don Vigesaa, R-Cooperstown, said during the meeting.
WILLISTON, N.D. (KFYR) – UPDATE (5/10/2026 at 11:45 p.m.): A fire broke out at a Williston recycling business Sunday evening, and no one was injured.
Multiple crews responded to Pallet Green Recycling just before 8:30 p.m., according to the Williston Fire Department. Crews arrived at the scene where they fought heavy smoke and flames.
Industrial storage containers were on scene, and officials say it is unclear what, if any, chemical residue was inside them. Officials believe there is no danger to the public.
Williston Fire Chief Corey Johnson said the fire was contained to the business’s exterior storage yard, and crews were not concerned about it spreading beyond the property.
“Right now, the structures are protected in the area. We’re not concerned about the fire spreading off of the lot,” Johnson said.
Multiple departments from across Williams County responded, and extra water trucks were brought in due to the fire’s remote location.
The cause remains under investigation.
This is a developing story. Your News Leader will provide updates as more information becomes available.
ORIGINAL STORY (5/10/2026 at 9:39 p.m.): Crews responded to a large fire at a storage yard in rural Williston on Sunday night.
The fire is located at Pallet Green Recycling, according to the business owner.
Sylvia Luebke captured video of the scene from a distance around 8 p.m. The fire sent a large plume of smoke over the area. Luebke said it was still burning as of around 9 p.m.
Williston Rural Fire is working to battle the fire. The department was unable to comment at this time.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
Copyright 2026 KFYR. All rights reserved.
Submitted Photo
U.S. soldiers with the Nebraska and North Dakota National Guards, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, pose for a group photo at a hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, April 28. N.D. National Guard 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, front row, far left, served as the officer in charge of the mission when soldiers assigned to JTF-DC responded to the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner April 25. About 2,500 National Guard members are supporting the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, providing critical assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department to help ensure the safety of residents, commuters and visitors throughout the District. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Thomas Norris.
WASHINGTON – U.S. soldiers with the North Dakota, Arkansas and Nebraska Army National Guard, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, responded to a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner (WHCAD) at the Washington Hilton in Northwest Washington April 25.
The Guardsmen were at the WHCAD at the request of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) as an additional patrol unit created specifically for the event, which celebrates the contribution of news organizations and independent journalists alike who provide notable coverage relating to the presidential administration.
“Our mission was to assist the U.S. Secret Service with crowd control,” said Capt. Kevin Peatrowsky, an operations officer with the Nebraska National Guard (NENG) assigned to JTF-DC.
As the Guardsmen were monitoring their area of operations, they saw USSS agents sprint toward the hotel entrance.
“They were running full speed with their weapons drawn,” said Sgt. 1st. Class Allen Haney, a team member with the Arkansas National Guard. “We immediately followed suit.”
Staff Sgt. Kirsten Confer, a NENG combat medic and battle captain, recalled her response to the incident: “We fell back on our basic training. You run toward danger and move in a way that makes sense for the situation.”
According to Confer, the Guardsmen entered the hotel and immediately began securing the scene and ensured that the guests evacuated safely. At the direction of a federal agent, Confer began a rapid trauma assessment on the suspect which resulted in finding knives and ammunition on the shooter. Simultaneously, the Arkansas soldiers moved outside to provide crowd control at a pedestrian barricade outside the hotel.
“From there, we assisted wherever we could,” said 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, a National Guardsman from North Dakota who served as the officer in charge for the mission. “We were initially helping with crowd control. After that, we realized that the USSS had begun rerouting everyone in the hotel, so we moved to the doors. We were controlling entry into the venue, so we had moved a couple more people outside, so we had five inside, eight outside.” Both Arkansas and Nebraska worked well alongside one another and, alongside the federal agencies. Hill also noted that relying on his soldiers allowed him to move to different teams, which helped allow him to plan and coordinate with different agencies.
According to 1st Lt. Jonathan Goins, a platoon leader with the Arkansas National Guard, Arkansas soldiers also helped establish a security perimeter for the staging of the presidential motorcade. Later, the team assisted federal agencies and MPD with crowd control, which helped clear the way for the president and administration officials, he said.
“Guardsmen on this mission represent the very best of the nation,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II, the interim commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard. “The world got a brief glimpse, but I see them each day serving and doing amazing things across the District.”
FARGO, N.D. (KELO) — The Sioux Falls Stampede staved off elimination with a 2-1 overtime win over the Fargo Force in game four of the USHL Western Conference Finals Saturday night.
Thomas Zocco scored the game-winner 12 minutes into the extra period. Arseni Marchenko put Fargo on the board first in the first period. Noah Mannausau tied the game for the Herd in the second period.
Sioux Falls outshot Fargo 53-49, including 9-5 in overtime. Linards Feldbergs made 48 saves.
Three of the four games of the series have gone to overtime. The winner-take-all game five is Tuesday at the Premier Center.
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