Committee adopts amendment to show tax increase per $100,000 valuation in ballot language (House Bill 531 amendment)

The House Ways and Means Committee adopted an amendment to the House Committee substitute for House Bill 531 that would change how taxing entities describe proposed tax increases on ballot language.

Representative Matheson and other members discussed the amendment, which requires ballot proposals from taxing entities to state the tax increase as dollars per $100,000 of valuation instead of the current basis of per $100 of valuation. The sponsor said the change “makes it much more easy for our taxpayers to understand what they're actually voting on.”

“It's a nice round number that you can do some easy math,” the sponsor said, illustrating the example that a homeowner whose property is assessed at $200,000 could simply double the $100,000 per‑unit amount to estimate their impact. Opponents questioned whether placing the amendment on a pipeline bill was procedurally appropriate and whether it would apply broadly across Chapter 137 property tax rules; the sponsor replied they expected to pursue similar statutory language wherever Chapter 137 is open.

The committee adopted the house committee amendment and then voted the house committee substitute for House Bill 531 “do pass.”

Why it matters: The change is framed as a voter‑information reform — shifting from per‑$100 basis to per‑$100,000 basis to make dollar impacts more tangible to typical homeowners. Supporters said the amendment helps voters compare proposals in “real money,” while some members cautioned about timing and whether the change belongs in a pipeline valuation bill.

The committee advanced the bill.