Loss of Kerr Dam results in property tax increases, complaints, officials say
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POLSON – Lake County residents have seen an average increase of 8 percent or so in their property tax bills during Fiscal Year 2016-17, primarily due to the removal of the former Kerr Dam from the county’s property tax rolls.
That’s the word from county finance director Scott Beggs. This is the first fiscal year – which runs from July 1 to June 30 – that the loss of some $1.8 million in property tax revenue from the dam has affected property taxes, he said. The county’s portion of that is about $800,000. The remaining taxes went to other taxing entities such as school, fire and irrigation districts, for example.
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes took over control of the Selis Ksanka Qlispe Dam in September 2015 after CSKT purchased it from NorthWestern Energy for $18.28 million. The property was subsequently put into tribal trust. Lake County filed a lawsuit in district court last year against the Montana Department of Revenue over the loss of funds, but the suit was dismissed.
Beggs and county commissioner Gale Decker said that county officials and employees have been receiving a lot of complaints and questions from the public about their increased property tax bills, which come due in November but can be paid in two installments, the latter being in May.
Beggs said the property tax portion of the county’s budget stands at around $12.28 million, but about $950,000 is for a voter-approved roads levy that went into effect in the 2015-16 Fiscal Year. Not counting that levy, Beggs said the county’s budget has increased from about $10.07 million to $11.339 million over the past four years. Some of that $1.269 million is because of inflationary increases allowed by the Legislature while the rest has mainly come from new construction, such as the Ridgewater development, said Beggs, who has served as the county’s finance director for the past two-and-a-half years. He explained that the additional tax revenue has helped hold down the increase in property tax bills, otherwise it would’ve been higher than 8 percent.
The county has seen an increase of some $1.7 million in assessed property value in FY 2016-17 and a .05 percent inflationary increase, he said.
The county’s total budget is about $26 million, he said. In addition to property tax revenue, the county also receives funds from federal and state governments, for example. County staff will begin formulating the 2017-18 budget next month with approval from the commissioners slated for September.
Other county goings-on:
Decker gave an update about county activities before the Polson Chamber of Commerce on June 5.
He noted the county is under an order from the late Judge C.B. McNeil to add court offices for Judge Kim Christopher, whose 20th Judicial District Court position was created by the Legislature in 1997 and whose term began Jan. 1, 2001. McNeil ordered the county to build another court on Sept. 4, 2013, which was his last day in office, Decker said.
The county has space set aside for a new court building on a mostly-vacant lot in downtown Polson, but hasn’t decided when to proceed, Decker said. An architect previously submitted two plans for a new district court building with costs pegged at $14 million and $16 million, according to Decker.
In other news, he noted that the county has been given “cooperator status” in the process of creating a management plan for the Columbia River system. “We are the first county to receive this status,” he said. The county has hired a part-time attorney to represent them as the plan is drafted, county commissioner Dave Stipe said.
Decker added that the county is currently undergoing a rewrite of its growth policy. Land Solutions of Charlo is rewriting the policy, he said, noting the last one was adopted in 2005.
Road improvements are being planned for several county roads, including Melita Island, Irvine Flats and Finley Point roads and Rocky Shores Lane. Some of these projects involve road improvement districts created with the help of landowners, Decker said.
