Jill Schramm/MDN A Ward County equipment operator motors down a county road this summer. Road maintenance accounts for a piece of the county tax obligation.

A slight mill levy increase combined with an increase in the average home valuation has property taxes up somewhat in a preliminary budget approved by the Ward County Commission Tuesday.

The commission will hold a public hearing on the budget Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. in the Ward County Administration Building. Commissioners cannot increase the preliminary budget but can make cuts before the budget is finalized in October.

The $57.95 million preliminary budget is up 5.93% from 2022, according to figures from the Ward County Auditor’s Office. The required mill levy is up from 61.85 mills to 62.32 mills, although some salary information remains an estimate and could result in a minor change once finalized. The budget includes 5% pay adjustments for employees.

The preliminary budget levies for $21.38 million in property taxes, up from $20.2 million in 2022.

For the owner of the average $225,000 home, the county tax would be $631. In 2022, the average home value was $200,000, which was taxed at $557 for the county’s portion of the property tax.

The change in taxable value of the average acre of agricultural land was small, resulting in a tax calculation of $283 for 2023, compared to about $280 in 2022.

A breakdown of the spending shows $8.24 million in expenses for general government, including courts, elections and administration. Public safety spending comes to $16.17 million and highway spending is about $10.24 million. Another $6.12 million is budgeted for repayment of the building bond funded through sales tax.

Other expenses include Vision Zero, $112,783; First District Health Unit, $830,512; Human Services, $6.39 million; Culture and Recreation (parks, library and historical societies), $840,878; Conservation of Natural Resources (Extension, Souris Basin Planning Council and weed control), $783,843; Promotion (economic development), $155,500; Education, $42,364; Miscellaneous, $1.13 million. Miscellaneous includes Veterans Service, emergency fund, technology and $34,850 to support the homeless services of Project BEE.

In addition, the preliminary budget includes Assiniboine River Basin Initiative, $7,500; Council on Aging, $356,000; Garrison Diversion, $356,000; North Dakota State Fair, $400,000; Soil Conservation, $482,796; Souris River Joint Board, $670,000; and Water Resource Board, $4.59 million, for a total of $6.86 million and a levy of 8.61 mills. Those mills are included in the 62.32-mill total.

The public can access a copy of the preliminary budget in the county auditor/treasurer’s office. A summary also will be published in a notice in The Minot Daily News prior to the public hearing.