Lawmaker Wants to Study Local Government Spending - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Property taxes are a top complaint among North Dakotans...

But lawmakers say the complaining should be with your local governments not with the legislature.

Your property tax dollars fund local governments.

Senator Dwight Cook says it's time for the legislature to study whether political subdivisions can become more efficient and effective to reduce costs to taxpayers.

He says North Dakotan's have a tremendous appetite for local government.

The state made headlines in a recent article in Governing, a magazine specializing in state and local governments, as boasting the most local governments per capita.

Cook says a study may find that cities and counties may be able to consolidate services or the state could pick up local programs.

"What's most important is that we have the discussion so we make the connection between what we pay and the services we get. That seems to the be disconnect that's out here," says Cook. 

Terry Traynor with the North Dakota Association of Counties says Adams County and the city of Hettinger consolidate many services.

He says while they operate as one government they do have two separate boards.