Little Property Tax Hike Predicted For Most People
 | Author:
Nancy Marks
Nancy Marks: MT43 News Secretary and News Editor |
Little Property Tax Hike Predicted For Most People
MT 43 News Staff
Most people in Broadwater County should see little increase in property taxes despite sharp gains in the appraised value of their property, finance officer Debbie Kelley told county commissioners at their regular Wednesday meeting on Sept. 6.
Commissioners approved a resolution adopting the county’s final operating budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2024. Tax bills should show up in the mail beginning Oct. 31.
Commissioner Darrel Folkvord cited a state law that he said will limit the county’s revenue from property taxes to a level that does not keep up with the rate of inflation, even while the county is expected to provide services to a growing population. “We will work with one hand tied behind our back,” he said.
Kelley said county boards and departments based their 2023-2024 budgets on last year’s revenue, so the county can keep its spending down. “If we get caught in a downturn, such as COVID was, we won’t go red in our budget,” she said.
Public Comment
JB Howick, owner of Townsend Hardware, stated that he was interested in opening a store in the Wheatland area in South Broadwater County, but wanted to know about the availability of sewer and water systems. Commissioner Lindsey Richtmyer said she would look into it and get back to him.
Businesswoman Mickie Imberi, too, wanted to know about sewer and water service available to businesses in the Wheatland area and she questioned the commissioners about noise ordinances, nuisance activities and abandoned vehicles in South Broadwater. Imberi is the owner of a tow truck and wrecking yard service located near Bridger Brewing at the Highway 287-Interstate 90 Interchange area. She complained of late evening noise from concerts at the brewery. She also complained that men who attend brewery concerts often urinate in the open near her property. Imberi noted also that the state’s newly constructed Missouri Headwaters highway rest area has not yet opened. She said this results in men truck drivers pulling over to urinate wherever including in her driveway. “I’m asking Broadwater County to give me some teeth with an ordinance to help me with these problems,” she said.
School Budget Report
Townsend Public Schools Superintendent Susie Hedalen presented the 2023-2024 annual school budget report, which the commissioners approved.
Hedalen reported that high school enrollment declined during the years of the COVID epidemic, from 232 students in 2019 to 195 this year. The school board and staff have worked at countering that loss through school-to-work internships with businesses and offering students college credits for some classes. Conversely, elementary school attendance has continued to grow, from 473 students in 2019 to 539 this year.
She emphasized the Century 21 grant which the school was awarded now pays for the Friday fifth-day school activities. Townsend Schools adopted a four-day week class schedule beginning this month. Regular classes run only Monday through Thursday.
Hedalen’s report included information that 35 homeless students attend Townsend Schools. The school assists them and their families with money from grants and by partnering with social service nonprofit organizations Family Promise and the Friendship Center. Those funds help pay for clothing, motel stays, musical instruments and gas cards. She also indicated the budget showed an increase in support for special education students and families.
Hedalen noted that the school’s low-power radio station, KDGZ 98.3 FM, is no longer broadcasting due to “technical aging out”. The station cost the school district $10,000 to operate last year, she said, and is no longer used for disaster and emergency services broadcasts.
The biggest challenges for the coming school year are the lack of employee housing and difficulty hiring bus drivers. One teacher is still without long-term housing. Two of the school buses are in line to be replaced when the budget allows, and Hedalen would like to see the school buy a 14-passenger van to cut fuel costs for transporting small groups.
Deputy County Attorney Jania Hatfield presented a contract for the county to hire Ascent Auction Services to sell by public auction the now-vacant Family Medical Clinic building on the southwest corner of the county courthouse ground. The auction contract calls for a professionally prepared appraisal after which the building would be sold by auction for no less than 90 percent of the appraised value. The buyer will be responsible for moving.
