Kalispell Tax Seminar: Addressing Montana’s Failed Tax System

If you’re a homeowner in Northwest Montana, there’s a good chance you opened your property tax bill this year and thought, how did it get this high? I hear that a lot across the Flathead Valley, and the frustrating part is that last year’s tax law was touted as tax relief, but what we saw locally was something else.

I just received an invitation to a seminar titled “Montana’s Failed Tax Structure, Pitfalls and Fixes,” and it’s happening soon. It’s on March 28 at the Red Lion Inn in Kalispell. Doors open at 3:30 pm, and the seminar runs from 4:00 - 6:00 pm.

The focus is simple: what changed in the tax law passed last year, why it raised taxes for many homeowners in Western Montana, and what potential fixes might be on the table next.

Here are the key details you should know:

The Flathead and much of Western Montana got hit hard. Some people did see reductions, but many homeowners saw substantial increases. The state-wide effect was revenue-neutral, meaning there was no true overall tax reduction, just a reshuffling of who pays what. If your bill jumped, this seminar is designed to address that directly.

Four Montana lawmakers are presenting the “what happened” and “what could change” side. This is not a generic info session. It’s four people tied directly to the policy and the committees that oversee tax and state finances. Here is the list of presenters:

• Senator Carl Glimm, chair of the Finance and Claims Committee.
• Senator Greg Hertz, chair of the Senate Taxation Committee.
• Representative Terry Falk, chair of the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee.

• Representative Ed Byrne, Interim Revenue Committee.

   

The seminar will cover the law passed last year and possible fixes. The point is to walk through what the law did, what it changed in practice, and what may be adjusted in future sessions to address issues that arose after implementation. That matters because these changes are no longer theoretical; they’re already showing up in people’s bills.

There is also ongoing legal pressure around the law. Senator Greg Hertz has been named in a class-action lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the law that was passed. I did a video earlier this year on that lawsuit, and this seminar may help clarify what is being challenged and why.

What this means for Flathead Valley homeowners. If you live in and around Kalispell, Whitefish, Bigfork, Columbia Falls, or anywhere else in Northwest Montana, this is a chance to hear directly from the people involved in tax policy and ask better questions about what comes next. Whether you’re a homeowner, a landlord, or you own property that has been held in your family for years, you deserve a clear explanation for how this played out and what can realistically be fixed.

The biggest takeaway is this. If your taxes went up, you’re not imagining it, and you’re not alone. The more you understand what changed, the better prepared you’ll be to plan, appeal if needed, and push for fixes that actually help Western Montana.

If you have questions about how property taxes are affecting homeownership, rental property decisions, or your plans in the Flathead Valley, you can reach me at 406-837-5531, email ScottHollingerMT@gmail.com, or visit flatheadrealestate.com. If your property taxes jumped and you want straight answers from the people shaping the fixes, I hope you’ll join us in Kalispell on March 28.