Today, Montana state Senators voted to pass a bill to give schools bordering Montana’s oil country more of the taxes generated from oil development in their area.
Though this bill, Senate Bill 260, previously got unanimous support from the state Senators, many changed their mind. One of those is Senate Minority Leader Jon Sesso of Butte. He says the new version would end after 10 years instead of three, uses more money and it would be better rolled into the infrastructure plan.
“If we want to move $5 million of these natural resource payments to these counties, it should be in the context of the greater infrastructure program that we have in mind."
The bill’s sponsor, Republican Senator Eric Moore of Miles City, says this would cost just as much, and that this money needs to get out of the older so-called “concentric circle models,” where excess taxes for schools goes back to Helena.
“So it’s a way to leap-frog, if you will, circles and get it out to some of the border towns where it’s needed.”
The bill passed the Senate 28-21.