Governor Dalrymple has named a task force to look at whether the state should pick up most or all of the costs of social services.
Dalrymple told the North Dakota Association of Counties meeting in Bismarck – counties were given the authority in the late 1980s to levy up to 20 mills of property tax to pay for some social service programs. He says the Legislature approved that funding mechanism at a time where state finances were tight.
"But today, that is not the case," Dalrymple said. "The state is much better off financially."
Dalrymple says this has to be done very carefully.
"It's very, very complicated," Dalrymple said. "Even more complicated than education reform. Even more complicated than general property tax reform. And we are moving carefully."
Dalrymple says if this can be accomplished – it would be true property tax reform. He says the plan is to have a proposal to the 2017 Legislature.
