BISMARCK, N.D. – In the latest phase of the property tax reform effort, the North Dakota Senate Finance and Taxation Committee is now working on a second bill offering a $1,650 primary residence property tax credit.
The legislation was originally introduced by Republican State Representative Scott Louser of Minot, and was amended by the panel on Tuesday.
The measure now has nearly identical language as a bill passed by the House and Senate, which is going to a conference committee, and offers a lower $1,250 in property tax relief.
That credit was initially at $1,450.
“Talking to the senators after they went down to $1,250, and a lot of them weren’t happy,” said Republican State Representative Mike Nathe of Bismarck, who introduced the first original House bill.
“They [the senators] heard from a lot of their people that weekend,” Nathe told The Flag’s Scott Hennen. “Their offer at $1,650 I have no doubt is a result of the public weighing in.”
Both bills have homeowners paying 25 percent of their property taxes and cap future increases in local property tax budgets at 3% per year.
North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong says he “doesn’t love” the latest iteration of his property tax reform ideas, but believes “the numbers are getting better.”
“I think we’re going to get a good property tax bill,” Armstrong told The Flag’s ‘What’s On Your Mind?’. “The question is are we going to get a great one.”
