Montana Lawmakers Ask Court to Void Property Tax Legislation

Montana’s legislature violated the state constitution when it passed a property tax overhaul that included $90 million in cash rebates to voters, a trio of opposing lawmakers said in a complaint filed Wednesday.

Current state senators Greg Hertz and Tom McGillvray and former senator Keith Regier asked the Montana District Court, Gallatin County, to invalidate Senate Bill 542, which they say is a textbook case of “logrolling” unpopular legislation with more a more palatable bill.

S.B. 542 was originally a three-page bill to temporarily freeze property valuations across the board for two years, which “would benefit all Montana property owners ...