2023 late fall November

Taxes were the topic of our Local Government Interim Committee. Recent home reappraisals have shown significant increases. In some areas of the state, home sale prices have more than doubled. With folks moving in from out-of-state to places like Bozeman, the Flathead, and other areas, and bidding wars leading to properties at twice the asking price, the committee clearly has a number of challenges to address.

First off, locals cannot compete with the prices that Montana homes are reaching. The next issue is that our tax system is based on market value of housing, which means that the high hous...