Montana
In some Montana counties, tax appeal boards are hard to fill
Broadwater County is pictured (Upper Missouri Waterkeeper photo)
In some counties across Montana, finding people to fill the Tax Appeal Board can be challenging, and for at least one Broadwater County resident, that’s caused some frustration when it came time to pay her property taxes.
Tax Appeal Boards are required by state law of every county and allow a citizen to appeal their property taxes. They are to be made up of, at minimum, three people appointed by county commissioners.
Broadwater County recently had one member die and another move, County Commissioner Debi Randolph told the Daily Montanan, and just one member was listed on their website last week.
Randolph said the county has addressed the issue, but not before Broadwater County resident Linde Hoff ran into a situation where she says she was unable to appeal a property tax bill this year.
When Hoff got her property tax bill this year, rooms were added to her residential home that aren’t included in the house, so she and her husband appealed. Hoff, along with her neighbors, are also in a lawsuit against another neighbors regarding junk on the property.
That’s important because because during that lawsuit regarding junk, Hoff had a private assessor come to her property and found the neighboring property was devaluing theirs. This private assessment was also used to calculate her taxes, she said.
Tax Appeal Boards are supposed to give citizens a voice in their taxes, and in nuanced situations like Hoff’s, can allow for additional information to be presented to the county.
As Cascade County puts it on their website: “The primary purpose of the County Tax Appeal Board is to review the market value assigned by the Department of Revenue and to determine if the taxed property is correctly appraised at 100% market value.”
And if it’s not, that’s when changes to a person’s taxes can be made.
Hoff learned that the Tax Appeal Board wasn’t functioning while trying to go through with the process of filing an appeal. She was shuffled around between Broadwater County and the state, eventually being told to call Lewis and Clark County about the issue. Hoff said she was told to fill out the wrong form by Broadwater County treasurer Melissa Franks.
Broadwater County didn’t comment directly on Hoff’s situation, but said the tax appeal process is “confusing” and suggested citizens should use an attorney or accountant.
Hoff did call Lewis and Clark County Treasurer Amy Reeves and was told they can’t pull up that information from other counties, so they couldn’t help.
Hoff was also in contact with the state Department of Revenue. But DOR doesn’t “really play a role in the county’s tax appeal boards,” DOR communications director Jason Slead wrote in an email.
DOR sends a letter out and people have 30 days to appeal, which they need to do through a county form referred to as an “8026,” Franks said. If a property owner doesn’t like the response they get from the Department of Revenue, then there’s a separate form a person has to fill out to appeal it to a county tax board.
Hoff filled out the first form and a state employee did come out to their property, but nothing ever seemed to come out of it, she said. She then filled out the second form, was told there would be a call if something was wrong with it, and never heard back about it.
Now, Hoff said, she was told she has no recourse and will have to wait until next year. The new Broadwater County Tax Appeal board needs to be trained, and the county said they would wait until it was closer to a time they’d meet again. Tax Appeal Boards generally meet between July and October.
There is a Montana State Tax Appeal Board, but that’s an independent board separate from DOR, with members appointed by the Governor. That board handles disagreements that haven’t been resolved in a county Tax Appeal Board, though neither Franks nor Randolph appeared to know this during an interview on Friday, something the state clearly says in a video regarding the process.
Hoff said she feels “insulted,” though county officials did meet with her on Friday, she said. Hoff has successfully appealed property taxes before.
“I feel like I’m being ripped off by my government,” Hoff said, adding that someone needs to “take responsibility.”
‘No one wants to take that on’
Board vacancies are not unique to Broadwater County, nor is it limited to county Tax Appeal Boards.
In Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, there are currently only two members of the Tax Appeal board. It’s not for lack of trying — they are looking for someone to fill the position, secretary Jessica Dailey said, but they haven’t been able to do so.
“There’s been a vacancy for quite a while now,” Dailey said. “And I mean, we advertise it in the newspaper every so often, and we just don’t get any bites. It’s almost as if no one wants to take that on.”
And small numbers of board members can also put people in odd situations. In one instance Dailey said, one Tax Appeal Board member had to make the decision on one of the other board members’ taxes. Without any other board members, there was no other option.
“It would have been super helpful if we had another member on the board,” Dailey said.
