FARGO — Cass County has changed how it decides to approve tax incentives for businesses after North Dakota capped the amount that local governments can increase property taxes.

The Cass County Commission unanimously approved on Monday, Oct. 20, a policy that simplifies how it handles incentives. The policy, which was last updated in 2018, has been reduced from five pages to barely two.

The commission will use the new guidelines to make decisions on future applications for tax incentives. Instead of using a point system based on project types, job creation, building value and other economic aspects, the commission will approve, at most, a 50% tax incentive, the policy said.

The policy change sends a message that the commission is being cognizant of fiscal collections, said Commission Cha

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