Voters in 2 North Dakota counties reject property tax increases

Voters in two North Dakota counties Tuesday defeated ballot measures to raise property taxes beyond a 3% cap set by the Legislature last year. The measures came as an early sign of how some counties have grappled to cover rising costs under the limitation set by the Legislature last year. Divide County asked voters to approve an additional 2%, or about $37,800 per year over the next four years to help fund the county’s operations. Voters said “no” by a 53% majority, according to complete but unofficial results. Divide turnout was nearly 58%, well above the barely 40% statewide. In Traill County, officials put on a measure of an additional 6.41%, or about $461,000 per year over the next four years, to help fund various services due to increasing costs and hiring competition with nearby Fargo and Grand Forks. Voters shot it down by more than 61%. Traill turnout was about 50%, also above the statewide number.

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