Some Tax Appeal Boards, though, have no issue filling their ranks. Lake County Tax Appeal Board Secretary Kate Stinger said it’s “probably the easiest board” she’s had to fill.
“I think that’s probably because residents are interested in property taxes and frustrated with rising property taxes and maybe that’s the impact that they can have on that situation,” Stinger told the Daily Montanan.
There has been significant noise on the property tax issue in the Flathead and a lawsuit was filed this week by multiple current and former legislators, including Sen. Greg Hertz, a Polson Republican. Rising property values in one of the most scenic parts of the lower 48 states has been an ongoing issue in the area and second homes in the state are now taxed at a higher rate.
Both Stinger and Dailey said they were seeing significant increases in the number of appeals going through their boards. Franks said she hasn’t seen one since becoming Broadwater County’s treasurer.
Blaine County, meanwhile, recently went through the process of selecting a new Tax Appeal Board member. County Commissioner Miles Hutton said that board wasn’t a huge issue to fill, but others are.
“There’s lots of boards nobody wants to serve on,” Hutton said.
Across the state, many counties have a huge number of appointed boards. In Broadwater County, for example, there’s an airport board, a broadband advisory board, a county compensation board — all intended as a method of citizen engagement.
And if people don’t apply for these positions and serve terms, it doesn’t leave counties with many options.
“We rely on those boards a lot,” Randolph said. “They do a lot of research work for us, and deal with a lot of projects, where we don’t have time to deal with the beginning steps of them, and then they come to us, which is a wonderful community service that they provide.”
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BOZEMAN — Aaron Flint and Al Olszewski, Republican candidates for Montana’s Western District U.S. House race, squared off Tuesday in their party’s only scheduled debate before the party primary.
The two debated for about 90 minutes at Bozeman’s Calvary Chapel before an audience of about 120 people. Bozeman anchors Gallatin County, which is second in Republican votes only to Flathead County within the 18-county district.
Natural resource jobs, affordable housing and U.S. military attacks on Iran dominated the discussion. Each question drew 12 minutes of response. Both men called for an end to stock trading by members of Congress, and for federal budgets to be passed on time through regular procedures.
The Montana GOP sponsored the debate. Candidate Christi Jacobsen, Montana’s secretary of state, was unable to attend, according to state Republican Party Chair Art Wittich. State Senate President Matt Regier moderated.
Among the highlights: Flint mentioned no fewer than eight times that he is endorsed by President Donald Trump. Olszewski mentioned Trump by name only a couple of times.
Never too far from Flint’s talking points were “far-left socialists,” whom he credited for “gerrymandering” the Western House District (which has delivered comfortable wins for Republicans since first appearing on the ballot in 2022). The 2026 election cycle was the target of Democrats on the state’s districting commission, Flint said. (Both Democrats on the commission that drew the district in 2021 voted against its current configuration.)
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The near faux pas of the night came during Olszewski’s discussion of good-paying jobs in trades and natural resources: “Trades jobs, natural resource jobs, you know, high-dollar, white-collar jobs, our remote workers who have moved into Montana, and we’ve adapted an economy around them. You know, these are the people, and those are the jobs that will bring our kids home, those high-paying white-collar jobs, or a good natural resource job in western Montana, in one of those mines, or, you know, you know, a sawyer or a hooker” — big pause — “as in timber, not the other way around.”
The line that didn’t land: Flint tried and failed to get audience applause for the 2024 defeat of Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester by Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy — an unseating Flint campaigned for.
“How many of you out there are so glad that we finally got rid of the flip-flop, flat-top liberal senator, Jon Tester? How many of you are so glad we finally did that?”
After a silence, Flint explained to people watching the debate on Facebook that the audience was just being polite.
“They’re waving because we can’t have disruptions. See, they’re good rule followers here in the Republican Party,” Flint said.
Asked how to alleviate Montana’s housing affordability crisis:
Olszewski: “The only way you can afford an expensive house is you’ve got to have a job that pays good money. Tourist jobs provide rent and roommates. Trades jobs, natural resource jobs, high‑dollar white‑collar jobs … those are the jobs that will bring our kids home.” Dr. Al, as Olszewski is widely known, said Wall Street investment buyers are distorting housing prices and the federal government has weakened the dollar.
