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Missoula County staff outline approaches to proposed property tax bills as session progresses
Summary
County staff briefed commissioners on multiple proposed property tax bills, including House Bill 155 and HB213, and recommended a general messaging approach until bill language and fiscal impacts are settled; staff also noted SB130 recall bill hearing scheduled.
Chris, a county staff member, briefed the board on several proposed bills related to property tax relief and said a broad message will be necessary because many bills are still early in the legislative process.
"House Bill 155 does two things. It creates a homestead exemption ... and it creates a graduated scale on the tax rate up to a maximum of 2 percent for homes that are greater than $2,000,000 in value," Chris said. He summarized House Bill 213 as a separate proposal that would lower residential property tax rates to 0.76% for properties below a specified threshold and would adjust rates above that threshold from 1.4% toward 1.35%.
Chris told commissioners that because he has reviewed about 30 bills related to property taxes and the session is only a few weeks in, the county cannot practically calculate the precise fiscal effect of each bill on homeowners or county budgets until bill language and which bills will advance become clearer. He recommended crafting a general county message that emphasizes support for targeted property tax relief for median-priced homeowners while warning against proposals that shift an outsized burden to other taxpayers or make revenue unsustainable for local governments and schools.
Commissioners discussed alternatives, including indexing exemptions or rates to a county's median home price to reflect Montana's large variation in housing markets. Chris said concept bills reflecting the governor's interest in a homestead exemption were still being drafted and had not been assigned bill numbers; staff will refine analysis and messaging as language becomes available.
Separately, Chris noted that SB130, which would remove the requirement to state a reason to recall an elected official, is scheduled for a hearing on Monday; Montana Association of Counties requested that local elected officials provide testimony and the county will assist with talking points and registration.
No formal board vote on a legislative position was recorded in the transcript; staff said they will return with refined messaging and fiscal analysis when bill language and committee activity clarify which proposals will advance.
