The full picture · 2 sources
Burleigh County approves reimbursement for nearly $900,000 tax calculation error
Updated Oct 20, 4:38 AM CT. Every fact below links to the source that reported it.
What the primary sources show
- Burleigh County commissioners voted to reimburse local taxing entities that were shorted money due to a property tax calculation error affecting the 2025 mill levy. [KFYR-TV] [North Dakota's Watchdog Update]
- The error occurred when mobile home values and in-lieu-of-tax payments were incorrectly included in the mill levy calculation formula, resulting in artificially depressed tax rates and less money collected than requested. [KFYR-TV] [North Dakota's Watchdog Update]
- Affected entities include the City of Bismarck, Bismarck Parks and Recreation, the City of Lincoln, public school systems, and emergency service districts. [North Dakota's Watchdog Update]
- State's Attorney Julie Lawyer advised commissioners that the county had a responsibility to correct the error, and commissioners unanimously approved using general fund reserves for reimbursement. [KFYR-TV]
- An interim finance director calculated the mill levies instead of the county's elected auditor, raising questions about whether the county followed state law assigning this duty to the county auditor. [North Dakota's Watchdog Update]
What they left out / still unanswered
- What will the final reimbursement amounts be to each affected entity after Finance Director Schmitt's recalculation?
- Will Burleigh County restore the county auditor's office to its statutory role in calculating mill levies?
- What process changes will the county implement to prevent similar calculation errors?
Official line vs. how each source framed it
- KFYR-TV: KFYR reported on the commissioners' decision to reimburse affected entities from county reserves and presented the State's Attorney's legal position that the county must correct its own mistake. Read it → · Ads
- North Dakota's Watchdog Update: North Dakota's Watchdog Update framed the reimbursement as a bailout masking a deeper governance breakdown in which the county sidelined its elected auditor and assigned tax levy calculations to an unelected interim finance director in apparent violation of state law. Read it →
701 News writes these summaries from the sources above and checks every sentence against them. Read the originals for the full reporting. Corrections