You may notice that your tax statement looks slightly different than it has in recent years.
- In September 2020, Williams County transitioned to a new tax software and online property search/payment platform. In 2021, updates to the software enabled us to update the names of tax districts in the “Taxes by District” section to allow for more detail.
- Also, in 2021, several taxing districts were renamed and reconfigured to account for the reorganization of Williston Public School District (WPSD) #1 and Williams County School District (WCSD) #8 into the new school district, Williston Basin School District (WBSD) #7. Additionally, there were several property transfers between school districts, which also affected taxing districts across Williams County.
TIF Districts
What changed? During the tax software conversion process we were unable to split out the specific TIF tax distribution for properties located in a City of Williston TIF District for the tax years 2018 and 2019 for the purpose of printing tax statements. Due to the updates made to taxing districts in 2021, the name of a TIF District had to be updated.
How will it look? On your statement, you will see $0 in 2019 for any TIF District, a dollar amount in 2020 for a particular TIF district, and a dollar amount in 2021 for the newly named district. If you have questions about these distributions and how the information appears on your statement, please contact the Treasurer’s Office.
Legislative Tax Relief
What changed? The legislative tax relief amount reflects the property tax savings provided by the state of North Dakota as it relates to Human Service Zones (social services) and schools. The state was unable to calculate a value for the new school district, WBSD #7, because the new district did not exist in 2012, which is the tax year the calculation is based on.
How will it look? Legislative tax relief for property owners located in WBSD #7 will appear lower than previous years. This does not mean that there is not property tax relief, it just means it cannot be calculated at this time. This amount does not change or impact the amount of the property tax owed.