(SOUTH DAKOTA SEARCHLIGHT) – Estimates of homeowner savings abounded recently as South Dakota lawmakers and Gov. Larry Rhoden approved property tax reduction legislation.

It’s been difficult, however, to find two other estimates: 1) the extra money consumers will spend to fund reduced property taxes with higher sales taxes, and 2) the net savings for homeowners after their extra sales tax spending is subtracted from their property tax savings.

South Dakota Searchlight’s effort to answer those questions led to these estimates: The average South Dakota homeowner’s total savings if they receive both forms of property tax relief could be $1,080 annually. Meanwhile, the average South Dakota household could spend $360 more per year if subjected to both sales tax increases. When it’s all said and done, that’s a net yearly savings of about $720 for homeowners.

To learn how Searchlight arrived at those rough estimates, keep reading. But first, a bit about the new laws.

The new laws

One of the new laws allows the statewide sales tax rate to return to 4.5% next year, after a temporary reduction to 4.2% since 2023. The revenue from the increase will be allocated to the school funding formula to reduce the amount of property taxes schools need from local homeowners.

The other new law allows counties to impose their first-ever sales tax at a rate of up to 0.5%. That revenue will go toward credits to reduce the county’s portion of homeowner property taxes.

Estimating property tax savings

To estimate average property tax savings for homeowners, Searchlight asked the state Department of Revenue for the average assessed value of owner-occupied homes in the state. The department did not provide that figure.

But it did provide the total taxable value of all owner-occupied properties for taxes payable this year: $62,211,360,002.

The department also provided the total number of owner-occupied properties in the state: 253,263.

Dividing the total taxable value by the number of owner-occupied properties yields an average value of $245,639.

“However,” the department said, “this number may include both houses and additional structures such as unattached garages.” The department added that the impact of those additional structures on the average valuation is minimal.

The owner-occupied classification, which lowers the levy applied to an owner’s primary residence, can be applied to a single-family dwelling, an attached or unattached garage, and the parcel of land where a home stands. The new property tax reduction law applies specifically to single-family dwellings.

To account for the minimal impact from additional structures, Searchlight rounded up to $250,000 as the average taxable value of homes in the state.

Revenue from the increase in the statewide sales tax rate is expected to reduce property taxes by $1.683 for each $1,000 of a home’s taxable value, according to the state Bureau of Finance and Management. For the average home with a taxable value of $250,000, that’s about $420 of savings.

Homeowners’ savings if their county enacts a 0.5% sales tax to fund property tax credits will vary across the state, because counties have different property tax rates and varying levels of potential sales tax revenue. But the Governor’s Office has estimated that the average savings will be $660. The office arrived at that number by taking the total, estimated new revenue generated if every county implemented the plan, and dividing it by the number of owner-occupied properties, which should approximate the average savings per homeowner.

Thus, the total annual property tax savings for the average homeowner receiving both forms of relief would be $420 plus $660, which adds up to $1,080.

Estimating extra sales tax spending

To arrive at an estimated extra amount of spending for the average South Dakota household (meaning a house or apartment) on higher sales taxes, Searchlight first needed an estimate of the average household’s annual sales-taxable spending.

Searchlight spoke with the Dakota Institute, a nonprofit economic research and analysis organization in Sioux Falls. The institute suggested dividing the total of certain categories of taxable sales (excluding categories that are likely purchases by businesses) by the state’s 382,302 occupied housing units (including apartments), resulting in an estimate of about $82,000 in annual taxable spending per household. However, institute CEO Jared McEntaffer noted many of those purchases were still probably made by businesses and tourists, so the true average is lower.

Gov. Larry Rhoden’s finance commissioner pointed Searchlight to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report stating that the average U.S. household spent $77,280 in 2023. Sales tax does not apply to some expenses, such as prescription drugs or mortgage payments. After subtracting such categories of spending that are unlikely to be taxed and adjusting for inflation since 2023, Searchlight settled on $45,000 as the estimated average annual sales-taxable spending per South Dakota household.

