New tax would affect UM homeowners

University of Montana student and faculty homeowners may see an increase in their property taxes this year, but they have the ability to protest the proposal.

The Missoula City Council is considering the creation of two citywide special districts, or taxes, proposed by Mayor John Engen in the name of parks and roads.

Originally proposed as "maintenance districts," or taxes intended specifically for the maintenance of parks and roads, council members renamed the proposal "special districts," which would allow more flexibility in how the money would be spent.

If the City Council receives protests from owners of more than 50 percent of the value of land in the district, the special districts will not pass.

According to the City of Missoula, the funds the taxes would bring in this year would not go toward the maintenance of parks and roads. Instead, the money would be used to balance the city budget.

But according to council member Stacy Rye, Ward 3 representative, that's not a reason to protest the special districts.

"Filling pot holes, new roads, mowing parks, weeding parks, maintaining the bathrooms in the parks, these are the sort of tasks that this money would go to in the future," Rye said. "We are very close to not being able to do all of those things, and that's a recipe for disaster."

According to Rye, the City Council cut its budget by 4 percent last year and another 2 percent this year. "Missoula is down to the bare bones," she said. "Missoulians like their services, and I don't know how we're supposed to provide those services with the budget the way it is."

Some of the budget money is already allotted to parks and roads, which will not go unmaintained if the special districts money is not used for that purpose.

But some council members do not agree with this use of the money.

"We don't have to have special districts to balance the budget, all we have to do is go back and look at the way things are funded," said Ward 5 council member Renee Mitchell. "They fund all of the jobs in the city at 100 percent. If we cut back to funding them by 80 or 90 percent, then that money would balance the budget just as well."

Mitchell also takes issue with the districts because there is no limit to how much homeowners can be taxed. This means that any year after the districts are passed, the council can open debate to raise the tax.

"People could be paying way more than the proposal just because of council actions in the future. The special districts going through is like signing a blank check to the city," said Mitchell. "The mayor and the city are saying, ‘Trust me, trust us.' People like to know where the money is going and they like it spent efficiently."

Rye said she does not expect the value of the special districts to increase, but if the council were to debate it in the future, it would probably only increase with inflation.

The Missoula City Council will hold a public hearing to discuss the special districts on Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. The hearing will take place at 140 W. Pine St.

alyssa.small@umontana.edu