Property tax relief is on the way

Greetings. Well, we’re down to the last four days of session. This past week was one of the best I’ve had in my eight years in the House. Here we go: SB36, wildlife mitigation plans, associated liability limitations for wildfire damages. I am the House prime, it passed and is on the governor’s desk for signature. Like I mentioned last week, this was a huge deal and it felt good getting it across the finish line.

The biggest news I have is SB96. We passed it out of the House with 48 yea votes! SB96 is also on the governor’s desk to be signed into law. I doubt everyone hasn’t heard of this bill. It gives counties the authority to raise sales tax a half penny. These funds are earmarked for owner occupied tax relief. A lot more of the mechanics of how the counties do this needs to come out. The big news is it has passed. It looks like about a 20 percent property tax reduction which is huge!

Then, this week, we have Senate Bill 245, which takes the 4.2 sales tax to 4.5 and the three-tenths of a penny is also earmarked for owner occupied tax relief. This is around another 15-20 percent property tax reduction. 

Now, SB245 hasn’t passed yet, but it’s being billed as a companion bill to SB96. I think on my floor speech, I’m going to call it my Chesapeake Bay Retriever bill. I have a chessy and she definitely is my companion, just like SB245 will be to all us owner occupied taxpayers. A great companion.

So, in summary, it looks like we could leave Pierre with a 35-40 percent reduction in property taxes. The best part is our tourists are going to front a good portion of the tax. Remember, South Dakota has five million tourists who spend $5 billion annually.

Gas prices are starting to climb, but I read within a month they should be back down where they were. Gas prices are a whole new subject in itself.

I left Pierre Thursday evening and filled up in Pierre for $2.59. When I got to Rapid City, gas was up to $3.30 per gallon, a difference of over $14 for 20 gallons of gas.

Also, last week we got passed another bill, SB104, for which I was prime sponsor in the House. Basically this is a safety bill that requires commercial drivers’ licenses be given in English.

All kinds of horror happens when commercial truck drivers cannot read our English road signs. When I was in Germany in the 1980s in the Army, I remember taking a German driver’s license test. Why? Because the signs in Germany were in Deutsch (German!). It only makes sense, but here it is 2026 and we are just getting this in place.

I am so excited about being on the cusp of meaningful property tax relief that I think I’ll end it here. Until next week.