If that average household is subjected to both of the new sales tax increases, it would be the equivalent of an additional 0.8% tax. On $45,000 of spending, that would be $360 of extra sales taxes annually.

In a household subjected to only the 0.3-percentage-point statewide sales tax increase (without a county sales tax), that would be $135 of extra sales taxes annually.

Estimating net savings, and complications

If the average homeowner saves $1,080 annually on property taxes from both forms of relief and spends $360 annually in extra sales taxes, that homeowner’s annual net savings would be $720.

Homeowners in counties that do not enact a sales tax for property tax relief would receive, on average, the $420 in property tax relief from the statewide sales increase and spend $135 on higher sales taxes, for a net savings of $285.

Those are rough estimates. Actual situations will vary widely across the state. Household spending varies by income. Homes in rural areas are typically valued lower than in urban areas. Counties have different property tax rates, called levies. Some counties may choose to enact a sales tax for property tax relief, and others may not. In counties that do adopt a sales tax, the amount of revenue available for property tax relief will vary. And people who live in counties that do not adopt a sales tax will likely travel and spend money in counties that do.

And, for households that rent rather than own their home, it’s all just a sales tax increase.

South Dakota Searchlight is part ofStates Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin doesn’t want to refer to itself as “Running Back U” until it performs at a level that would make Ron Dayne, Jonathan Taylor and other former Badgers ball carriers proud.

That task gets easier if Wisconsin starts resembling “O-Line U” again.

Wisconsin earned those nicknames during its glory years as superstar backs dominated games with help from future NFL linemen. The Badgers didn’t run the ball nearly that well while going a combined 9-15 the last two seasons.

“We’re not going to say that we’re anything that we’re not yet,” new running backs coach Jayden Everett said. “We know what we have to do. We know what being a running back at the University of Wisconsin means.”

They got reminders from Wisconsin royalty during spring practice, which ended Wednesday. Dayne, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1999, and other former Badgers star running backs have visited.

“They just preach doing the little things … making sure that not only we know what we’re doing but what other people are doing, how the O-line’s blocking — just little gadgets that can really help us with our game,” running back Abu Sama said.

Wisconsin rushed for 116.67 yards per game last year to rank 116th out of 136 Bowl Subdivision programs. The Badgers averaged 3.31 yards per carry to finish 127th. The last time Wisconsin had lower averages in each of those categories was 1991.

In some respects, the issues stem to the beginning of Luke Fickell’s coaching tenure in 2023 and his hire of Air Raid disciple Phil Longo as offensive coordinator. In Fickell’s debut year, Wisconsin attempted more passes than runs for the first time since at least 1946, which is as far back as its records go.

Yet the problems remain even after Longo’s November 2024 firing. Wisconsin ran 60.9% of the time last year but ranked 135th — ahead of only UMass — in total yards per play, total yards per game and points per game.

Fickell’s future at Wisconsin likely depends on whether the Badgers get more productivity from their running backs.

“Coach Fick said the room’s kind of average right now,” running back Darrion Dupree said. “I took that to heart. The running backs took that to heart.”

Staff and personnel changes

Fickell and offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes are back from last season, but the Badgers made staff moves elsewhere. Everett arrived from Minnesota. Wisconsin’s fifth offensive line coach in the last six seasons is Eric Mateos, who spent the last two years at Arkansas.

Wisconsin also overhauled its roster.

Dupree returns from last year’s team, but Sama rushed for 1,933 yards at Iowa State over the last three seasons. Other transfer portal additions at running back include Bryan Jackson (formerly at Southern California) and Nate Palmer (TCU).

“The best thing about that group is there’s a competitiveness within it that’s going to be interesting to see as we work through fall,” Fickell said.

Wisconsin’s rushing attack adds a wrinkle with new quarterback Colton Joseph, who ran for 1,007 yards at Old Dominion last season.

The Badgers also need their offensive line to regain its lost reputation.

