The first half of your Missoula County property tax bill is due no later than November 30, says Missoula County Clerk and Recorder Tyler Gernant.

KGVO caught up with Gernant on Tuesday who provided details.

“The deadline is November 30,” said Gernant. “It's a good thing to remember that while the deadline is November 30, that means you can either come into our office and pay by 5:00 p.m. or you can pay online, or if you get it postmarked by November 30, and that also counts. So there's lots of ways to do it. If you forget until the very last minute, there are still ways to do it even after our office is technically closed.”

Gernant said there are penalties that are assessed if property taxes aren’t paid on time.

“If you don't pay by that deadline, then there is an automatic two percent penalty that is applied to it,” he said. “So, two percent of the amount that would otherwise be owed gets added to that amount, and additionally, there's 10% per year that is accruing on that in interest. So it's important that you get it paid, otherwise you're going to be paying a lot more than you should.”

Gernant said those who wish to protest their property tax valuation must follow a strict protocol.

“A lot of people will pay under protest thinking that that resolves it in some way, but unless you plan on filing an action in District Court, or you have previously filed an appeal of your valuation with the Department of Revenue or the County Tax Appeal Board, then it's generally too late to pay your taxes under protest,” he said.

Gernant said property taxes go to pay for many essential services.

“The vast majority of property taxes actually go to paying for public safety,” he said. “They go to paying cops and firefighters. A big part of that goes to the Health Department, which obviously has been pretty vital in the last two years, I would say with the pandemic, and then a big part of it goes to paying for the schools so that our kids receive a top notch education and are prepared to go out in the world on their own.”

Once again, Missoula County property taxes are due no later than November 30.

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