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Bill to clarify forest‑land valuation committee terms advances to hearing
Summary
A committee bill that clarifies term lengths and staggered appointments for the Forest Lands Taxation Advisory Committee and reaffirms a productivity standard for taxing forest land was introduced and heard by the House Taxation Committee; no formal action was taken.
Representative Mark Thain, sponsor of House Bill 17, told the House Taxation Committee the bill “establishes a productivity standard to determine the taxable value of forest lands” and clarifies appointment terms for the Forest Lands Taxation Advisory Committee under 15-44-103, Montana Code Annotated.
Thain, who represents House District 89, said the bill removes old language about committee terms and creates staggered terms and a process for replacing legislators whose legislative terms end before their advisory committee terms. He said the change is technical and was vetted and passed unanimously by the Revenue Interim Committee.
Paul McKenzie, vice president and general manager of FH Stoltz Land and Lumber Company and a member of the Forest Lands Taxation Advisory Committee, testified in support by Zoom. McKenzie said the bill “does a fine job of fixing the technical problems” around terms and vacancies but suggested streamlining the appointment process so vacancies are filled more quickly.
Robin Rood, deputy administrator of the Property Assessment Division at the Department of Revenue, appeared as an informational witness to answer technical questions about implementation.
No committee questions led to amendments during the hearing, and Representative Thain asked the committee to advance the bill to the House floor. The committee did not take executive action during this hearing. The sponsor reserved the right to close and no vote was recorded.