Issues on the offensive line

Wisconsin had 20 offensive linemen earn first-team all-Big Ten honors from 2004-21, and 11 of them also made the Associated Press All-America team. No Wisconsin offensive linemen have been first-team or second-team all-Big Ten selections the last four years.

“We talk about earning our ‘W’ and living up to the expectation of Wisconsin offensive linemen,” guard Colin Cubberly said. “We need to be able to build up to that and earn our ‘W.’ There’s been guys who’ve come here and have the same number as you. We need to play to that standard every day. Good is not good enough. We need to be great.”

Cubberly and Emerson Mandell are the only returning linemen who started multiple games for Wisconsin last season. The Badgers lost two experienced linemen to Big Ten rivals as Joe Brunner transferred to Indiana and Jake Renfro left for Illinois.

Wisconsin retooled through the portal. Mateos knew what he wanted.

“You think of great players in sports that take games over, you think of hoopers who just get in a zone or whatever, a quarterback who can’t miss or a wideout who can’t be covered,” Mateos said. “I think a Wisconsin O-lineman is like, ‘Hey, run it again. Run it again. Run it behind me. Hey, it’s power. It’s coming right here.’”

Wisconsin gets Kevin Heywood back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that sidelined him last season. Portal additions include P.J. Wilkins (Mississippi), Austin Kawecki (Oklahoma State), Blake Cherry (Arkansas), Lucas Simmons-Johansson (Florida State) and Stylz Blackmon (Augustana).

Mateos plans to make sure they have the right mentality for run blocking.

“There must be a passion for the physicality,” Mateos said. “I think so much of what gets taught with tempo offenses — that’s been a big thing over the years — is, like, how fast can we run the next play. That, I think, has made O-linemen more concerned about conserving energy rather than just emptying the tank on that play.”

Mateos wants them going full throttle more often. That could help Wisconsin regain its status as RBU.

After a pit-stop on the way down I-75 for three games and some questionable “chili,” the Tigers continued south to visit the red-hot Atlanta ball club for the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday night. The Tigers’ bats ran cold, two key players left the game with injuries, and they dropped the opener to the tune of a 5-2 tally.

Making his sixth start of the season for the Tigers was Casey Mize, and he’s looked good in his last couple of starts before tonight. Arguably, his April 17 outing in Boston was one of the best of his career: 6 2/3 shutout innings, three hits, one walk and seven strikeouts? By the stat of Game Score — a rough index to try and determine how good a start is — that was a 74, the highest of his career, one above a stellar start in 2021 against the Mariners. (There are some names in that box score, eh?)

Advertisement

Facing Mize and the Tigers was lefty Martín Pérez, making his fourth start (against two relief appearances) for Atlanta this year. He spent nine years in the Rangers’ rotation before bouncing around a little: some time with the Twins, another stint in Texas, and the south side of Chicago last year. He didn’t make Atlanta’s big-league roster out of Spring Training, but was quickly recalled from Triple-A and has had some nice appearances so far. He’ll give you some innings, won’t dominate you too often, generally limits home-run power and, while he used to be an extreme ground-ball pitcher early in his career, has become much less so recently.

On the first pitch of the bottom of the first, Ronald Acuña Jr. smacked a double to the wall, but Mize was able to get the next three batters and strand him at third. He then sawed-through the next three batters in the second, including featuring that right-on-right splitter that, earlier in his career, he’d use primarily against lefties alone.

Meanwhile, Pérez was pulling the string with his changeup more than a kid with a new Chatty Cathy doll: he struck out both Spencer Torkelson, Kevin McGonigle and Jahmai Jones (three hitters on heaters lately) with straight change-ups right down the middle. You know what I said about not dominating teams? Well, he had it tonight.

Atlanta got on the board first with a pair of doubles to start the bottom of the third inning, by Mike Yastrzemski and Acuña to put the home team up 1-0, and let the record show that I spelled Yastrzemski right without looking. The next batter, Drake Baldwin, hit a dribbler up the first-base line; Mize fielded the ball and tossed underhand to first for the out, and he came up limping, favouring his right leg, and that was it for Mize; it was later reported that he had some “right groin tightness.”

