Missoula County Preliminary Budget Released Wednesday, Tax Increase Expected

The FY 2017 Missoula County Budget is under construction and the public will be able to glimpse the preliminary budget tomorrow afternoon, July 27, during the county commissioners meeting in the Administration Building at 1:30 P.M.

“This will be our preliminary budget hearing, we have not worked through all of the details, but we have a pretty good what we are going to be going forth with for the county budget,” said Missoula County Commissioner Jean Curtiss. “We have to wait for the Department of Revenue to tell us what our actual taxable values are before we can do our final budget, which we will do the first week of September.”

Curtiss says taxes are expected to rise. Those that live outside of the city of Missoula can expect an increase of about 3.5 mills to cover the road fund, the health department, and animal control. The increase amounts to about $11.80 dollars on a 250,000 home. There is also another mill increase that all Missoula property owners will pay.

“The county-wide mills cover everything else that the county does and the estimate there is for 3 mills and, again, on a $250,000 house that would be about $10.13," Curtiss said. "So if you live in the city taxes will go up about $10.13, but if you live in the county the will go up about $22.”

Curtiss says the county is in talks with the Department of Revenue to find out why centrally assessed taxes on things like phone lines, utilities and equipment for certain companies don’t seem to have increased recently.