Valuations, analysis and education

Assessors fully update county’s land values through teamwork, friendship

Editor’s note: This article is part of a series explaining each department that makes up Kittson County govern- ment. One major function of newspapers is to inform the general public of not only its government’s actions, but also how local government functions.

By Anna Jauhola
Determining property values is a difficult, time-consuming task. Between ever-changing state rules and regulations, and the not-so-happy customers, the job can seem overwhelming.
The women who operate the Kittson County Assessors’ Office don’t deny the enormity of their roles, and fully acknowledge the importance of correctly establishing valuations. To compensate for, and perhaps despite the difficulty of the job, all four women have not only become excellent colleagues, but very good friends.
County Assessor Alyssa Gustafson and Chief Deputy Assessor Jennifer Koskela have been in the office, perfecting their craft, for the last eight years. Starting around the same time, they have worked hard to equalize the land and property values across the county to ensure less steep increases each year. They noted that properties had been undervalued for several years and they have finally realized this goal so most property owners shouldn’t see major increases after 2026.

To read the whole story, see the Dec. 3, 2025, edition of the Kittson County Enterprise