Advertisement

View Link

Brant Hurter, who’s been used as a multi-inning reliever, came on for Mize and gave up a sacrifice-fly liner to score Acuña for a 2-0 lead.

Dillon Dingler managed the first Tiger hit with one out in the fourth, despite getting three on base before that via the base-on-balls. Alas, Dingler was stranded there after Riley Greene flew out and Torkelson struck out.

Hao-Yu Lee started the fifth with a double, and Javier Báez hit a grounder to shortstop. The throw to first was high, and Báez figured he could get underneath a tag by sliding into first base — which is never a good idea, kids — and ended up twisting his right ankle. He had to be taken off the field on a cart, but if you can have a little hope here, he was seen wiggling and moving his ankle around while on the cart.

Advertisement

View Link

(I don’t want to have to point this out, but… that belt of Báez looks a little too Zubaz-ish for my liking. IYKYK.)

After Gleyber Torres walked, McGonigle hit a long fly ball to right, but it was caught halfway up the wall for the third out and the threat was extinguished.

Pérez, whose pitch count was pushed up by a few long at-bats, was out after five innings and Didier Fuentes, a young right-hander from Colombia, took over and he had his slider working overtime, scattering a Greene walk harmlessly amid three quick outs. The Tigers struck out less than the Braves in this one, and hit the ball pretty solidly for the most part, but they neglected to hit them where they ain’t.

Advertisement

Burch Smith took over for Hurter to start the sixth, facing the heart of the order. He got Matt Olson to strike out swinging, and after walking Ozzie Albies, he got Michael Harris II to ground into an inning-ending double play. Smith carried on into the seventh, and with two outs he gave up a double to Mauricio Dubón, who scored on a Yastrzemski single just over Torres’ glove to make it 3-0. But then Chris Fetter paid Smith a visit, whispered some sweet nothings into Smith’s ear, and he struck out Acuña on three pitches.

In the top of the eighth McGonigle singled and Dingler doubled, putting runners on second and third with two outs and bringing Greene to the plate as the tying run. Alas, Greene struck out looking on a pitch that barely nicked the corner of the strike zone, and the inning was over.

Tyler Holton relieved Smith in the bottom of the eighth, and the Georgians tacked-on a pair of runs but-quick: with one out Olson doubled and Albies smacked a fat changeup over the fence for a 5-0 lead.

Torkelson came up first in the ninth inning for one last chance to extend his home run-hitting streak, but he grounded out to third; fun while it lasted. After Colt Keith singled, Wenceel Pérez hit his second home run of the year to get the Tigers on the board, but that would be the final scoring action of the game.

Advertisement

Final score: Atlanta 5, Detroit 2

Notes and Numbers

• How about that Spencer Torkelson fellow? Five straight games with a home run last week, and still didn’t win American League Player of the Week. That honour went to the A’s Carlos Cortes who went 13-for-24 with three dingers, which is fine, I guess. That Torkelson: he don’t get no respect, I’ll tell ya.

• After Sunday’s game, the Tigers as a team had the third-highest OPS (and OPS+) in the American League. Detroit’s OPS was .750, with an OPS+ of 106; if you don’t like anything related to OPS, the Tigers were fourth in batting average (.253; league-average is .239, which still boggles my mind).

• First Alex Cora in Boston, then Rob Thomson in Philadelphia: managers are getting fired left, right and centre! Who do you have next on your list?

• On this day in 1900, Dutch astonomer Jan Oort was born. He’s probably most famous for lending his name to the Oort Cloud, the spherical repository of tiny, icy bodies past the Kuiper Belt that most likely is the source of comets. But an argument could be made that his calculations regarding the rotation of the Milky Way, and the conclusion that there must be a lot of unseen (i.e., “dark”) matter kicking around, was the most important in the broader science of cosmology.