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Erin Farris-Olsen is a doer. Erin respects the law, and her approach as a candidate to be the next Clerk of the Montana Supreme Court will be to use her legal expertise to support all Montanans. As your elected official, Erin won’t play politics. That’s why I’m not goin’ with Bowen (Greenwood), who uses the office to promote his personal political agenda. We can do better! Not only does Erin know how to get things done, she also believes in a better Montana. On election day, remember to cast your vote for integrity and honor, and check the box...
Do you own a home and wonder what it’s worth? You can easily look up your address on Zillow and see the estimated value is rapidly rising, translating to more property taxes. Too many Montana families cannot keep up with an annual $249 million property tax increase imposed by Republican Governor Gianforte and his party in the Legislature. Yet, after months of analysis by the Governor’s property tax task force, they recommended a complicated process that will raise our taxes again. Why didn’t they didn’t consider the new taxes they already...
Trash is something we all have to deal with and living in the Seeley Lake area can be a bit challenging with hungry bears as neighbors. That's why Clearwater Valley Bear Smart has been trying to help local citizens better manage their garbage and avoid bear conflicts. Wrapping up a successful Bear Fair in June, Alan Davis, the Clearwater Valley Bear Smart Coordinator, and Jamie Jonkel, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Bear Management Specialist, delivered 24 bear resistant garbage containers to...
With cloudy skies threatening rain, the Clearwater Valley Bear Smart event kicked off the Dogtown Bear Fair on Sunday, June 29 hosted at the home of Cheri and Steve Thompson. More than 100 neighbors gathered from the Dogtown community for a delicious picnic and to learn about bear behavior and safety tips from several organizations. Gathering together with friends made for a fun way to learn and explore all things bear. Here are a few highlights from the fair: Are you smarter than the average...
Well, the next step in your residential property tax increase is happening. Banks are sending updated "mortgage bills" to homeowners. Guess what? You owe more money! Recently, a young friend reached out, concerned about his $100 monthly mortgage increase and he didn't know why. That's a lot of money — $1,200 a year. Drumroll for the explanation. Since the bill comes from the bank, it's the lender's fault, right? Nope. By law, a residential mortgage statement must show the escrow portion — the amount you pay for insurance and taxes for your hom...
I’m definitely not. Everywhere I go, people are grumbling about how much their property taxes increased. But if you think nobody is happy, you’re wrong. Governor Gianforte and the Republican legislative supermajority raised our property taxes. Yep, it’s true, and it was intentional. Sure, taxes are complicated, and we pay them because we have to. So, you might be asking an obvious question, like I did: Why in the heck would Republican leadership want homeowners to pay more in their property tax bill? The answer is simple math -- the gover...
OK, armed and ready, I sat down with a computer, a postcard and letter from Governor Gianforte and two letters from his Revenue Department on how to get a property tax rebate. Logged on to website and bonk – What’s a geocode? Frustrated, I set the paperwork aside. Days later, thought I’d try again and Googled, “What is a Montana Geocode?” Good ole Google took me to a website with four pages of instructions on how to get the code necessary to complete an application for a tax rebate. Adding more paperwork to the pile, I found the 17-digit...
As someone who has spent my career in the private sector, nonprofit sector and two decades in public service for the state of Montana, including working for Governor Brian Schweitzer, I am supporting Whitney Williams for Governor and her running mate Buzz Mattelin. As a team they bring exactly what I believe Montana needs to move forward at this very difficult time. Whitney and Buzz are leaders and problem solvers with vast experience in Montana and beyond. They will consider the needs of all of Montana, including small and rural towns often...
