Gov. Rhoden Signs Bill to Address Property Taxes

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Gov. Rhoden Signs Bill to Address Property Taxes

PIERRE, S.D. –  Today, Governor Larry Rhoden signed his bill to address the rising burden of property taxes on South Dakota homeowners, SB 216. He signed this bill at a signing ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, and you can find a photo of the signing here.

“SB 216 is a win for South Dakota homeowners,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “This bill is impactful and workable, and it will certainly slow down any future tax increases.”

SB 216 addresses the property tax burden on homeowners in the following ways:

  • Limits the increase in owner-occupied assessments to 3% countywide for the next 5 tax years;
  • Sets a 3% cap on the amount taxing districts and school capital outlay budgets can increase as a result of new construction – local government budgets don’t need to grow just because a homeowner makes a small improvement to their property; and
  • Increases the maximum income limits for the assessment freeze program to $55,000 for single member homes and $65,000 for multi-member homes – the bill also increases the maximum eligible home value to $500,000.

“I am grateful for all the legislators who worked with me to get this bill passed. The discussions and negotiations that occurred along the way are a sign of good process,” continued Governor Larry Rhoden. “This bill was an important step forward, but we are not done bringing property tax relief to South Dakotans. I am working on a proposal for a real property tax cut and will share more details on that proposal in the near future.”

Governor Rhoden has signed 126 bills and VETOED one this legislative session.

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14 thoughts on “Gov. Rhoden Signs Bill to Address Property Taxes”

  1. Glad to see Governor Rhoden is following in the path of Governor Noem. Deep policy dives. Big, bold legislative wins with a a vision for the future.

    Who am I kidding. This bill shouldn’t even count as lipstick on a pig. But he signed it. In the Capitol. With people standing there. Smiling. Holy smokes. What a tremendous job. What’s next? Food tax repeal? Vouchers?

    Walter Dale is rolling over in his grave. Couldn’t be less impactful if he tried.

  2. Yeah this bill accomplishes nothing for actual property tax relief. The not being hammered for making improvements is decent. The increase in home value for the freeze doesn’t do as much as you might think. But of course he signed it. It was basically his bill. They had to pass something so that they could say they did something about property taxes, even if the discussion was more of an afterthought. You know, behind librarians and Ten Commandments and the other really big stuff that helps everyday South Dakotans. This session was a joke. And Rhoden is becoming the punchline.

  3. This law is REALLY weak compared to SB 191 (Senator Hulse’s bill) which actually would have fixed the exploding assessments problem. He did not make many friends in non-ag areas when he also promised a Veto of 191. He certainly lost me as a supporter, I am sorry to say. Sometimes, a real leader has to make a tough call that results in a more fair outcome.

  4. You fellows are just having sour cherries. The Rhoden Rhangers are doing the math and grudznick is betting this bill adds up. Young Ms. Hulse, grudznick’s senator from the District Numbered 30, is very naive and has much to learn, but she is bold and wears tall shoes, and those things will get her far. She has learned the tall shoe lesson early in her pre-orthodontic life.

    1. This is easy math because it accomplishes nothing. And Amber will say absolutely anything if she thinks someone wants to hear it. That aside her bill actually did something for relief of property taxes. The governor has been disappointing to say the least.

  5. What a waste of a signature. This does to fix the problem that already exists. Property taxes have grown immensely. Now we put a cap on valuation growth, but not on the actual levies? Not do we try to roll back property taxes?

    The problem with Rhoden is he will always favor the ag land sector in this equation. Homeowners are suffering and this is going to result in more incumbents losing elections if they don’t get it fixed.

  6. Curious thing about property taxes: the more you spend buying your home, the higher your taxes. The bigger and better your home is, the more it costs.

    Why hasn’t anybody pointed out that if you can’t afford your house, you are living beyond your means?

    1. Because it’s a bit more complicated than that. Property taxes have far outpaced wage growth. So even if you could afford your house when you bought it, now you can’t because your taxes have increased 40%. Not to mention your insurance. Many, many cases of those two things combining to add over $1,000 a month to a house payment. It is not tenable. When Californians are starting to say our property taxes are high, we should probably start paying attention.

      1. California also has a graduated income tax rate that exceeds 10% for some people. Why are you comparing apples and oranges?

        1. Texas has higher taxes than California. SD citizens would be better off with an income tax at this point but we couldn’t saddle the poor that way.

          1. So, what CONCRETE income tax rates would you recommend? What would you do to the property tax rate? How would that change state revenue?

  7. Oh yeah, sorry. Forgot to mention that Ag land is income producing for the owner – owner occupied is not. Federal tax breaks for ag – don’t even bring it up! Both classes of property stand to gain when they sell. Huh.

    1. Yeah ok. You don’t know ag obviously. The small farmers would have gotten pushed out. The big corporate farms would have been fine. That is not American.

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