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Missoula host flags proposed 3.8% city tax increase and county budget pressures
Summary
On Wake Up Missoula, host Scott Grama outlined the City of Missoula’s proposed 3.8% tax increase and surrounding county budget pressures, citing examples of homeowner impacts and departmental funding shifts.
Scott Grama, host of Wake Up Missoula, reported that the City of Missoula will finalize its budget this month and said a proposed 3.8% city tax increase is on the agenda; he gave an example that homes valued at $500,000 would pay roughly $6 more per month under that plan.
Grama said the city is seeking about $2.8 million while facing a $3.4 million deficit and described broad budget pressures including infrastructure, affordable housing needs and digital-subscription costs for municipal systems. He also noted the county’s parallel proposal for a 3.2% tax increase and singled out projected department changes: public-works appropriations reductions and sheriff and health-cost increases. "Homes valued at 500,000 or more will have to pay $6 a month on average more for these taxes," Grama said.
Grama referenced recent Montana policy context — including state property-tax evaluations and a past county decision to raise taxes — and compared local levy proposals, citing an example that a Helena homeowner with a $600,000 house could see an annual increase of about $310 under a cited levy. He described a separate city request for a $3.5 million levy aimed at bolstering fire and police services and discussed the ongoing difficulty of recruiting and retaining county employees amid rising costs.
The program did not include city or county officials on the air to respond; the coverage was a summary of public information and reporting that Grama said listeners can follow as the city and county finalize budgets in coming weeks.
