I asked google ai:
Why doesn't the state of north dakota have a group to figure out the needed funding if property taxes are abolished
The state of North Dakota does not have a specific group or task force tasked with planning for the complete abolition of property taxes primarily because voters soundly defeated the measure to eliminate them, rendering a formal replacement group unnecessary.
The concept was brought before voters via Initiated Measure 4, which would have banned property taxes based on assessed value. Voters rejected the measure by roughly 63%.
North Dakota Monitor
The decision not to establish a formal "replacement" group boils down to several key factors:
1. Responsibility Was Left to the Legislature
The text of the ballot measure itself did not outline a concrete replacement revenue model. Instead, it simply dictated that if passed, the North Dakota Legislature would be legally forced to find the money to reimburse local political subdivisions. Lawmakers treated the measure as a hypothetical. Establishing a state-funded group to draft an emergency $3.15 billion biennial replacement budget was avoided to prevent creating unnecessary panic or legitimizing a measure that leadership largely opposed.
2. Deep Opposition from State Leadership
The state government had no political incentive to create a formal planning committee because a massive, bipartisan coalition explicitly fought against the tax abolition. Groups like Keep It Local ND, the North Dakota League of Cities, and emergency responder associations aggressively campaigned against it. They argued that shifting $1.3 billion annually from local control to the state capital would cause "absolute chaos".
3. Focus on Reform Rather Than Abolition
Instead of preparing to eliminate the tax entirely, state leaders focused their efforts on aggressive property tax reform. Rather than trying to figure out how to function with zero property tax revenue, the state enacted alternative relief packages to ease the burden on homeowners directly, including:
The Primary Residence Credit: Lawmakers passed House Bill 1176, which allows North Dakota homeowners to apply for a tax credit via the North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner to slash up to $1,600 off their primary home's tax bill.
Utilizing the Legacy Fund: The state chose to use earnings from its multi-billion-dollar oil and gas Legacy Fund to cover these relief credits so local services (like schools and law enforcement) wouldn’t lose funding.
Local Spending Caps: The state instituted a strict 3% cap on how much local governments can increase property tax levies annually without a vote from residents.
Because the state focused heavily on these compromise solutions—which successfully wiped out property taxes completely for roughly 50,000 of the state's households—the government chose to study and manage the credits rather than plan for total elimination.
Property taxes eliminated for 50000 North Dakota households under ...
In a random sample of 50 property tax statements across 15 counties, the state found the household had its property taxes reduced by 46%.
Again asking someone else to figure out where funding was coming from, seemed to be a much bigger task that legislation wasnt ready to tackle, reminds me of how Americans got screwed when the affordable care act was passed and we found out that our insurance went up, when all anyone wanted was to keep insurance companies from denying preexisting claims which i believe Bush jr administration did.
I wonder why north dakota doest look at how Florida was able to pass a law abolishing property taxes?
I said it before and i will say it again not everyone in north dakota has a heavy tax assessment/burden on their property in north dakota.
