At the Main Street Summit in Watford City, Governor Doug Burgum spoke out against a measure that would eliminate property taxes in North Dakota.
"It's complete misinformation to say that if you vote for that thing, that somehow that you're ending property taxes, you're stopping property taxes; you won't. What you will do, is, you will cause someone else to pick up the tab, that's what this whole thing is about. It's about who's going to pay for it, it doesn't lower the cost of delivering anything in our state, it just shifts the burden to somebody else."
Governor Burgum says the state is working to relieve some of the burden from property owners using measures such as the Primary Residence Credit, which gives homeowners with an approved application up to a $500 credit against their 2024 property tax obligation.
Burgum says property tax elimination is not the answer.
"It's a horribly bad idea, you lose local control, and it's incredibly unfair the way that that thing is written."
The governor asked property tax payers to look at the source of the problem.
"You should talk to your local city council, your park district, and your school board, because their decisions are the one that are driving the property taxes. The state has, and will, continue to provide incredible property tax relief, but this has got to stop, because if you keep subsidizing bad decisions locally, they'll keep happening."
The property tax elimination measure will be on the ballot this November.