by Travis Mateer
What scapegoats are being used to deflect local anger away from the reality of a Democrat-led economic malaise? According to the Missoula Current’s reporting, Mayor Davis used “inflation and priorities” as the factors creating a “structural imbalance” compelling our elected officials to raise taxes. And, of course, the state of Montana is also partially blamed for the tax increase. From the link (emphasis mine):
Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis on Monday said “inflation and priorities” continue to outpace the city’s ability to generate new revenue, creating a structural imbalance that will require an ongoing evaluation of services and new revenue tools.
Others said the state’s tax system was fundamentally broken and has shifted the cost of essential services squarely onto property owners while industry and corporations enjoy deep tax cuts and the state overlooks other revenue sources, including Montana’s vast tourism industry.
The criticism of emergency mills and tax levies supposedly required to maintain emergency services and expand homeless programs don’t receive much attention from legacy media, but on social media it’s a different story. Here are some comments I ran across this morning that I think are worth sharing:
Yep, locals are aware of Tax Increment Financing and some of them don’t let our local officials get away with the condescending bullshit shoveled into their faces by Councilors like Gwen Jones. Anytime I see valid criticism of Tax Increment Financing I think about the documentary, Engen’s Missoula, that I helped make in order to elevate the TIF topic here in Zoom Town. Success!
While the new Missoulian editor, Skiggy, tells readers paying the subscription fee why local journalism is best when it’s a two-way street, other media outlets can’t seem to accurately report HOW MUCH the tax increase will be.
Is the tax increase 11%, as reported by the Missoula Current?
The new budget includes a 5.8% tax increase. When the fire levy is added, it brings this year’s city tax increase to more than 11% – not including any increases brought by the county, schools or the state.
Or is it 16%, as reported by NBC Montana?
Missoula City Council approved a new city budget for 2025 on Monday. The new budget will add a 16% increase in property taxes for Missoula residents.
“I want to say this budget focused on maintaining core services and community priorities,” Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis said.
Good job, local media! No wonder I rely on social media so much to ascertain what’s REALLY going on in this community.
If you appreciate MY contribution to the task of figuring out what’s really going on in this community, then please consider donating to Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF). Any little bit helps.
Thanks for reading!
“I want to say this budget focused on maintaining core services and community priorities,” Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis said. The mayor WANTS to say this, but she knows that she cannot since the budget contains the wishes (not needs) of the mayor, city council, and city departments.
Anyone that is pro-big developer or pro Airbnb that’s on the city council or in our government needs to be investigated for how many crossover LLC payments they’re taking
They only need to be reported to the IRS at this point and unless there’s investigation they don’t have to tell you how many of these cross fundings they did
Are mayor coming from 20 plus years in the nonprofit housing sector that her husband has an empire rentals do you think that she didn’t subvert something or anything to help her situation in the world
Also potential LLC crossovers just look at the two garbage piles they built as low income housing
If they were truly concerned about the citizens they would be concerned that the money spent on rent would stay in this valley instead of go to Colorado springs or Phoenix Arizona
They’ve moved into the development they’re not developers they’re council people who can grease the wheels for developers thus the renewable position
Can’t think this happens John angan did it he did it with a house on 3rd Street Jackson contracting gave to him and disguise the whole transaction through Maggie’s development LLC
why would Jackson give the mayor a house oh I don’t know Jackson’s the one who remodeled the satellite police office came in under budget
This is what happens when you allow situations like the TIF program to take taxpayer oversight and shove it back up your keister All they do is they please with your overtaxation
If you go back to edict is that property taxes cover all the central services not let’s raise another Levy to cover essential services they got addicted to the ARPA bump that everyone got and now there’s none for the citizens and the government wants it to continue it’s a farce a grift All meant to keep them in the money while we suffer were commodity a product a resource we’re not humans
And you’re really smart if you can squeeze the resource to make your wealth even if it makes them poor broke destitute and disgustingly hateful
They must do worse The leaders of our government will punch down on the house with people and allowing encourage the citizens to do the same thing thus stoking the fires of give me your money give me your money I need to fix this I need to fix this
fiasco is get over the 10 years of in-house listening to Missoula and gets program didn’t even reduce housesness
The number stayed consistently the same
Less than half of 1% of this town is causing all this uproar because less than a 10th of 1% is stoking the fires to get you to open your wallets
Don’t fall for this b******* Make them suck up their belt and tighten their belt like we have to
I’ve said it before I’ll say it here if you look at our mayor and her maniacal smile and then think this side she’s looking at the public laughing to herself going they have no clue what I’m getting away with all the rentals I bought all the housing I can set up all the perpetuity payments I’m getting and that smile tells it all look at her smile and think I’m ripping off the people I represent and they don’t have a clue
You’ll see what I see