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Board approves 2025 corrections, privilege and farm exemptions; votes to equalize county assessments
Summary
The Williams County Board of Equalization voted unanimously June 3 to approve correction items, privilege exemptions, farm-residence exemptions and other adjustments and formally declared 2025 county assessments equalized as presented or corrected.
The Williams County Board of Equalization voted June 3 to approve a set of corrections and adjustments the assessor's office recommended and to declare countywide assessments equalized for 2025.
The board approved correction items numbered 1 through 23 as presented after staff described land, detached-structure and analysis errors that required adjustment. The motion to adjust those 23 items passed on a roll-call vote with the board recording affirmative votes from Steve, Corey, Beau, Chris and Barry. "We do pride ourselves on being accurate and fair," Leah said after the motion carried.
The board also approved a set of 10 correction items related to farm-residence exemptions (items numbered 1 through 10) and subsequently approved 323 farm-residence exemption applications the assessor's office had verified. Leah told the board the 10 properties had not returned required statements of gross farm income and therefore could not be approved without the application; the office will accept late paperwork and pursue abatements where appropriate.
Motions and votes recorded in the meeting minutes included formal findings that residential, commercial and agricultural assessments met state guidelines and that supplementary abstracts and local-board minutes had been reviewed. The board then moved to declare Williams County assessments for 2025 equalized as assessed or corrected; that motion passed unanimously on roll call. "When you have an across-the-board increase, you often see a mill-levy decrease which absorbs a good chunk of that," one assessor said during public comment, explaining how valuations and taxes interact.
The board also approved findings on homestead credits (106 real-property applicants with $534,000 in value; 242 city of Williston applicants totaling about $1,530,000 in value) and disabled-veteran credits (54 applicants totaling $290,000 in value). Privileged exemptions totaling about $35,348,000 in exempted value were reviewed and found proper as presented.
Ending: The board set the 2026 equalization meeting for June 2, 2026, at 9 a.m. in the Commission Room. Assessors said property owners who believe an assessment is incorrect can file a formal protest or bring documentation to the assessor's office for on-site review.
