Burleigh County To Consider Local Property Tax Reform Plan

Committee unanimously approves sending plan to full Burleigh County Commission to replace property tax mills on a functional line-item basis with sales tax revenue. Public input sessions forthcoming.

Over the last year, I’ve updated you on the fiscal situation in Burleigh County and the problems surrounding county’s budget.

In September, the Burleigh County Commission approved a budget that included a mill levy increase of 7-mills on the previous year’s 34-mill levy rate to minimize the draining of the county’s reserve funds to balance the county budget.

In May, the Burleigh County Commission appointed a new Home Rule Charter Commission, which included Commissioner Wayne Munson, Commissioner Steve Schwab, County State’s Attorney Julie Lawyer, Emergency Management Director Mary Senger, State Rep. Pat Heinert, Kay LaCoe, and myself.

Since that time, this commission hashed over the numbers and possible angles to address the long-term finances of the county to bring the draining the reserve funds under control before they run out (which would have happened within the next three budget years if the mill levy had not been increased for the 2024 budget).

On Wednesday, October 25th, 2023 th…