Commission adopts four 3% assessment increases; billing moves onto county property-tax bill

The Bozeman City Commission voted Aug. 5 to adopt 3% increases for four local assessment districts—tree maintenance, arterial & collector street maintenance, parks & trails, and street maintenance—consistent with the FY26 budget adopted earlier in the year.

How it was presented: Budget Manager Caitlin Johnson briefed the commission on the four proposed 3% increases and explained a billing change: beginning in FY26 these assessments will be billed via the Gallatin County property-tax bill rather than as separate city assessment bills. Johnson noted this will mean most property owners will see these assessments in one place on their tax bill.

Public comment and equity questions: Speakers raised questions about assessment fairness and measurement (e.g., whether lot square footage is the right basis for assessment and whether multifamily properties are being treated equitably). Staff said the finance department and planning maintain lot-size data and will research alternative distribution methods for future consideration.

Votes and next steps: The commission adopted the tree-maintenance increase (rate 0.00432 per accessible square foot) and then approved arterial & collector, parks & trails, and street-maintenance increases; votes were unanimous on the four resolutions. Staff agreed to explore alternate assessment methods and to return with scenarios if the commission wants to revisit assessments in future budget cycles.