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Ward County taxpayers could see a decrease in the county portion of their next property tax bills.
Based on no change in assessment, the average home assessed at $225,000 would pay $608 in taxes, down about $15, according to information from the Ward County Auditor's Office.
The Ward County Commission met Wednesday, Sept. 23, to finalize a 2027 budget of $66.13 million, which includes $62.05 million for county operations and $4.08 million for associated organizations - Council on Aging, Garrison Diversion, N.D. State Fair, Soil Conservation, Souris River Joint Board and Water Resource Board.
Total spending is down nearly $1.4 million, or 2%.
The county proposes to levy $21.51 million for county government and $2.47 million for associated organizations. The total levy of $23.99 million is up 1.42%, but the county's overall valuation also is up, resulting in a drop in the mill levy from 61.54 mills to 60.05 mills.
The proposed levy amounts to $270.22 on each $100,000 of residential property, down 2.42%. The averaged assessed acre of agricultural land, assuming no valuation change, is about $272, down $6.75 or 2.42%.
In Minot, a home assessed at last year's median, listed at $229,000 by the city, would have paid $634 in county taxes. The county tax on a home assessed at the city's current listed median of $244,000 will be $659.
The 2027 budget includes about $2.78 million in cash reserves. Of that amount, $1.5 million would be held in the general fund and $1 million in road operations.
The county is in the process of completing the sale of the County North Building, which it acquired through a Tollefson family donation around 20 years ago.
According to the commission and Auditor's Office, the anticipated proceeds of about $1.4 million are not accounted for in the 2027 budget but will add to reserves upon closure of the sale. Although not budgeted, the commission has indicated interest in using a portion of the funds for repairs related to fuel tanks and to the building at 900 13th St. SE as well as paving the unpaved portion of the parking lot east of the Courthouse.
The County North building had been used by the Ward County Highway Department and for other storage. With the highway department's move to a new location in 2020, the reduced need for the building prompted the county commission to part with it. The building, located on U.S. Highway 83 North, is being sold as a warehouse to an agriculture-related business.
The 2027 budget also includes a 3% cost-of-living raise for employees and a 2.5% increase in step in the pay plan. It anticipates about a 10% increase in health insurance costs.