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Senate Committee Passes Huge Expansion of Renaissance Zone Program

SB 2391 represents the largest expansion of the selective tax exemption program since its creation in 1999.

Last week I told you about how the bill to massively expand the Renaissance Zone selective tax exemption program was a threat to a different bill that is designed to let cities, like Bismarck, have a second chance at getting back into the program after negotiating with the local jurisdictions that do not approve of the program. (In Bismarck’s case, that is the Burleigh County Commission.)

North Dakota's Watchdog Update
Unreasonable Renaissance Zone Bill Threatens The Reasonable Approach
Watch now (24 min) | Earlier this session, I testified Neutral (with caveats) on HB 1266, a bill that would simply allow a city that failed to have it’s Renaissance Zone renewed have a second chance to get it back. (see video above) The caveat to my Neutral testimony was that the committee needs to make sure this remains a clean bill, and that if any other Renaissance Zone …
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You can read my condensed written testimony here, and if you want a more extensive understanding of the history of this issue watch my video testimony above.

In my spoken testimony, I mention “one-off concessions and stipulations” that will need to be offered in order to get Burleigh County back to the table on the issue of the Renaissance Zone.

North Dakota's Watchdog Update
SB 2391 Renaissance Zone Expansion Full Testimony
Watch now (61 min) | Above is the full hearing of SB 2391 to expanded the Renaissance Zone program. The committee amended the bill and gave it a 5-1 DO PASS…
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Here are some of the stipulations I offered last spring (neither side - Bismarck or Burleigh County - were really that interested in going down that road, but I offered them as a way to try to move the conversation along as well as protect taxpayer interests)":

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Authors
Dustin Gawrylow