By Guest Writer Representative Jane Weber
There is a dangerous petition circling Montana. When approached, DO NOT SIGN CI-134. Like the Sirens calling in Ulysses with their beautiful voices, paid signature gatherers are calling on voters to sign a petition that could be the death knell for city and county governments. The lure of stabilizing property taxes is sweet bait to an unsuspecting fish, but don’t bite the hook. Why? Because when something sounds simple, it usually is hiding the truth. And the truth is this . . .
CI-134 creates a fixed property tax formula that decimates local government funding. If you like smooth roads, police protection, rapid response to your house on fire, clean drinking water, libraries, restaurant and swimming pool safety inspections, and your local fairgrounds, kiss it all goodbye. This initiative unravels city and county funding by limiting property tax growth to 2% per parcel per year for all taxing categories – residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural and more. It also sets the baseline to the lesser of the property taxes paid in 2024 or 2025 or 2026.
CI-134 would disproportionately benefit wealthy out-of-staters. The biggest second homes would get some of the biggest tax cuts while the rest of us are left with the bag.
CI-134 deceptively sounds favorable because it states voted levies are exempted from the 2% cap. Don’t be fooled. In reality, CI-134 changes how voters choose local levies by requiring a majority vote of the qualified electorate. That’s the total number of qualified voters, NOT a majority of those who took the interest in voting. It would be easy-peasy to kill a local levy by simply encouraging people not to vote.
Finally, CI-134 alters our Montana Constitution, something difficult to unravel once set into play. We cherish our Constitution, don’t let the majority lock in bad policy.
CI-134 is not right for Montana. When asked to sign, Just DON’T Do IT.