Utility tax payback cases add up

Two recent resolutions in Minnesota Tax Court are part of a trickle that is expected to lead to a flood for taxpayers in Carlton County and in a swath of counties to the northwest.

In early March, the tax court in St. Paul’s Ramsey County affirmed adjustments in how much two pipeline operators paid in taxes due in 2018 in 13 counties. The rulings mean Carlton County will need to pay back nearly $200,000 in property taxes.

That amount is small compared to the total amount in paybacks expected when larger cases are settled, namely in overtaxed years for Enbridge Energy that could make Carlton Co...