Townships caught in training Catch-22 could get reprieve

Some townships in 2016 found themselves in a Catch-22 of thinking their local board of appeal and equalization was in compliance with a training requirement, only to lose that status because the trained person died, moved or lost the position in an election.

Without action at the state level by the end of January to provide a waiver from the requirement, these effected townships would see their board’s duties transferred to a county level for upcoming assessment years.

Rep. Greg Davids, chair of the House Taxes Committee, discusses his bill HF244 during Monday’s House Floor session. The bill would provide an equalization course waiver for boards of appeals that meet certain requirements. Photo by Paul Battaglia

Sponsored by Rep. Greg Davids (R-Preston), HF244, as amended, would provide the waiver. The bill, passed 128-0 by the House Monday, now moves to the Senate where Sen. Torrey Westrom (R-Elbow Lake) is the sponsor.

The duties of the equalization board are to determine whether property in the township has been properly valued and classified by the assessor for taxation purposes, and to field complaints.

According to a nonpartisan House Research Department bill summary, the law requires that at least one member of a local board of appeal and equalization having taken the training course during the last four years be present at each board meeting. The waiver provided in the bill would apply to any city or town that certified it was in compliance with current law by Feb. 10, 2017.

WATCH House Floor discussion of the bill on YouTube