Flint: “Thirty percent of the cost of a home is all due to red tape and regulations … It costs $100,000 to build a home before you even put a hole in the ground.”
Flint said reviving Montana’s timber industry would lower home values and added, “I support President Trump’s ban on these big Wall Street firms buying single-family homes. I think that’s something that we’ve got to get across the finish line.”
“We can deliver when it comes to making the Montana dream affordable again by delivering affordable housing. But another piece is promoting trades and trades education to build up our workforce.”
Asked how Congress should respond to the Iran conflict:
Olszewski: “I supported our president with what happened in Venezuela. There’s a $25 million bounty on basically someone that was killing our people through drugs, right? I’m not so happy with what’s going on in the Iran war. I’m not a warrior. I’m a physician from the military that fixed military people … What my perspective is, is that countries can win wars, but people do not. They don’t come back.” Olszewski said Congress will have to decide whether to authorize further use of military force and set terms in about 10 days.
Flint: “Let me just say this. We are sick and tired of these forever wars, and we do not want to see a long-term boots-on-the-ground Iraq-style nation-building exercise, and I think President Trump shares that mission as well. Let me also say this about Iran. First off, [former Venezuelan President Nicolás] Maduro is behind bars. [Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei is dead, but the far-left socialists are on the march in Montana.”
Asked about reforming Congress:
Olszewski: “What our congressmen and congresswomen have to understand is that if you’re in the House, the House belongs to the people, and they need to, first and foremost, represent you, not themselves, not special interests. It’s not about sound-bites. It’s about actually getting work done and governing.” Olszewski said the House needs to pass a budget based on 12 agency appropriations bills before the end of each federal fiscal year, a process known as “regular order.”
Flint: “We need to return to regular order and get single-subject bills and get these appropriations bills done one by one. If they can’t get a budget done, they shouldn’t get paid. And we need a ban on congressional stock trading. Because I think part of the reason why the American people are so frustrated with Congress right now is because … they believe that Congress is so useless, because we’ve got some of these politicians back there that are getting rich off the backs of taxpayers.”
Neither candidate offered a plan for cutting taxes, once a staple of Republican platforms. Both supported reductions in federal spending without identifying particular cuts.
Voting in Montana’s 2026 primary election begins May 4 and ends June 2.
POLSON, Mont. — Two motorcyclists crashed on Highway 35 near Polson after failing to negotiate a left-hand curve, leaving one man dead and another hospitalized, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.
Two motorcycles were traveling southbound on Highway 35 when both drifted into a guardrail. Both drivers were separated from their motorcycles and ended up on the other side of the guardrail.
A 58-year-old Polson man was confirmed dead at the scene. The second driver, a 45-year-old man, also from Polson, was taken to the hospital with injuries.
Alcohol is a suspected factor in the crash, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.
The crash is under investigation.
KALISPELL — A Flathead County man is turning a personal rock bottom into a lifeline for his community by starting a free, late-night ride service to keep drunk drivers off the roads.
Adam Bruzza started Big Sky Sobriety Shuttle LLC, a free ride share service for people who have been drinking, after realizing he was struggling with addiction.
Maddie Keifer reports – watch the video here:
MT man starts free, late-night ride service to keep drunk drivers off the roads
“I just wanted to give people who do still drink the option for a safe, sober ride home,” Bruzza said.
Bruzza said a devastating mistake behind the wheel became a turning point where he decided enough was enough.
“I was charged with a DUI October 22 of 2024,” Bruzza said.
After a few months focused on his sobriety, Bruzza channeled his energy into his community by starting the shuttle service.
He operates the shuttle in his personal pickup truck. Riders can reach him by phone, text or social media at any time of day or night at no cost.
“I just wanted to give others the opportunity to not get a life changing charge,” Bruzza said.
Bruzza works with bars to connect riders with his service. Although the Big Sky Sobriety Shuttle is a new endeavor, he has already seen a big impact.
“The community response without a doubt has been unconditional love and support that makes my heart all warm and fuzzy,” Bruzza said.
Bruzza also shared a message for others who may be struggling with addiction.
“Your life is worth it, there are people that care out there and it is okay to ask for help,” Bruzza said.
To learn more, click here to visit the Facebook page.
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