Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Property Assessment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County approves countywide residential assessment increase to meet state tolerance
Summary
At a June 3 meeting, Mountrail County approved a plan to raise residential property values by 20% on designated lake properties and 10% elsewhere (excluding Stanley and Parshall) to meet North Dakota's 90–100% sales-ratio tolerance; the change is expected to bring the county to about 91.8%.
The Mountrail County Board of Commissioners voted June 3 to raise residential property assessments to bring the county into compliance with state sales‑ratio tolerance rules.
Tax Director Kim Savage told the Board the county’s residential sales ratio was at 85%, below the State of North Dakota’s 90–100% tolerance based on the sales ratio study. Savage presented three options and recommended Option 3: a 20% increase in structure and land values for identified lake properties and a 10% increase for the rest of the county outside Stanley and Parshall. Commissioners approved the recommendation unanimously.
The Board approved removing or adjusting values on several specific parcels earlier in the equalization session, including: removing vacant land value ($17,600) on parcel #61-0006100 (county-owned by tax deed); removing land value of $273,600 and structure value of $1,027,700 on parcel #61-0048520 (owned by Stanley School District, used for a bus barn); and removing land value of $44,200 and structure value of $189,500 on parcel #61-0081300 (owned by Bethlehem Lutheran Church and used as a parsonage). The Board also accepted residential reclassifications for parcel #31-0007800 in Austin Township (removing an ag land value of $300 and adding a residential land value of $6,000 and residential structure values totaling $281,400) and approved related Notices of Adjustment and hearings.
Savage read through three compliance options and the Board chose the option the county staff said would lift the county to approximately a 91.8% sales-ratio tolerance. The lake properties named for the 20% increase include White Earth Cottage Site, Little Knife Cottage Site, Riverview Estates Subdivision, Arrowhead Point Subdivision, Bridgeview Subdivision, Varloe’s Subdivision, Traynor Park Subdivision, Brendle’s Subdivision and two subsequent Brendle subdivisions. Commissioners decided not to include the cities of Stanley and Parshall in the increase because the cities already met the tolerance threshold.
The Board recessed the County Board of Equalization to meet again at 9:45 a.m. on June 17, 2025 for scheduled hearings on Notices of Adjustment. The motion to adopt the countywide increase passed on a roll call vote with Commissioners Olson, Rice, Ruland, DeGroot and Hollekim recorded as voting yes.
