Polson receives grant
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The infrastructure bills are now being heard in the House Appropriations Committee. Representative Mike Cuffe, R-Eureka has done a great job putting grants and loans into manageable pieces. And several items assist our area.
Polson will receive $750,000 for wastewater treatment, Hot Springs $103,000 and Whitefish $500,000. Another grant gives Polson, Hot Springs, Whitefish, Buffalo Rapids Irrigation Project, and Foys Lake $125,000. There is $500,000 for invasive species prevention. As part of the quality schools grants, Polson elementary will receive $968,823 and Arlee $375,000 for boiler work.
These grant programs are taxpayer money given free for local needs. No repayment required. There is always a debate. Billings legislators point out that they pay a huge amount of taxes and these grants primarily assist smaller areas. I believe that giving grants and bonding is a better use of state funds than loans.
The revenue estimate is still a contentious issue. The problem is the $350 million difference. The governor’s staff forecasts a higher growth rate for the next few years. If the legislative estimate is correct there may be no structural balance and the governor and/or the legislature will have to make cuts. If the governor’s estimate is right we may leave too much money and the executive branch can spend it. The governor and agencies seem to find ways around the requirement that only the legislature appropriate the money.
The House begins hearing HB 2, the budget bill, on Wednesday, March 18. The governor’s budget is an increase of 13 or 14 percent over the last biennium. We have reduced the increases to around 5 percent. I present section A, general government, to the senate. We were able to keep our part to about 3 percent. Education and Health and Human Services take the most money.
We need to return some of the overtaxing to the taxpayers. SB 200 (Ankney, R-Colstrip) would cost about one-third of our surplus. SB 200 would go into effect for 2016 and reduce our state income taxes by a small amount. The lowest bracket would go down from 1 percent to .9 percent and our top bracket would go from 6.9 percent to 6.7 percent.
We passed a property tax reappraisal bill out of Senate Tax. SB 157 reduces the reappraisal time frame from 6 years to 2 years. It also removes an assistance program that will not work well in the future and the homestead deduction. The new rate will account for the homestead removal.
Remember that even though appraised values have remained the same or even been reduced in our area, taxes will not go down. Mill values float so that the county can raise enough for their needs. Lake County has seen more land in tribal trust, and the sale of Kerr Dam will be finalized in September.
Lots of great emails and calls. Leave me a message at (406) 444-4800 because my cell phone, 253-8766, is usually off. Email sen.janna.taylor@mt.gov. I am working for you.
