Missoula Property Tax Bills are Causing Some Confusion

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - It’s been quite a year for the Missoula County Clerk and Treasurer's Office.

To start, the property tax bills for the first half of the year reflected the amount expected, however, due to the statewide revolt over the new property reappraisals, many counties attempted to reduce the number of ‘mills’ taxed from 95 to 77, in order to save taxpayers money.

The Second Half Property Tax Bills were Received over the Weekend

I spoke with Missoula County Clerk and Recorder/Treasurer Tyler Gernant on Monday about the new tax bills that arrived in mailboxes over the weekend.

“Essentially what ended up happening was this,” began Gernant. “Counties decided to go forward with the inflation-limited amount (77 mills), and a bunch of lawsuits ensued. The Supreme Court said no, that the state does get to ‘bank mills’, so counties now need to bill for that difference between what the maximum was and what you are actually billed. Now, there's an additional 17.3 mills in Missoula County. If you're in a county that doesn't have a VoTech (vocational-technical school) it would be 17.1 mills.”

Just to make the calculation a bit easier, Gernant clarified the issue.

Treasurer Gernant said the increase is about $25 for every $100,000 in Market Value

“In round amounts, it's about $25 for every 100,000 in market value for a home, because those homes and businesses are taxed at different rates, and so it's about that the average home,” he said. “These values are as of January 1, 2022, and the median-priced home in Missoula County at that point was about $540,000, and so you're looking at probably about $133 in additional taxes for the median home.”

Many property owners are also confused that they’re receiving the tax bills for both the first and second halves of the year, even though they’ve already paid the first half of their property taxes.

“What you'll see is there's still a first-half coupon, and unfortunately, the first-half coupon shows how much is owed for the second half. So we're getting a lot of questions where people think that they actually owe that amount twice, but it really is just the one amount, (the amount for the second half of the property tax bill),” he said.

Are the Montana Property and Income Tax Rebates We Got Taxable?

Gernant said Second Half Property Taxes are due by May 31, 2024

Gernant also wanted to calm property owners about the fact that the second half of our property taxes are not due until May 31, 2024.

“Some people pay the second half taxes which aren't due until May 31, early,” he said. “A lot of times, we'll get people who make the entire year's tax payment in November, just so they don't have to think about it, and for those folks who had already paid prior to us printing these bills, they will only receive a bill that shows the supplemental amount. It won't show the total second half, it'll just show the amount that is actually owed.”

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