Alexandria Township

Alexandria, Minnesota 56308

Minutes of the Local Board of Appeals and Equalization

April 9, 2026

The Local Board of Appeals and Equalization meeting was held this 9th day of April, 2026 at the Douglas County Courthouse, Conference Room C.

ROLL CALL:  Supervisors present were Joel Dahlheimer, Rod Eldevik, Jeff Oberg and Jerry Wright.  Also present was Mark Meuwissen, Clerk.  Said members formed a quorum and the meeting was called to order by Chairman Eldevik at 9:00 a.m.

The purpose of the Local Board of Appeals and Equalization is to provide a fair and objective forum for property owners to appeal their valuation of classification and for the Board to determine whether property in the jurisdiction has been properly valued and classified by the Assessor.

Appellants: John French asked the Board to consider lowering the assessed value of 3731 Crestwood Ridge NE based on the purchase price and other considerations.  The proposed assessment for taxes payable in 2027 was a market value of $907,400.  The Board considered the following: the house recently sold for $815,000, the house had been on the market for two years in what is considered a “seller favorable market,” the layout of the house was awkward without a bedroom on the main floor, and there was post build modifications that could support a lower assigned build grade.  Oberg, seconded by Wright, made a motion to lower the assessed market value based on the findings of fact to $835,000.  Roll: Oberg, Dahlheimer, Butz, Wright, Eldevik, yes.  Motion carried unanimously.

Chairman Eldevik turned the meeting over to County Assessor Stacy Honkomp and Assistant County Assessor Steve Christensen to discuss the assessment process and notable trends.  For the township, assessed values went up at 1.3%, with the largest increases seen in seasonal recreational residential properties.  It was noted this was due more from new construction than increased market value of existing homes.  New construction for the Township was just under 12 million dollars, which compared to the prior year at $15 million. Douglas County experienced similar changes in market value with a 1.2% increase over the prior year.  New construction across the County was $154 million.

Having reviewed assessed values and classifications, the Board had no further questions.  Dahlheimer, seconded by Oberg, made a motion to adjourn the meeting.  Motion passed unanimously and Eldevik adjourned the meeting at 9:50 a.m.

Respectfully submitted….

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Mark Meuwissen, Deputy Clerk

Approved this ____ day of ________, 2026

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Rod Eldevik, Chairman