All posts by Nick Haswell

BACKGROUND The cities and towns of Montana provide a healthy community with clean water, a sanitary environment, public safety, transportation, and recreational opportunities. These vibrant municipalities provide a safe and inviting environment that fosters the primary basis for the Montana economy. To provide quality municipal services to their residents and…

BACKGROUND Section 15-1-121, MCA, contains the formula for calculating the annual growth factor that is applied to Entitlement Share Payments.  The Legislative changes in 2011 based the growth factor on the collection of gambling, motor vehicle, beer, liquor and financial institutions tax revenues over the most recent three-year period.  It…

BACKGROUND Cities and towns are only authorized to impose a mill levy that is sufficient to generate the amount of property taxes actually assessed in the prior year plus one-half of the average rate of inflation for the prior 3 years.  Cities and towns cannot financially survive with this limitation…