Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Proposal to require voter-approved levies in dollars, not mills, draws split testimony
Summary
House Bill 20 would require local governments to put voter-approved levies as dollar amounts rather than mill levies; sponsors and taxpayer groups argued it increases predictability, while cities and counties warned it could reduce flexibility for ongoing operational costs and hamper services without inflation adjustments.
Representative Larry Brewster opened the hearing on House Bill 20 and described the measure as a change to how local governments present voter‑approved levies. “It allows them to vote a dollar amount and then they level the mills to reach that dollar amount,” Brewster said, and he described a sponsor amendment that would remove school districts from the bill’s scope.
Bob Story, executive director of the Montana Taxpayers Association, testified in support and described the policy goal: moving voters to approve a fixed dollar amount so local governments do not “profit from growth in value due to reappraisals and inflation.” Story said that if voters approve a dollar amount, “as the taxable values go up, mills…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
