Devils Lake commission approves 2026 property valuations after assessor presentation; residents press for review of land-value increases

The Devils Lake City Commission approved the city’s 2026 adjusted property valuations following a presentation by the assessor and a public comment period in which multiple residents raised concerns about rising land values and historical assessment errors.

Rob, the city assessor, told the commission his office uses a five-year “quintile” cycle to inspect properties and presented 2025 sales and valuation data, saying the city recorded 77 sales in 2025 — 67 residential and 10 commercial. He said the office used state guidance and a sales-ratio method to align assessed values with market prices, noting the city’s residential pre-adjustment median sales ratio was 85.2% and rose to about 92.6% after land-rate and cost-manual adjustments; commercial ratios moved from a median of 93.7% to 94.8%, which he said is within the state’s 90–100% tolerance. "So your role as the board of equalization is to basically equalize the values," Rob told the commission when explaining the board’s duties.

Rob described using an allocation method (an IAAO guideline) when good vacant-lot sales were scarce: the method targets land value at roughly 18–20% of total true and full value, but Rob said the city’s average land share landed at about 15.7% after adjustments. He said the office applied a 5% increase to its cost manual for residential structures to help bring ratios into tolerance and that the city will work on local depreciation tables and cost-manual calibrations to improve accuracy for Devils Lake.

Several residents urged more relief for past overpayments. Terry Erickson told the commission an assessment showed living space above her house that does not exist and said, "I've been taxed for that living space for 19 years." Rob and the city attorney said the administrative abatement process allows relief for two years; Rob stated, "you can go back to 2024 and do the abatement," and the city attorney said he would need to review whether other remedies are available. Rob also noted that anyone dissatisfied after the city level may appeal to the county board of equalization (a county hearing was listed for June 2 at 8:30 a.m. at the courthouse) and, where applicable, pursue state-level review only after city and county steps are exhausted.

Longtime resident Chuck Erickson said land values on his half-acre rose from roughly $22,000 to $59,800 in two years and urged the commission to roll back land values two years. "This is all about the land, not about my house," he said, adding the increases were pricing residents out. Neighbor Arnie Bird said he doubted a buyer would pay the newly assessed land-only price and argued that if land values are raised the structure value should be reassessed downward to keep total valuations realistic.

The commission moved to approve the 2026 adjusted valuations, with staff noting they would continue to work with residents on the appeal roster before submitting final numbers to the county. Rob presented the totals the office recommended: commercial valuations of $227,784,900 and residential valuations of $358,228,400. A motion to approve the valuations (moved by Commissioner Nash and seconded by Commissioner Ewenkamp) passed on a roll call vote; the motion carried.

The assessor encouraged residents with questions to meet with his office and said mailed notices and zone visits will continue in coming months. He emphasized the office’s goal of bringing assessed values closer to sale prices and said ongoing adjustments to the cost manual and depreciation schedules are planned to reflect local conditions.