Williams County approves builder-buyer housing incentive program, adopts two exemption resolutions

The Williams County Commission voted to approve a new builder-buyer housing incentive program and adopted two resolutions authorizing property tax exemptions for new residential construction outside city limits.

Community engagement coordinator Lindsay Harriman presented the program, saying it “is comprised of 2 parts” including a property tax exemption for new residential construction and a financial assistance package for builders and buyers. The financial assistance element, she said, includes utility connection assistance, funding for connective infrastructure paid to builders, and closing-cost and interest rate buy-down assistance for buyers. Harriman said the policy’s objective is “increasing inventory here in Williams County.”

The commission’s nut graf: the exemption component is discretionary and, by statute, requires a resolution to take effect. Harriman told commissioners the county exemption would only apply to properties located outside incorporated city limits; structures inside a city would be subject to that city’s exemptions. She also said the county program will set a sales-price cap on the financial assistance equal to the current FHA loan limit plus 10 percent (about $576,000 at the time of presentation). Harriman said property-tax exemptions will be processed through the assessor’s office, while financial-assistance applications will be reviewed by a committee made up of a commissioner, the development services director, and the treasurer-recorder and finalized by the commission.

Commissioner Kemp moved to approve the program; the commission named Commissioner Walstead to the review committee. The commission then voted separately to approve Resolution No. 2025-04-15.1, authorizing a property-tax exemption for builders for new residential construction, and Resolution No. 2025-04-15.2, authorizing a property-tax exemption for homeowners for new residential construction. All three measures passed on roll-call votes.

Harriman said the county plans to post the exemption application immediately, with the financial-assistance application released the following Monday, and to distribute program information through the Western Builders Association, local banks, realtors, planning and zoning staff, and the county website. She and commissioners acknowledged the program is not a construction loan and noted the county expects to refine program details over time.

Next steps: staff will publish application materials, the appointed review committee will begin accepting applications, and the commission will consider approvals on a case-by-case basis as applications reach the committee.