Montana counties are suing the state Department of Revenue as part of the ongoing saga over this year’s property taxes.
The Gianforte administration says counties must collect the full tax levied by the state to equalize funding for public schools. But county officials say that tax is subject to a cap the state has ignored. The majority of counties have made plans to buck the state’s demands and collect less.
That prompted lawsuits from state education advocates and the Montana Department of Revenue, asking a district court and the state Supreme Court to weigh-in on the dispute.
Now, the Montana Association of Counties has filed its own challenge in the state’s high court, asking that the cap be enforced. County officials say they want to protect Montana taxpayers from higher property taxes. State property values have skyrocketed across the state. They say the debacle will have no impact on funding for public schools as their budgets are already set.
The association had previously requested a legal analysis from Attorney General Austin Knudsen on the matter, but he declined to provide one.