Jamestown 2026 taxable valuation projected at more than $63.3 million

Jamestown’s tax base is growing, but the real question for homeowners and business owners is how much of that growth will show up in next year’s bills. The city’s assessing department projects 2026 taxable valuation at a little more than $63.3 million, with one mill estimated to bring in $63,291, up from more than $61,400 in 2025.

The projection was discussed April 7 at the Jamestown Board of Equalization meeting, where Mayor Dwaine Heinrich, Council Members Kamlitz and Steele, City Assessor Dorene Stroh, Assistant City Attorney Geroux, City Administrator Hellekson and City Appraiser Larson were present. Phillips, Schloegel and Fuchs were absent. Residents Roy Musland of 208 Hillcrest Drive, Dirk Weng of 1718 7th Ave NE, Pat Davis Sr. of 302 10th St NE, and Curt and Elizabeth Olson of 319 6th St NE all raised valuation concerns, and the assessor’s office agreed to meet with Weng, Davis and the Olsons to discuss lot valuations further.

The numbers show who is driving the increase. Residential taxable value is projected at more than $40.5 million, while commercial property and vacant lots account for more than $21.7 million. The report also includes an estimated $1.7 million in utilities and subtracts about $768,000 in tax increment financing exemptions. In true and full value terms, residential homes are projected at more than $900 million and commercial property at more than $432 million, both about 4% higher than in 2025.

That is where the pressure point lies for taxpayers. Higher assessed value does not automatically mean taxes rise by the same percentage, because the levy and the taxable base are separate calculations. Stroh also noted that the common belief that property taxes cannot go up more than 3% is really a levy-side limit, not a blanket cap on property values. For Jamestown homeowners, that means the size of the assessment notice and the size of the tax bill are not the same thing, but a larger tax base can still influence how the burden is spread.

North Dakota’s annual sales ratio study is one of the tools used to keep those assessments aligned with the market. Jamestown’s residential sales ratio came in at 88.1%, and commercial at 88.2%, then were adjusted to 91.7% and 92.4% to fall within the state’s 90% to 100% range. The board took no action on April 7, then recessed at 4:52 p.m. with a plan to reconvene April 23, when members could accept the 2026 real property assessments.

The Stutsman County Tax Equalization office handles annual ad valorem assessments for cities and townships, but it does not set tax rates. That leaves the city’s growing valuation picture, and the levies that follow it, as the next measure of how much of Jamestown’s expansion reaches local taxpayers.