Communities that collect a resort tax can spend that money on services like police, property tax relief or local infrastructure. Whitefish Democratic Sen. Dave Fern’s bill adds workforce housing to that list.
Montana’s resort communities struggle to offer affordable housing for local and seasonal workers. Business owners say it’s getting harder to find employees because of that. The housing crunch also comes as the Trump administration is pausing or cutting federal affordable housing programs.
Proponents stemmed from Montana’s biggest resort communities.
"It allows our community to solve our own problems without having to seek any additional funding from our county, our state, or the federal government," Jackie Haines with the Big Sky Resort Area District said.
The bill now awaits final consideration from Gov. Greg Gianforte. State lawmakers are also considering a similar bill.
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