Missoula County commissioners vote to remove infrastructure tax from November ballot | State
Below is a press release from Missoula County:
MISSOULA, Mont. – Missoula County commissioners voted to remove the infrastructure tax from the November general ballot at a public meeting Wednesday. The commission had originally voted on Aug. 8 to put the measure on the ballot so voters across the county could vote on the five-mill tax, which would fund county infrastructure projects.
The commission directed the election office staff to remove the measure from the ballot at the Nov. 8 meeting, and they will formally decide the decision at their public administrative meeting on Thursday, Aug. 22. Commissioners justified the decision by citing ongoing concerns about the property tax climate and also citing increasing optimism that the 2025 Legislature will significantly reform property taxes to shift the burden of any increases away from homeowners.
“The state legislature is going to take on property tax reform in a way it has never done in the past, and it may well succeed in doing so. And if it does, that may reduce the need for us to resort to these types of measures to generate money for this type of work,” said Commissioner Josh Slotnick. “Asking people to voluntarily raise their taxes, even for something as necessary as roads and bridges, is a big ask. Let’s give the state legislature a chance to fix this before we do that.”
Depending on the outcome of the 2025 meeting, the commission could consider putting the measure back on the ballot next year. The levy would have raised about $1.8 million annually to fund maintenance, construction, repairs and other improvements to county roads, bridges and trails. Current revenues to fund these activities are about $7.6 million, which come from property taxes, the state gasoline tax and other state and federal sources. The Missoula County Public Works Department estimates the department needs an additional $4.3 million annually to fully cover the county’s infrastructure needs. The levy also could have provided funds for federal grants, which often require matching funds from local government.
State law caps the county’s annual property tax increases at half the rate of inflation over the previous three years, and the additional funds the county needs for infrastructure exceed the county’s cap. Local governments can ask voters to approve tax levies and bonds to raise additional revenue above that cap. The infrastructure tax levy could have provided a dedicated revenue stream to fund county infrastructure projects.
