Just My Opinion - by Mary Kilen
A Couple Of Important Deadlines
As I write my column on Monday a couple of important deadlines are looming.
Wednesday, Apr. 1, is your last chance to sign up for the state’s Primary Residence Credit. The application process is simple, especially if you applied in the past. Even if you haven’t, it takes just minutes to apply and who wouldn’t want to save up to $1,600 on their property tax bill next year.
To be eligible for the credit, you must own a home (house, mobile home, town home, duplex, or condo) in North Dakota, and reside in it as your primary residence. There are no age restrictions or income limitations for this credit. Only one Primary Residence Credit is available per household.
Once a resident completes the application, they are given a confirmation number that the application was received. The approved credit will be shown on the 2026 tax statement that residents will receive in December of this year.
The credit will be up to $1600. The approval amount depends on the total balance of a property’s taxes. If the taxes are below $1600, only the amount of the taxes will be applied. The credit does not apply to special assessments.
The Office of State Tax Commissioner began accepting Primary Residence Credit applications on January 1 with applications due by April 1, 2026.
Residents with questions on the application process can contact their office at 701-328-7988, 1-877-649-0112 or via email at taxprc@nd.gov.
To apply for the Primary Residence Tax Credit, go to the ND State Tax Commissioner’s website at tax.nd.gov/prc.
Yet another deadline comes up next Monday if you are interested in running for your local school board, city positions or county positions. Petitions and paperwork are all due on Monday, Apr. 6 at 4:00 p.m. At this point, if you are still looking at running for office, I would recommend you plan on hand delivering your paperwork because it is supposed to be in the hands of the appropriate office by that time. You can find the paperwork you need online at the ND Secretary of State’s website.
And of course, the deadline to file your income tax is just two weeks away. Nobody looks forward to that deadline, but if you haven’t already started, you might want to get that paperwork in order this week.
It Was A Great Trip!
Dale and I got home from Las Vegas just before midnight on Saturday. It was a wonderful trip, although it was hot while we were there. We always look forward to enjoying some sunshine and warmer temperatures. With temperatures in the 90s the whole time, we were not spending as much time walking along the strip. We did get some sunshine and we did make our way to places, but we used Lyft and taxis more than usual.
We returned to the Bellagio this trip. This hotel gives us a lot of the things we are looking for since the Mirage is gone. Our host made sure to send a birthday welcome gift to our room for Dale. He also helped us arrange for a birthday supper at Carbone Riviera. That was quite an experience for us and we thoroughly enjoyed the entire time.
I got some shopping done for the kids for Easter and Jozie’s birthday. We wandered through a few extra casinos, sometimes just to get a break from the heat.
We had tickets for The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere on Friday. We thought we would head down early to make sure we knew where we were entering with the tickets we had purchased. Unfortunately, after finding that out, we had about two hours to kill and the walkway wasn’t open. That meant a bit of a hike around to the Venetian for lunch. We made it back for the show and as a lifelong fan of the movie, seeing it in that setting was amazing. The special effects throughout the show make it like seeing it for the first time in ways.
Dale has been wanting to go there since it opened. We talked about going to The Eagles both last time we went and this time, but I just couldn’t convince myself to pay the secondary market ticket prices. I will admit I still have a little regret about that, but I know there will be another trip where we will consider another concert.
We got to spend some time with Maddie on Friday night, something that we always look forward to on these trips. While we were gambling, Dale was hanging out with us and then we saw he could get a chair massage. Turns out that it might be one of those things he considers again. We usually start our trip with a morning at the hotel spa getting massages, but then we walk so much that everything gets a little sore again. This was a great way for him to wrap up his evening.
Coming home on Saturday is always a little sad. It seems like the trip just started and then it is over, but it is also always good to get home and get ready to face the next week. Of course, I’ll probably start thinking about planning the next trip before long.