Ron Ness, President of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, was the guest host for the KFYR 550 AM Radio talk show “Dakota Talk” on Monday, February 19, 2024.

Dakota Talk Guest Line-Up

First Hour:

Dale Hoerauf, Director of Career and Technical Education and Director of the Central Regional Area Career and Technical Center, located at the Bismarck Public School Career Academy

Rich Wardner, Retired Senate Majority Leader of the North Dakota Senate.  Wardner opposes a ballot measure being circulated that would eliminate property taxes in the state.  The measure does not specify a source of funding to replace the $1.1 billion in annual property taxes that support local government and schools, only that it would be the responsibility of the state to come up with the money.  Wardner said the most obvious source would be oil tax revenue, which currently accounts for more than half the state’s tax revenue. Wardner said that could mean a double whammy for oil-producing counties that would not only lose their property tax revenue, but he said the legislature may also take away the local share of oil tax revenue, and impose other tax increases on top of it.

Click here and scroll to the 16:35 mark to listen to the full Dakota Talk interview between Guest Host, Ron Ness and Wardner.

Second Hour:

Julie Fedorchak, Public Service Commissioner and Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives

Lynn Helms, Director of the Department of Mineral Resources