Reappraisal 'relief ' a good idea

A $400 rebate for Montana homeowners, we've noted before, just doesn't amount to significant property tax relief, much less reform.

But that's all we got from the 2007 Legislature and Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer on the property tax front, despite the efforts of Republicans to create a more meaningful long-term change.

Now it seems that the governor, to his credit, is aiming to do more as well.

Schweitzer announced recently that he wants the state's routine six-year reappraisal of property values to be revenue neutral. In other words, the governor says that although property values are going up substantially in many areas, he will propose legislation to ensure that actual tax revenues do not increase as a result.

Of course, that doesn't mean individual tax bills won't rise, but it could help mitigate the steepest increases.

Still, it remains to be seen exactly how protective the governor's legislation will be for areas such as Flathead and Gallatin counties, where property values are booming far ahead of most places in the state.

These are the areas that are arguably in most need of property tax relief. The owners of big new homes can probably afford big tax bills, but big new homes can drive taxes to intolerable extremes for people in normal-sized homes, too, particularly those with fixed incomes.

The last reappraisal was conducted in 2003, with residential property values increasing by an average of 21 percent. The next valuation must be complete by 2009.

For Flathead County, this isn't a secondary, trivial issue. Property tax relief, for as long as we can remember, has been a major issue for Democratic and Republican legislative candidates who have campaigned door-to-door, talking with their prospective constituents.

But true relief never seems to come about. So Schweitzer's reappraisal fix may be the best hope we have to get protection for homeowners in the Flathead.