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Lawmakers hear HB 213 as Montana homeowners, small businesses press for relief after reappraisal
Summary
House Bill 213 would revise the state property tax multiplier for class 4 residential and commercial property to reduce what supporters called an outsized tax shift onto homeowners and main-street businesses after recent reappraisals. Proponents said the change would neutralize recent reappraisal impacts; opponents cautioned about shifts to other
Representative Edward Byrne opened the hearing on House Bill 213 before the Montana House Taxation Committee, saying the measure adjusts property tax multipliers for class 4 residential and small commercial property and follows numbers provided by the Department of Revenue27s taxable-value-neutral calculations.
Anne Brodsky, a Helena resident and longtime state employee, told the committee homeowners27 share of the property tax base rose sharply after recent state reappraisals and cited state reporting that homeowners27 share rose from about 46% to nearly 59% following the last reappraisal. Brodsky said many Montanans are on fixed incomes and that the bill27s simple, two-page form "changes three numbers" to reduce the state multiplier applied to class 4 residential property.
Senator Mary Anne Dunwell, a co-sponsor who carries a related Senate bill, and other proponents from senior and homeowner groups said those reductions would restore rates more closely to pre-reappraisal levels and limit a $500 million-plus statewide increase supporters said homeowners had absorbed over two years.
Representing opponents, former lawmaker Bob Story, Montana Taxpayers Association, acknowledged the bill27s simplicity but warned that with the two-year reappraisal cycle the legislature has not previously adjusted multipliers in recent cycles and that a statewide multiplier cut would shift tax burdens to other property classes. "This bill is simple, but its results are not simple," Story said, urging lawmakers to consider county-by-county outcomes because mill levy adjustments will vary locally.
Department of Revenue officials clarified that DOR is statutorily required to provide taxable-value-neutral rates to the Revenue Interim Committee every November; bureau chief Bryce Kautz and economist Jared Isom explained that the numbers in HB 213 differ from the most recent November report because they incorporate a rollback to mitigate the prior reappraisal as well as the upcoming cycle.
Representative Byrne told the committee he is open to amendments and that the bill is intended to be part of a broader set of property-tax measures rather than a standalone fix. The committee did not act on HB 213 during the hearing and will receive further analysis from DOR staff on county-level impacts if the bill advances.
Ending: DOR staff will continue to provide county-level modeling and the committee signaled that HB 213 would be considered alongside other property-tax proposals rather than as a single, final solution.
