Property Taxes

By Dan Bechtold

Editor

A large crowd filled the courthouse community room to learn more about property taxes and what citizens can to help capture growth in Tripp County.

Members of the S.D. Department of Revenue conducted the meeting.

Since all members of the Tripp County Commissioners attended the meeting this was a special county commissioners meeting.

Chairman Larry Wilcox stressed the meeting was not about zoning as the commissioners are not in favor of zoning on the county level.

Giving the presentation for the Department of Revenue was Robin Carlson, education specialist and along with her was Patty Caster.

Property tax is the primary source of revenue for local governments.

Property that is taxed is owner/occupied, other and agricultural land.

Carlson explained that growth and CPI can be used to help with a county’s budget. That growth is new buildings or additions and that is what local assessor Janience Weber wants to capture. She wants people to notify here office when they add onto a build, build a new structure or tear one down.

Carlson went over how growth is calculated. She also explained that if a county does not use the CPI they can store it for three years.

Also explained was the mill levy and how levies are calculated.

Weber talked about discretionary formula that aids in new buildings.

The formula reduces the amount of taxes persons pay over a five year period.

Many of the people attending the meeting said they did not know about this discretionary formula. This formula is an economic development tool.

Weber said new growth helps captures those dollars to make up the budget and hopefully kept the levy down.