Montana

Another way to address high property taxes in Montana – Daily Montanan

Published

2 years ago

January 7, 2024

Another way to address high property taxes in Montana – Daily Montanan

I just read an editorial called “Let’s end the property tax blame game” by Kendall Cotton in which he begins by blaming local governments for property tax increases, echoing Gov. Greg Gianforte’s attack on greedy county governments.

For their part, Democrats are saying that the Gianforte administration ignored the advice of the Montana Department of Revenue to implement a revenue neutral tax rate. That’s the rate at which the state would have got the same amount of money after reappraisal as it had before. It was not advice; it was a number the DOR is required to provide by law. And to be fair, it doesn’t seem that any Democrat introduced a bill to change the tax rate, either. (In Montana the appraised value of a home is multiplied by a tax rate to get the taxable value, which is what the mill levies are applied to.)

If I wanted to blame anything I would pin it on COVID and the TV series “Yellowstone” each of which caused people with money and independence to flock to Montana and raise the price of homes in those areas that are not surrounded by flat land and have fancy restaurants.

Cotton’s editorial goes: “There is no such thing as a free lunch in government. The root cause of taxation is government spending.” So, the simple answer is to get rid of government—and police forces and courts and schools and health care and highways and everything that government does, because it is asked to do it. Lincoln put it well:

“The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not, so well do, for themselves—in their separate, and individual capacities.”

No, Mr. Cotton, the root cause of taxation is the need to pay for services that the public demands their governments provide as expressed by their approval or disapproval of political policies at the ballot box. Not everyone is happy, but in a democracy, the majority rules.

So, OK, what to do?

The property tax is the oldest form of taxation because it was the easiest to figure out. If a guy in Babylon was sitting on 1,000 bushels (or cubic cubits or however they measured volume then) of wheat, the government knew what wheat was selling for and taxed it accordingly. A property tax is a tax on wealth, it is based on the value of what you own. It is the only tax that is heavily based on external market forces and not individual actions as are wages earned or purchases made. If you look at maps of property tax increases in Montana (the Montana Free Press has an excellent analysis complete with such maps: https://montanafreepress.org/2023/12/07/how-much-montana-property-taxes-are-rising/) you can see that it varies quite a bit from county to county. That’s why it is difficult to find a statewide solution.

Yes, there is a temporary tax rebate which some had a difficult time applying for. I didn’t. Renters couldn’t. But this is a political gimmick used by Democrats and Republicans alike that does little to fix the problem.

The answer to all this, given the complexities, is relatively simple, already exists, and is capable of being broadened. It is the Elderly Homeowner Renter Property Tax Rebate. It is based on the principle that homeowners or renters should not pay more than a certain percentage of their income on property tax. It is now restricted to households with a person over 65 years old, a coddled cadre of individuals who as a group are generally financially more better off than others because they have by that age paid off most of their debt. Their favorable opinion is sought by retailers and politicians alike because there are so many of them (OK, us).

It has the benefits of putting the relief where it is most needed, does not rob the local taxing jurisdictions of needed income, is administered and paid for by the state using state employees and state money. And, if expanded to all ages, is fair. At least two bills were introduced to do this by Democrats but never made it out of committee.

Maybe by the next legislative session it will look better, but I doubt it.

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Montana

Griz outlast power outage, surge to big win – University of Montana Athletics

Published

1 hour ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Griz outlast power outage, surge to big win – University of Montana Athletics

The power went out inside Dahlberg Arena on Wednesday evening, delaying the opening tip of the Montana men’s basketball game by nearly two hours. Once the electricity returned to campus, the Grizzly men lit things up inside Dahlberg Arena.

Montana reached the 100-point mark for the third time this season, winning 102-46 over the Salish Kootenai Bison. The Grizzlies improved to 6-5 on the season with the win.

As a team, Montana shot 70.5 from the floor and 44.0 percent from three-point range. It’s the first time since 1968 that Montana has shot over 70 percent from the floor in a game. It’s also the 5^th best shooting percentage by a D-I team this season.

Money Williams had a double-double, his third of the season, finishing with 10 points and 11 assists. It’s the second time in Williams’ career that he has finished with 10 assists in a single game.

