North Dakota property tax reform group touts progress on forcing statewide vote

BISMARCK — A group that wants to end taxes based on property value in North Dakota announced Thursday, Jan. 18, it has more than half of the signatures it needs to put the issue to a statewide vote.

Former legislator Rick Becker is leading the sponsoring committee called End Unfair Property Tax. The group will gather signatures in an attempt to get the citizen-initiated measure on the November ballot.

The sponsoring committee has until late June to gather 31,164 signatures. In an interview, Becker said the group has been gathering signatures since July and has more than half the signatures it needs.

The group also is touting support from 18 conservative state legislators, five legislative candidates and several former lawmakers.

“This measure ensures that the abundant revenue the state of North Dakota receives translates to tremendous tax relief, while ensuring that cities, counties, and school districts retain complete control of their budgets and finances,” Rep. Jim Kasper, R-Fargo, said in a statement.

The full language of the measure and the title can be found on the group’s website,

endpropertytax.com,

under the “about” tab.

Becker, a Bismarck Republican who used to lead a far-right faction of the state Legislature, said local governments would be reimbursed by the state to cover what they currently collect in property taxes.

If a political subdivision decided it needed more revenue, Becker said that subdivision could still choose to levy a fee or tax on property owners based on factors such as parcel size, road frontage and the size and type of buildings on the property. But taxes could not be based on assessed value.

He argues that will give local governments more options than they have now. Becker said the state will continue to have plenty of revenue, especially if it gets spending under control.

Opponents including the North Dakota Association of Counties question how the property tax revenue would be replaced.

“Although the potential measure states the lost revenue would be replaced by State dollars, it is unclear where the legislature would find the required dollars,” the association said in a resolution. “More concerning though is without a local funding mechanism, political subdivisions would be reliant on the State Legislature’s funding decisions on a two-year basis. This association supports keeping property tax as a tool in the toolbox to adequately fund local services.”

A ballot measure in 2012 to end property taxes failed at the polls. Becker said the new version does a better job of ensuring local control.

Becker said the ballot measure is an entirely volunteer effort.

This story was originally published on NorthDakotaMonitor.com