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County CEO warns residents to check property tax bills after large school mill increases
Summary
Deer Lodge County CEO Luis Linus told commissioners that recent property tax mailings reflect a substantial school-district mill increase that will raise residents' tax bills; county operations are flat but school funding increased markedly, he said.
County CEO Luis Linus addressed the commission about recently mailed property tax bills and urged residents to examine line items carefully after school district millage changes.
"Today we sent out property tax bills... the county's budget is running flat," Linus said, adding that the county's operating levy did not change materially but that school funding figures supplied to the county have jumped sharply. He told commissioners that the school portion rose from roughly $3.5 million last year to about $5.2 million this year, an increase he described as "47%." He also cited a mill figure in the meeting of about "61.56 mills" tied to school funding changes.
Linus said the county has no control over school district levies and asked staff to prepare materials that let residents see which portions of their tax bills fund schools versus county services. Commissioners acknowledged the need to explain the change clearly to taxpayers.
No formal action was taken beyond directing staff to provide clarity and public information about the tax-bill components.
