Assessments can be appealed informally

Downtown business and local homeowners can thank Senate Republicans when we pay an additional 15 percent in property taxes in the coming months.

The Senate hijacked the House version of the final mitigation bill and exempted only 85 percent of the effect of growth.

They amended our House bill, which mitigated 100 percent of reappraisal, and forced homeowners and downtown businesses to pay $6 million more in taxes over the biennium.

The silly justification used by the Senate was that Billings has a self-imposed mill cap, so statewide valuations should remain higher. As a result, 60 percent of Montana homeowners will see their property taxes increase up to $200 over last year. This is bad news during our difficult economic times.

There were good alternatives presented in the 2009 session — capping tax growth to no more than 3 percent, slowing the phase-in during an economic downturn, and expanding assistance to elderly, poor and disabled homeowners.

During the interim, a small but diverse group of us are working on how best to resolve the high valuations as it relates to the current market. And to help low income, elderly and disabled homeowners or renters with skyrocketing taxes during economic hardships. This should provide better results in the 2011 session, but unfortunately not nearly in time for the taxman.

If you feel your current assessment is too high, appeal informally. The simple form is available online at www.mt.gov/revenue/formsandresources/forms/AB26.pdf.

A thanks to the bipartisan House team that stood with small businesses and local homeowners in opposing this tax increase, which will hit our great valley the hardest. Flathead legislators Rep. Bill Beck, R–Whitefish, Rep. Dee Brown, R-Columbia Falls, and Rep. John Sonju, R-Kalispell, voted with Rep. Cheryl Steenson, D-Kalispell, and myself. It's sad the Senate Republicans missed the boat and listened more to lobbyists than homeowners.

I trust once homeowners and downtown businesses open their property tax bills in November, the Senate Republicans will finally realize that there is nothing fair or equitable about what they did to our bipartisan House bill.

Rep. Mike Jopek is a farmer representing Whitefish.