I don't need to tell you that we rely heavily on property taxes as a way to fund services in our communities, particularly education. This reliance on property taxes makes for unpredictable tax increases on working families, can price individuals on fixed incomes out of their homes, and creates a barrier to home ownership for many young people.

To fix this situation, state government in North Dakota should play a bigger role  in funding K-12 education to allow local governments to reduce their dependence on property taxes as a revenue source.

While the property tax rebates authorized last legislative session provided much-needed relief for property owners in the short term, our focus should now be on addressing the underlying cause of the dramatic property tax increases we have seen over the last several years. That starts with the state stepping up its role in funding elementary and secondary education in North Dakota.