NATIONAL

Stores aren't dead
AXIOS
Physical store openings exceeded closings on an annual basis in 2022 for the first time since 2016, Coresight Research found. The big picture: Robust e-commerce platforms helped retailers manage the pandemic — but both retailers and consumers realized the limitations of doing business entirely online.

Bed Bath & Beyond Soon Will Be Down to 360 Stores, From Peak of 1,000
Business Insider
Buried in this week's announcement of a fresh round of equity funding, embattled housewares giant Bed Bath & Beyond said Tuesday that it has set an "ultimate operating goal" of having just 360 locations across the US, plus about 120 BuyBuy Baby stores.

CALIFORNIA

Calif. Sen. Bill Seeks Extension For Space Property Tax Break
Law360
California would extend to 2034 a tax break for qualifying property used in space flight under a bill introduced in the state Senate...

San Diego tax revenue fully recovered from pandemic plunge
The San Diego Union-Tribune
Tax revenue in San Diego has fully recovered from its pandemic plunge, thanks to a surge in home prices boosting property tax, extraordinary inflation elevating sales tax and the recovery of local tourism helping hotel tax rise.

FLORIDA

How soaring Florida home values are impacting rent
WFLA
It's coming as a surprise to some, a big increase in their monthly expenses either directly, or indirectly due to higher property taxes. It's all happening even though there's been no significant increase in the property tax rate. So why is this happening and what could fix it?

IDAHO

Property tax talks continue with pitches to tax hospitals and another push for sales tax-funded property tax cuts
Boise Dev
More property tax legislation keeps popping up a the Idaho Statehouse as lawmakers are jockeying for their idea to float to the top. On Thursday, three more bills aimed at reducing property tax were introduced. Two came from Rep. Josh Tanner, R-Eagle, and they aimed at opening the door to taxing hospitals to relieve burdens from homeowners by adding valuable buildings to the tax rolls.

ILLINOIS

Arlington Heights school districts vote to hire lobbyist to fight bill that would give Chicago Bears a tax break
ABC7
The Chicago Bears have plans for a massive development in Arlington Heights. But some of the people living there are worried about how it will all be paid for and what will happen to their taxes. The Chicago Bears agreed to pay nearly $200 million for the Arlington Park race track property, 326 acres of prime northwest suburban real estate.

INDIANA

Property taxes are necessary and the system is generally working as designed
Indiana Capital Chronicle
Property taxes are going up and so is the debate at the Statehouse. But is there really a problem to fix? Perhaps you should revoke my Hoosier card, but I am not a property tax hater. I sometimes over the years have felt my property tax bill wasn't high enough to support services. And I realize that the cost of services — from roads and sewers to the firefighters waiting to save my home if it gets struck by lightning — goes up with inflation.

KANSAS

After Keystone oil spill, Kansas Democrats want to cancel tax exemptions when pipelines leak
KCUR
After the Keystone spilled more than half a million gallons of crude oil onto native prairie and cropland and into a creek, some Kansas lawmakers want oil companies to forfeit their tax exemptions when pipelines burst. Right now, energy companies that lay pipelines in Kansas get to skip out on the first 10 years of paying taxes to school districts, county governments and other local units of government along their routes.

MAINE

Walmart settles with 2 Maine towns after losing tax appeals
WPFO
After contesting the tax bills for a few of its stores in Maine, Walmart has lost two appeals to the state and settled with Ellsworth and Falmouth. The company settled with the two municipalities following a written decision by the state Board of Property Tax Review issued in December siding with the city of Brewer.

MICHIGAN

New app will help Detroiters assess property tax values
CBS Detroit
A new online resource will assist Detroit homeowners in assessing their property tax values to help residents figure out if they're being fairly charged. Having trouble assessing your property taxes? Well, there's an app for that.

MINNESOTA

Minn. House Bill Would End State Property Tax On Utilities
Law360
Utilities' real and personal property would be exempt from Minnesota's tax on commercial and industrial properties under legislation introduced in the House...

MISSOURI

Mailing tax payments at deadline can be costly
The Landmark
Susan and Gary Hart are angry they were forced to pay late fees to Platte County after they learned their personal property tax payment arrived at county offices postmarked three days later than they had dropped it into a mailbox near their home.

PENNSYLVANIA

Court Rulings Endanger Tower Health Tax Exemptions
The Post
Tower Health hospital properties in four locations, including one already sold and another closed last year, “are not eligible for property tax exemptions,” The Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper reported Friday (Feb. 10, 2023) on rulings from Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court.

Tower Health loses property tax fight at Commonwealth Court
Inquirer
Commonwealth Court on Friday ruled that four Tower Health hospitals, including one that has been sold, are not eligible for property-tax exemptions. The decisions are a significant victory for the four school districts in Chester and Montgomery Counties that are home to Brandywine, Jennersville, Phoenixville, and Pottstown Hospitals. Each district filed its own suit.

SOUTH DAKOTA

'Big increase' expected in Pennington County assessed property values
Rapid City Journal
The next round of assessment notices are set to be mailed March 1 and Pennington County's Director of Equalization said homeowners should expect to see bigger numbers. Director of Equalization Shannon Rittberger said property is likely going to be worth more than it was last year. However, it doesn't necessarily mean that property taxes will go up, he said.

TEXAS

What Tarrant County homeowners should expect from this year's property tax appraisals
Star Telegram
Tarrant County homeowners hoping for property tax relief as the housing market cools and prices drop are likely to be disappointed. Residential property values are expected to jump again this year, Tarrant Appraisal District Chief Appraiser Jeff Law said Friday at the TAD board's February meeting. Homeowners can expect a 10% to 20% increase, he said.

WYOMING

Wyoming House Passes Property-Tax Exemption
SweetwaterNOW
HB98 provides a tax exemption to residential property owners that equals approximately $300 per year for homeowners. The bill provides relief to homeowners from paying property taxes on the first $50,000 of their homes' fair market value. People who have lived in Wyoming for at least five years are eligible. The bill caps the discount at 25 percent of the home's value.