Senate Bill 260 sponsored by Republican Senator Greg Hertz, allows tax dollars to move more fluidly between hospital and school districts that are within the same county but face geographic obstacles, like a mountain range.
Hertz is from Polson, but the bill gets to the heart of a current conflict already playing out in southwestern Montana.
Ennis and part of Big Sky are both in Madison County. The communities are separated by the Madison mountain range, but are intertwined, as workers and tourists frequently travel between the two. And over the last few years the towns have been entangled in a dispute over special tax district boundaries–set for schools and hospitals..
To avoid a drive around the mountain, Big Sky residents want to redirect tax dollars to local schools and hospitals.
In Ennis, school and hospital districts have come to rely on the high-taxable value of Big Sky properties and resisted the loss of the tax dollars.
At its first public hearing in February, community members from Big and Ennis traveled to Helena to speak for and against SB 260.
“To spend 2 hours and 180 miles when you are sick is ridiculous."
"Redistricting would significantly raise the taxes of residents of Ennis creating a financial burden that could be devastating to many working class families."
But amendments to the bill brought both sides together. Now the bill outlines a payment plan spread out over eight years , to slowly shift away tax revenue from the old district to the new district, while allowing a path forward to redraw the school and hospital boundaries.
CEO of Madison Valley Medical Center , Allen Rohrbach, says the hospital initially did not support the bill, But the longer transition time allows for strategic planning.
“We expect there to be really no reduction in our services, in fact we will continue to expand our services and we'll continue to grow with the community.” Rohrbach said.
Danny Bierschwale, Executive Director of Big Sky Resort Area District, says there is still a lot of work to be done, but feels hopeful
“If we can find a way for us to reach a compromise and we did, at the end of the day that is going to be healthier for us as neighbors.” Bierschwale said.
Bierschwale says he doesn’t know of any other hospital districts facing the same situation, but hopes this legislation might be helpful to other school districts struggling with the same issue.
