Despite mounting pressure from homeowners, first run at property tax relief fails

Bill to limit valuation increases on single-family dwellings defeated in Senate

(Austin Goss/The Dakota Scout)

PIERRE – Likely no lawmaker in the State Capitol would tell you that ever-rising property taxes aren’t a problem in the state, especially since the COVID pandemic. 

But every effort to limit the rise, or bring forth relief in Pierre over the years has come up empty handed. 

That was the case once again Thursday, as senators defeated Sen. Jack Kolbeck’s proposal to cap increases on the value of an owner-occupied, single-family home by 3 percent. The measure lost on a 20 to 11 vote. 

“This will provide predictability so that homeowners can budget for their property tax expenses,” Kolbeck argued. “This is a statewide issue.”

The evidence, anecdotal and quantitative, bears that out. 

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