Tuesday’s Quick Hits

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Today is Tuesday, July 25, 2023, and here are the topics for today’s commentary:

  • Great Falls Property Tax Increase
  • Montana Sales Tax
  • Prostitution-Related Offenses

GREAT FALLS PROPERTY TAX INCREASE:

Great Falls City Commissioner Rick Tryon took to his blog to spin the recently approved tax increase.

Tryon writes:

Last week the Great Falls City Commission voted 4-0 (Mayor Kelly was not present) to accept the City Manager’s FY24 budget which includes adopting the proposed total allowable property tax increase of 4.38%.

The headline of the blog post “City Property Tax Increase By $2.63 Per Month For $300,000 Home” is correct, but if you add that with the fees recently raised by the city, like for sanitation, and the proposed Public Safety levy and the proposed Bond Levy tax increases then anyone can see that the city of Great Falls residents are being taxed to death. Cascade County also increased taxes for public safety.

Although Tryon and his fellow commissioners can shove some tax and fee increases down our throats, we can stop the two biggest ones dealing with public safety this November by voting NO. We can also elect commissioners who don’t think we need to raise taxes and fees every time there’s a full moon.

MONTANA SALES TAX:

The Montana Times recently Tweeted that in the 2023-24 Revenue Interim Committee Work Plan Decision Matrix a Statewide sales tax referendum is suggested by Sens. Beard, Hertz. (Source)

It’s been a while since they put a statewide sales tax on the ballot in Montana. I think it was 1993 when it was defeated by about 74% of the voters.

I’ve lived in states where there was a sales tax. I don’t like it. I can’t imagine Montanans wanting to add a sales tax to their purchases.

In 2019, MTN News did a story about “A history of failure for the sales tax in Montana.” Check it out HERE.

What is it with Republicans wanting to raise taxes these days?

PROSTITUTION-RELATED OFFENSES:

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle (BDC) is reporting that the Bozeman Police Department arrested 18 people over three days and charged them with prostitution-related offenses. According to court documents for several of those arrested, officers posted advertisements online for prostitution and communicated with people who responded to set up a time and location to meet up. When the people who responded to the advertisement showed up at the meeting, they were met with officers and arrested.

Of those arrested, one was a school district trustee, and one was an assistant football coach. The coach has been suspended and the trustee resigned.

As someone pointed out on Twitter, there were apparently no Drag Queens arrested in the sting.

I wish Great Falls did more of these stings. It’s always interesting who they nab.

Read the complete BDC article HERE.

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5 thoughts on “Tuesday’s Quick Hits”

  1. I was not aware the prostitution clients are now charged with a felony. Previously both client & sex worker, if a real one was involved, were charged with misdemeanors. Fine up to $500 & up to 6 months in jail. Wonder, but too lazy to do research, if sex worker charged with a felony too.

  2. Noted from the referenced Tryon article that he is in favor of “tax reform” at the state level so that property taxes aren’t the only revenue source for school districts, counties, and cities. Naturally he doesn’t say what this “reform” would look like – specific ideas are not really his thing (as evidenced by his regular saying or writing of “You tell me!”). But the money he claims he wants “to live in a safe, clean, modern community with an appropriate level of public services” has to come from somewhere, as he’s always fond of mansplaining to us.

    So what are you actually in favor of to generate that replacement money, Commissioner Rick? Sales tax? Punitive local taxes on any out-of-stater who dares set foot in our town? Higher income tax rates after Gov Greg and fellow Repubs just spent two consecutive legislative sessions lowering them for top earners like themselves? Some sort of communist scheme to redistribute money from other people and locales in Montana to Great Falls? More CARES and ARPA welfare money from the Feds? (Note: Be sure to keep complaining about the Fed deficit all the while.) Maybe a clawback of tax breaks given away to TIFs and outfits like Calumet? Cutting out the “waste” that supposedly runs rampant in governments? (But not the City of Great Falls – Rick says no fat there.) ???

    Come on man, you’re the elected official who is supposed to come up with the original ideas. If you don’t have them why are you there? We could hire a chicken to sit behind the big table in your fancy black chair clucking “You tell me!”, reading motions and seconding others, and voting Yea on everything the City Manager puts in front of you, while paying it considerably less and undoubtedly being subjected to far fewer insulting lectures.

    • I don’t think you were fair to the chicken in your comments. Other than that, you’re 100% correct! -JmB

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