Governor Candidates Address County Leaders - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Governor Candidates Address County Leaders

The two men representing the governor's election ticket addressed western North Dakota leaders this afternoon.

Governor Jack Dalrymple and candidate for governor Ryan Taylor addressed county officials at the N-D-O-G-P-C annual meeting.

Taylor highlighted the need for property tax relief, child care, education and law enforcement.

More than 1.6 billion was collected through state taxes on oil - and last year, around eleven percent of that money stayed in the communities impacted by oil.

Taylor would like to see that percentage increase to 40 percent of the oil taxes staying local.

(Ryan Taylor, (D) ND Governor Candidate) "It gives you money up front to start to prevent problems. Rather than come to Bismarck and ask for your money back. I think it's absolutely critical at this point in time that you don't have to wait 12 months, 18 months to come ask for the money back. It's an eternity with the speed of development as we're facing today."

Dalrymple cited the 142 million dollars that went back to counties and townships through the Impact Fund last year --- a record amount of money in North Dakota history.

Dalrymple proposed an increase for the Impact Fund from 135 million to 150 million.

And proposed an additional one billion dollars in a special highway infrastructure fund.

(Gov. Jack Dalrymple, (R) North Dakota) "One billion dollars dedicated to extraordinary needs on state highways, the four lane on highway 85 by the end of 2014. Bypasses around many of our cities. Obviously looking at this on a needs basis, western North Dakota will do extremely well and get the lion's share of that one billion dollars."

The annual meeting wrapped up late this afternoon.