Bismarck, N.D – Governor Kelly Armstrong presented his executive budget recommendations for the 2025-27 biennium, emphasizing major investments in property tax relief, housing and infrastructure, education, and other key areas.

In testimony to the Joint House-Senate Appropriations Committee, Armstrong outlined a $6.6 billion general fund budget within a total budget of $19.89 billion. The proposal includes $483.4 million for property tax relief and reform, $464 million in bonding for construction projects, $44.3 million for Education Saving Accounts, $50 million for higher education Challenge Grants, and $16.1 million to staff and operate the expanded Grand Forks County Correctional Center to address prison overcrowding.

“These investments total roughly a billion dollars in infrastructure, education, and property tax relief,” Armstrong stated. He noted that an additional $600 million in spending reductions was achieved by cutting staff and delaying construction projects not scheduled to begin until late in the biennium.

The property tax reform plan offers a $1,550 annual credit for primary residences during the biennium and caps future increases in local property tax budgets at 3% annually. Initially funded by Legacy Fund earnings, the plan aims to cover all costs through the fund in the future.

The budget projects a $230 million general fund ending balance and over $500 million in the Strategic Investment and Improvements Fund, with the SIIF balance expected to reach $1.6 billion by the end of the biennium.