Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Property Tax Assessment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Griggs County assessor recommends 9% residential increase, larger commercial adjustments for Cooperstown
Summary
Griggs County assessor presented preliminary sales-ratio results and recommended a 9% residential increase countywide and targeted larger commercial increases for Cooperstown and Hannaford to correct low sales ratios caused by 2023 decreases; no formal action was taken.
Linda, Griggs County assessor, told the commission on Feb. 24 that preliminary sales-ratio figures show the county’s commercial ratio at 79.2% and residential at 81.9% and that she plans to recommend countywide valuation increases to bring ratios toward the target.
"The sales ratio for Griggs County this year ... we're at 79.2% on commercial and 81.9% on residential," Linda said, presenting a sales brochure and preliminary recommendations to township and city assessors.
The assessor said she will recommend a minimum 9% increase to residential values across the county, noting that individual properties may vary. She also said commercial property adjustments should be larger in some places because of prior changes in state assessments: "Cooperstown is going to need at least a 40% increase ... the state gave them a 42% decrease in 2023," she said, adding that Hannaford had a similar decrease and that Binford (referred to in the packet as Benford) had only a small commercial base so the statewide change had little effect there.
The assessor described the 9% figure as a preliminary, countywide minimum intended to raise the overall ratio; she said assessors may recommend different percentages for specific townships or cities depending on local sales and revaluations. She explained that sales-ratio calculations may use up to three years of sales (2024, 2023, 2022) to produce stable commercial and residential ratios and that agricultural land was excluded from the sales-ratio calculation presented.
Commissioners asked for clarification about how the 9% would apply in practice. Commissioner (Rod) asked whether the increases represented what would have occurred absent the 2023 decrease; Linda said, "They would probably be around that 9% to 10%," and explained that a 40% adjustment in Cooperstown would effectively be a roughly 30% net increase once the countywide 9% is applied.
Linda said she will meet assessors and township officers at a township meeting on March 11 and would follow with Board of Equalization procedures as needed. She requested assistance from county staff in gathering contact information for township assessors; the commission indicated staff would continue compiling those lists.
No formal motion or vote was taken on valuation adjustments at the Feb. 24 meeting. Linda described the figures as preliminary and said she will return with updates after meeting townships and reviewing assessor input.