He wasn’t the only Grizzly to reach double figures in the assist department. Tyler Isaak recorded his first career double-double with a new career high 10 assists to go along with 16 points. It’s the first time in program history that two different players have recorded 10 or more assists in the same game.

It was a highly efficient night for Isaak, who played just 24 minutes and went 6-of-7 from the floor.

It was a complete team effort for Montana with 10 of the 11 players dressed scoring in the contest. Connor Dick (15) and Amari Jedkins (13) both scored career highs in the victory.

The Missoula kid can get 🆙#GrizHoops | @ConnorDick9 pic.twitter.com/YOg1yczxKD

— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 11, 2025

The Grizzlies had seven players reach double figures, the most in a single game in program history. Te’Jon Sawyer (13), Brooklyn Hicks (13), and Tyler Thompson (11) joined the previously four mentioned players in double figures.

The assists played a big role in that with Montana sharing the ball plenty. They recorded 30 team assists on the night, the second most in a game in program history. The Grizzlies had a 5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio on the night.

alley oop ☝️➡️👇 pic.twitter.com/xRz6XC0yyQ

— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 11, 2025

The Grizzlies held Salish Kootenai to just 27 percent shooting and a 6-of-30 (.200) mark from three-point range. Montana’s size played a huge factor on the night as the Grizzlies outrebounded the Bison 47-25 and outscored them 60-20 in the paint.

Montana scored 16 points off dunks as they broke out into the open court on several occasions for highlight reel slams. They also owned a 22-0 advantage in fastbreak points.

Montana jumped out to a 13-2 lead before the first media timeout and never looked back in win. They set the tone early from the three-point line, opening the game 4-of-7 from the arc to help build the early lead.

It was a balanced first half offensively and the Griz were able to go on five individual runs of at least six straight points with nine different players scoring in the opening 20 minutes. The Grizzlies went 8-of-17 from the arc and shot 65.5 percent from the field in the first half.

Williams’ 8^th assist of the opening half went to Amari Jedkins. The Grizzly forward knocked down a corner three to send Montana into the halftime break ahead 50-17.

8th assist of the first half from @mxney___ as he finds Amari Jedkins for the corner three to send us into the half 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UO9WGlnDeh

— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 11, 2025
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The Grizzlies didn’t let up in the second half, going on two separate 12-0 runs and winning the second period 52-29 for the big victory.

Montana will get a week off before returning home next Wednesday night to face Montana Tech at 7:00 p.m. The Orediggers are 8-3 on the season.

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Montana

Live Updates: Montana State leads SFA 7-0 in the first quarter

Published

13 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Live Updates: Montana State leads SFA 7-0 in the first quarter

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Montana

Frigid Friday – several inches of snow in parts of the area

Published

1 day ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Frigid Friday – several inches of snow in parts of the area

A band of moderate snow has formed from the Cut Bank area, extending southeast across Chouteau, Fergus, and Judith Basin Counties. Be alert for low visibility and slick road conditions. Icy conditions continue in Lewis & Clark and Broadwater counties, where snow fell on top of ice after some freezing rain overnight. Up to a 1/4″ of ice has been reported on cars and sidewalks. Freezing rain may mix in again this morning as milder air begins to move back in.

Today’s Forecast:

Frigid Friday, several inches of snowfall in parts of the area-Friday, December 12

It will be a frigid today, with high temperatures in the 0s and lower 10s across central and eastern Montana, and mid to upper 30s in Helena.

The snow band will continue throughout the day, bringing several inches of snow to areas east of I-15. The band of snow will gradually push east tonight, impacting Blaine, Phillips, and Valley counties overnight. Snow showers taper off by Saturday morning.

MTN News

Expect difficult driving conditions through Saturday morning, especially east of I-15 and into the mountains.

Arctic air slowly retreats north on Saturday. Temperatures start off in the -10s to near 0 on the Hi-Line and in the 0s for central Montana, then climb to the 0s and 10s for the Hi-Line and 10s to 20s in central Montana by Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, it will be a pleasant weekend in Helena with temperatures in the low 40s. A gusty breeze develops on Sunday, as temperatures warm nicely into the low to mid 40s in central Montana and into the 30s in northeast Montana.

Looking ahead to next week, mild and windy conditions kick off the workweek, followed by active weather returning midweek.