Commission approves lower proposed budget
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Ward County property owners could see a small property-tax decrease based on a preliminary budget adopted by the Ward County Commission Tuesday, Aug. 4.
The owner of a home assessed at the county average of $225,000 would pay a tax of $618.64 for 2027, down $4.45 from 2026. The tax on an average quarter of farmland is $276.66, down about $2. For properties with no assessment changes, the decrease amounts to a 0.71%
Overall proposed county spending of $66.75 million is reduced by 1.15% from 2026.
"We know we have to make cuts in areas, so that number will likely go down," Commissioner Miranda Schuler said in moving to adopt the preliminary budget.
The commission can lower the preliminary budget but cannot increase it once adopted. A public hearing will be held in September and the budget finalized after that date. The Ward County Auditor's Office will be sending taxpayers notices of the dates of their taxing entities' public budget hearings at the end of August.
The preliminary budget levies about $22.17 million for county government operations and $2.47 million for other funds, including Garrison Diversion, North Dakota State Fair, senior citizens, soil conservation, Souris River Joint Board and Ward County Water Resources.
County Auditor/Treasurer Marisa Haman said the budget proposes levying the full 3% increase allowed in state law. The percent of the 3% increase not taken last year can be carried over, and the preliminary budget proposes to use a portion of last year's carryover, amounting to a total increase in collected taxes of 4.2%.
That increase is not reflected in the amount taxpayers will see on their bills because of the county's increased overall valuation, which is raising the value of a mill by 4.94%, Haman said. That has allowed the mill levy to drop from 61.54 in 2026 to a proposed 61.10 in 2027, lowering the tax collected on individual properties that see no assessment change.
Increased valuation can come from new properties on the tax rolls and increases to certain assessments.