Property tax on the ballot

By Amy Dalrymple | Editor

By Jack Dura

At least two counties in North Dakota this week are asking voters to let them go over the state’s limit for how much local governments can increase property taxes, a crucial revenue source to funding various services.

The ballot measures in Divide and Traill counties show how some local governments are struggling with the limit of a 3% annual increase on local property taxes set last year by the Republican-led Legislature in a bill boosting a property tax credit.

“I think it’s unrealistic,” Divide County Commission Chairman Rodney Johnson said.

By Kevin Hardy

As concerns rise about the potential for federal influence over the results of this week’s midterm elections, many voting experts and advocates remain confident that the nation’s highly localized systems of administering and counting votes will persevere.

For months, state officials have been planning for federally induced electoral chaos in the form of federal law enforcement or immigration agents at polls, election investigations or attempts to overturn unfavorable results. 

But the nation’s vast network of state and local election offices is resilient by design, said Mai Ratakonda, program director of election protection at States United Democracy Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to fair elections. Election officials are prepared for close races, recounts and potential interference, she said. And she noted courts have largely blocked President Donald Trump’s efforts to intervene. 

By Jack Zaleski

North Dakota’s public and private investments in Medora and Billings County are unprecedented in the region’s history. Tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer dollars, business development and philanthropic giving have been piling into this once-sleepy cow town, forever changing its character and, to some degree, its western charm.

There are large and small indications of the pervasiveness of the change. A small one is worthy of notice.  

The Cowboy Cafe, a longtime Medora fixture, is gone and its location is now occupied by the L’Amour Bistro. The development is a reminder of the change in Medora that is altering the character of the historic town. Whether for good or ill is a matter of perspective.

North Dakota has launched a website to show the public more about the state’s $15 billion Legacy Fund and how it’s invested. 

North Dakota Monitor reporter Jacob Orledge joins host Craig Blumenshine to describe what the new site provides and what information remains out of view. 

A Closer Look with the Monitor is a partnership with Prairie Public's Main Street.

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