Missoula Current | Missoula Pulls Fire Levy from November Ballot

“We recognize the need that's continually being put on them,” Anderson said of the department. “This whole situation felt like it was set up for failure at the beginning when the Department of Revenue's tax notices went out with an incredibly inaccurate number of what people's proposed tax numbers may have been.”

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read the article at the Missoula Current by Martin Kidston

Excerpt:

“City officials said they were left with no choice but to pull the measure after citizen outrage over the state's estimated tax bills and the Republican Legislature's failure to heed the warnings from the Montana Department of Revenue over inflated property values in the 2023 session.

“The state Legislature has created an absolutely untenable situation from a property tax standpoint, and has created a massive tax shift to residents,” said Mayor Jordan Hess.

Hess added that under state law, tax bills won't be mailed out this year until after Missoula voters had voted on the fire measure, not knowing what their tax bills would be.”

Citing taxpayer concern, Missoula pulls fire levy

In past years, the city has made deep investments into social services but little into fire. The fire department has requested a new station in the Mullan area for the past four years – a request the city has failed to fund.