MTFP | Montana Counties, Governor spar over Property Tax

Most property tax rates scale to match the dollar amounts of local budgets, which in are in turn subject to growth limits specified in state law. However, the 95 mills rise in direct proportion to property values. With assessed values up dramatically in this year’s reappraisal cycle, that means an estimated $91 million a year in additional collections

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Read the article at Montana Free Press by Eric Dietrich

Excerpt:

“…In their release, county officials argue that they’re keeping spending down as they set their budgets this summer. The only part of the governor’s Helena tax bill that’s likely to increase, they say, is the portion controlled not by local governments but by the state.

“Surprisingly, his taxes will DECREASE year over year because his appraised value only increased 7.59%,” Mineral County Commissioner Roman Zylawy said in the release. “The limitations on local government result in a decreased tax burden for his home, with the exception of the State levies, which haven’t followed the statutory limitations that cities and counties must follow.”

(Governors also have access to a publicly owned governor’s mansion in Helena, which has been under renovations, and Gianforte owns a home near Bozeman, which saw its appraised value rise by 54% to $1.3 million. Official tax bills will be sent out by county treasurers later this fall.)

There are many facets to the property tax issue, but the county association is focused particularly on the state’s “95 mills,” which produce dollars the state then passes along to schools to even out the funding available to richer and poorer districts.”