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Sponsor says 'Write Back Act' would return 95-mill growth to taxpayers while protecting school funding
Summary
Rep. Courtney Springer presented HB 483 to return excess growth from the uniform 95 school equalization mills to taxpayers, raise transportation reimbursement rates and smooth reappraisal spikes; supporters from school boards and education groups urged passage while county and taxpayer groups warned of local impacts and distribution mechanics.
Rep. Courtney Springer (House District 7) opened a lengthy hearing on HB 483, the "Write Back Act," saying the bill would send excess property-tax revenue generated by the uniform 95 school equalization mills back to taxpayers while keeping the 95 mills in statute as a primary funding source for K–12 education. Springer described bill components including directing revenue growth to school transportation reimbursement, county retirement tax relief, and property-tax relief mechanisms intended to mitigate reappraisal-related spikes (the GTB lag).
Lance Melton of the Montana School Boards Association outlined the history and rationale for preserving the 95 mills and explained projected revenue growth (cited at roughly $69.9 million) and how HB483 would use those funds to equalize funding across low- and high-value districts. Multiple education organizations and local trustees testified in support, emphasizing transportation reimbursement increases, county retirement support and immediate taxpayer relief.
Opponents warned of unintended distributional effects. Bob Story (Montana Taxpayers Association) presented charts and argued that much of the projected revenue growth comes from residential and commercial reappraisal gains, and that giving back growth via mill reductions could primarily benefit the same classes that generated the revenue. Mike McGinley (Beaverhead County Commissioner) urged caution about fixing mills and the local impacts of reappraisals, arguing that some mechanics could shift burdens to local taxpayers.
Department of Revenue and Office of Public Instruction staff were on hand to explain the 95-mill calculations, GTB ratio mechanics and the timing of fiscal notes. Committee members asked detailed technical questions about interactions with other bills (including HB405 and HB231), fiscal-note timing and the mechanics used to smooth reappraisal effects. Proponents said some multipliers in the bill are temporary and designed to smooth the first-year reappraisal effects; the fiscal note was expected to be available shortly after the hearing.
Sponsor Springer closed by reiterating the bill’s twin aims: immediate property-tax relief for taxpayers and continued adequate, equitable school funding, delivered in a constitutionally defensible manner that preserves the 95 mills as a transparent mechanism for state funding.
