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County auditor walks board through property-tax and budget calendar; new assisted-voting machines funded from old HAVA grant
Summary
Grant County—s county auditor delivered a step-by-step explanation of property-tax valuation, classifications and the multi-month budget cycle, and announced the purchase of three assisted-voting devices funded from a 2005 HAVA grant; the board set key dates for levy certification and truth-and-taxation notices.
Chad, the county auditor, told the Grant County board that property taxes are calculated from estimated market value and a property's classification, not by a fixed ‘‘mill’’ model, and he outlined the county—s calendar for valuation, levies and notices. He said assessors set estimated market value and classifications each year on Jan. 2; valuation notices are mailed in March; taxing authorities certify preliminary levies by Sept. 30; preliminary tax (truth-and-taxation) notices go out in November; final levies are certified in late December; and tax statements are mailed by March 31 or April for the following tax year.
Why it matters: The auditor framed the sequence to show how changes in assessed values, state-certified rates for certain non-homestead classes, and levy choices by local governments combine to determine what a property owner sees on a tax statement.
Chad explained that the state certifies rates for particular classifications—commercial and seasonal properties, for example—while cities, townships, counties and school districts certify levy dollar amounts that the county collects and distributes. He described a statewide PRISM file counties submit to the Department of Revenue that aggregates values by property class so the state can allocate collections and noted appeals (for example, large transmission-line assessments) can cause the county to reissue tax statements when certifications change.
Board members asked about how audits and reserves feed into levy decisions. Chad said audits provide embedded reserve and cash-balance information but that the county—s 2025 audit was not yet complete; he added boards sometimes choose to use reserve balances for one-time projects rather than raise levy amounts for a single-year need.
The auditor also reviewed standard due dates: most residential taxes are split and due May 15 and Oct. 15; some agricultural parcels have a different second-half due date (Nov. 15). He described how collections are settled and disbursed to the taxing authorities after each collection cycle.
On administrative items, Chad told the board it will use about $15,000 in leftover HAVA (Help America Vote Act) grant funds from 2005 to buy three updated assisted-voting devices and accessories; the devices were listed in the packet and are expected to be delivered around June 16 with staff training to follow. The auditor reminded the public that today was the last day at 5:00 p.m. to file for elective office and gave an August 1 target start date mentioned elsewhere for hiring a new Veterans Service Officer (VSO).
The board did not take formal policy action on the budget at this meeting; Chad said departments will finalize budgets over the summer, the budget committee will review proposed line items, and the board must balance levy direction and any use of fund reserves before final certification in December.
The board will hold the county—s truth-and-taxation notice hearings as part of the fall schedule and expects follow-up budget reviews in July and August as departments and the budget committee provide firm numbers.
