Senate Bill No. 195

Introduced By _______________________________________________________________________________



A Bill for an Act entitled: "An Act delaying the effect of the current property reappraisal cycle; delaying the next reappraisal cycle until the year 2000; requiring the department of revenue to use the values established in 1996 for all classes of property subject to property taxation for tax years 1997 through 1999; requiring the department of revenue to value new property or reclassified property in a manner consistent with the way property was valued within the same class in 1996; amending sections 15-7-103, 15-7-111, and 15-7-221, MCA, and sections 5 and 6, Chapter 563, Laws of 1995; and providing an immediate effective date and a retroactive applicability date."



STATEMENT OF INTENT

A statement of intent is required for this bill because 15-7-111 gives rulemaking authority to the department of revenue for determining the valuation of new and reclassified property in the same manner as property was valued within the same class in 1996.

The legislature contemplates that the rules adopted by the department should address, at a minimum, the following:

(1) the base year to be used for determining the assessed value of new or reclassified property consistent with the base year of existing property in the same class;

(2) the method for determining the assessed value of new or reclassified property when a base year is not relevant to the determination of value of property in the same class; and

(3) other criteria to ensure that the assessed value of new and reclassified property is determined in the same manner as other property in the same class.



Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Montana:



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