Ward County approves hundreds of property abatements tied to SB2201 Primary Residence credit

Ward County’s Board of Commissioners on May 20 approved trust-related property tax abatements tied to the 2024 Primary Residence Credit following passage of Senate Bill 2201. Auditor/Treasurer Marisa Haman presented Trust Abatements that the county determined qualify for the Primary Residence Credit after SB2201’s enactment. The commission approved 14 abatements pending verification that the properties are held in trust and approved 290 additional abatements that staff had already verified as trust-owned. The motion to approve the 14 pending abatements and the 290 verified abatements was made by Commissioner Schuler, seconded by Commissioner Merritt, and passed on a roll-call vote with all commissioners voting yes. The minutes record individual property entries and credit amounts for the abatements; most of the individual abatements listed in the minutes showed a typical PRC amount of $500 per property, with several entries showing other amounts (for example, $107.65, $300.69, $487.34 and $292.20). The county did not state a single aggregated dollar total for the full set of abatements in the meeting minutes. The action implements county administration of the Primary Residence Credit under SB2201; staff will verify trust ownership for the 14 properties listed as pending verification before finalizing those abatements.