Beaverhead County adopts $13.6 million budget, resets levies and PIL allocations

Beaverhead County commissioners adopted the county's final budget for fiscal year 2025-26 and approved several related resolutions during their regular meeting.

The board adopted resolution 2025-21, setting an appropriation for Beaverhead County of $13,644,200, which the presenter described as roughly a 5.3% increase from the previous year. "The appropriation for Beaverhead County is $13,644,200," the presenter said during the discussion of the schedules. Commissioners moved the resolution and it carried on a voice vote.

Nut Graf: The meeting bundled several routine but consequential fiscal actions: commissioners approved reallocating a portion of vehicle registration tax, confirmed Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PIL) distributions, adopted increased solid-waste fees and reset maximum voted levy amounts after state taxable-value changes. Together the moves change how revenue will be collected and distributed across general fund, public safety and special funds.

On PIL distributions, the presenter outlined planned allocations for the current year: $500,000 to the general fund, $500,000 to public safety (a $100,000 reduction from the prior year), $50,000 to an employee payout/termination fund, and $50,000 to a combined 911/interoperability fund. The board moved and approved the PIL allocations and the related entitlement distributions.

The board also adopted resolution 25-18 to reallocate the one-half of 1% vehicle registration tax receipts, with approximately 70% directed to road funding and about 30% to the general fund. The chair moved the resolution and recorded that commissioners carried it by voice vote.

Commissioners addressed a change required by recent state action to taxable value calculations and adopted resolution 2025-20 to reset the maximum voted mill levy amounts so those voter-approved levies yield the same dollar amounts as before the state change. The chair said the resolution includes an attachment explaining the state legislation and moved adoption; the motion carried.

The presenter reviewed Schedule A (tax levies) and Schedule B (non-tax items), noting that some revenues (including PIL) are accounted for in non-tax schedules even though they fund county services. The presenter said combined effects of the levy decisions and other adjustments produced a reported overall revenue increase of about 7.6% compared with the prior year.

The board approved resolution 25-19 to increase solid-waste fees, noting the solid-waste board recommended the adjustment and the county wanted the action on the record for future reference.

Commissioners also discussed staffing and public-safety budget items: the presenter said there is budget authority to hire a deputy mid-year and that the public-safety budget overall remains consistent with priorities discussed earlier in the docket.

What happens next: The adopted resolutions and schedules will be placed on record as the county's official levy and budget documents for filing and implementation; routine administrative steps follow to implement the PIL distributions and levy settings.