Property tax measure fundraising dwarfed by that of opponents

Andrea Pfennig, government affairs director for Greater North Dakota Chamber of Commerce, speaks during an event announcing the formation of Keep It Local, a coalition opposing a ballot initiative that would eliminate property taxes in North Dakota, at Jaycee Centennial Park in Bismarck on June 20, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

Rick Becker, the driver of the statewide measure to essentially abolish property taxes, said he sees the fundraising efforts of the "vote yes" and "vote no" camps as a classic David-and-Goliath matchup.

Supporters of Measure 4 have raised just over $105,000 for a group called End The Unfair Property Tax. The coalition opposed to Measure 4, Keep It Local, has raised more than $1.8 million, according to campaign finance reports available as of early Friday afternoon.

Becker described the donors supporting Measure 4 as "regular North Dakota folks."

"It's completely grassroots," said Becker, the organizer of End Unfair Property Tax

Keep It Local has about 113 member organizations, said organizer Chad Oban, of North Dakota United, which represents teachers and public employees. Members include the North Dakota League of Cities, Greater North Dakota Chamber and local chambers of commerce and electric co-ops.

"When you have a coalition the size of ours ... it does create a situation where maybe fundraising is a little bit easier," Oban said.

Education-related groups have made the largest donations in the effort to defeat the property tax reform measure that will go to a statewide vote on Nov. 5.

The top donations are $404,000 from the National Education Association and $300,000 from the American Federation of Teachers.

The next largest are $200,000 from the National Association of Realtors and North Dakota United at more than $179,000.

The North Dakota Farmers Union, North Dakota Association of Realtors, the North Dakota Petroleum Council and Greater North Dakota Chamber each contributed at least $50,000. Other support comes from the banking industry, AARP, health organizations and individual donations.

Oban said all the groups contributing to Keep It Local have members in North Dakota.

Becker said he finds it ironic that a group called Keep It Local would have such large out-of-state donations.

He added he is happy with the fundraising from a "very passionate" group of individuals. Its largest donations were $19,750 from the Citizens Alliance of North Dakota and $10,488 from Clint Feland of Bismarck.

The name Keep It Local stems from the group's goal of continuing to have local government funding — including support for school districts — coming from locally generated property tax.

Measure 4 would eliminate property taxes based on assessed value. Instead, it would be up to the state to fund local governments at the same level as what local property taxes generated in the 2024 tax year.

When local governments need more money, they would have to raise the revenue through things such as a road fee, sales tax or another form of property tax based on something other than assessed value.

Keep it Local argues that local governments will have to lobby for more state funding.

Oban said he is confident that North Dakota voters will see that the promise of abolishing property taxes is "too good to be true."

He said the Legislature does need to address the property tax burden when it meets in January, but the "sledge-hammer approach" of Measure 4 is not the way to do it.

But he thinks it has gotten the Legislature's attention.

"It's a dangerous way to get their attention," Oban said.