Jill Schramm/MDN Arden Haner, chairman of the Ward County Soils Committee, speaks to the Ward County Commission Tuesday, Jan. 20.

The Ward County Commission is reviving a complaint related to federal wildlife easements on agricultural land.

The impetus came from the county’s Soils Committee, which makes recommendations on agricultural values for tax purposes. At the commission’s meeting Tuesday, Jan. 20, Chairman John Fjeldahl sided with the committee in arguing the easements interfere with use of farmland and reduce the land’s value.

The North Dakota Legislature previously passed a resolution to draw federal attention to the state’s support for ending federal wildlife easements that are put in place in perpetuity. Arden Haner, chairman of the county soils committee, recalled testifying on the same issue before a U.S. Senate committee in 1974.

Commissioners voted to have the Tax Equalization Office take the lead in drafting a letter to the Legislature to address the impact of easements on land values. The commission will take up the letter for final action at a future meeting.

Haner also raised concern over saline-damaged soil because taxable valuations don’t take into account the reduced productivity. The county commission took no action Tuesday.

The commission adopted new agricultural land values for 2026. Ward County’s 2026 certified average value per acre from the State Tax Commission is $601.80, a decrease of $28.01 or 4.65% from 2025, according to Ward County Tax Equalization information.The commission adopted the $601.80 average value at a 94% deviance level, which remains within the state’s tolerance. It sets the average value at $565.69 for 2026.