Bill to build a state property-tax portal advances concept but committee asks for more detail on cost, scope and maintenance

Senator Jana Myrdal introduced Senate Bill 2166, a proposal to build a state-maintained property-tax information portal that would allow taxpayers to search by name or address and view aggregated local taxing information.

"This bill has an idea that was forwarded first a couple of sessions ago ... I call it truth and transparency and taxation," Senator Jana Myrdal said, asking the committee to endorse a centralized portal to help taxpayers find taxing authorities, mill levies and contact information.

Why it matters

Supporters described the portal as a single, searchable place for residents to find how much different political subdivisions collect and whom to contact with questions. Senator Myrdal said many constituents call legislators because they cannot find which local unit — school, county, city or park district — set or collected a particular tax.

Administrative and technical concerns

Tax Commissioner Brian Kroshus said he supports transparency but warned the portal would be a heavy lift. "Not all counties are created equal," Kroshus said, noting that software and staffing vary widely across the state. He said the project will require work on interfaces to multiple county systems and that the tax department would likely need at least one dedicated FTE for administration.

Linda Swychowiak of the Association of Counties said the data the portal would use already exists in county systems, but software sophistication varies. She also noted counties with very small staffs and high turnover may need support to upload or maintain data. She recommended an annual upload cycle rather than requiring immediate updates on every change of office.

Costs, scale and outreach

Sponsor and witnesses discussed a one-time appropriation to build the portal plus ongoing maintenance. Senator Myrdal said an initial $5 million appropriation was estimated for the build and noted that ongoing costs had not been fully identified. Testimony suggested a state-funded portal could also include outreach so residents knew the resource existed.

Next steps

Committee members requested more information about which counties lack comparable public-facing software, the cost to integrate disparate systems, the portal’s maintenance plan and whether an incremental approach (for example, publishing state-provided information first) would offer value before a full build. No vote was taken during the hearing.