Residents of Traill County will vote Tuesday -- for the second time this year -- on a proposal to build a courthouse annex that would house county social services, a new county jail and several other offices in Hillsboro, N.D.
That's just one of many issues facing voters in counties throughout northeastern North Dakota. Others will decide whether to raise taxes to pay for road and bridge maintenance, emergency services, soil conservation, as well as home rule.
Voters in Traill County actually will get a second ballot with the special bond issue to fund the proposed courthouse addition project. It's the same plan voters rejected last spring, except for one thing -- the price.
The Traill County Commission will ask voters to approve a $7.415 million bond issue for the project. That's $415,000 more than residents rejected in April.
Late this summer, the county board decided without a vote not to bring the issue back to voters. But board members changed their minds a few weeks later.
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They had discussed scaling back the project, but decided that the building that had been proposed in the first place was the best plan they could put before voters, according to County Auditor Becca Braaten.
The jail and social services department are located in a 1950s building that has security and other issues with the jail, 911-dispatch center and social services. The social services department is critically lacking in space, too, they have said.
"The estimated cost of the project -- the same plan as before -- went up $415,000 in that short of time," County Auditor Becca Braaten said. "They figured that if they waited any longer, the cost would only go up more."
The issue will take a 60 percent majority to pass.
Traill County voters also will decide whether to continue the current emergency services communication fee of as much as $1 per month per wireless access line and telephone access line for the operation of the emergency 911 communications system.
Here is a summary of other special issues around the region:
Griggs County
- Home rule charter.
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- Adopt a one-half percent county sales tax, to be used for county roads. The home rule measure must be approved in order for the sales tax to be enacted.
Nelson County
- Levy up to an additional 10 mills to maintain the farm-to-market road system. One mill raises about $11,000 in property tax revenue.
Pembina County
- Levy up to 5 mills to maintain bridges and main line roads. A mill brings in about $31,000. A 60 percent majority is needed to pass.
Walsh County
- Levy up to an additional 10 mills to maintain the road and bridge program. One mill brings in about $33,400 in property tax revenue. A simple majority is required to pass.
Towner County
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- Increase the existing Towner County Soil Conservation District tax by one mill. The one mill will help pay for county SCS office staffing, with five supervisors, one part-time employee and two seasonal workers. The mill rate for SCS has not been raised since 1948.
