Reassessed Properties Could Lead To Significant Tax Bill Surprises For Missoula Residents
Missoula residents should expect to see tax bills in their mail box on Thursday, October 26. According to Missoula County Clerk and Treasurer Tyler Gernand, some properties were significantly reassessed this year. Those changes might come as a surprise to some people, but there are actions that can be taken if they deem their assessment to be unfair.
“They can file their AB-26, which is an informal request for reappraisal with the Department of Revenue in Missoula County and that will start the process,” said Gernand. “If you would like to contest the process, at this point you are probably too late to have that fixed before taxes are due, which means you will also need to pay your taxes under protest.”
Gernand says paying taxes under protest could result in a refund in the future.
“For some reason if they decide that your value was assessed too high because they didn’t use the correct comparables or whatever method they used wasn’t as accurate as it should have been, then paying your taxes under protest ensures that you can get that money back,” Gernand said. “If you don’t pay them under protest, the law prohibits us from refunding you the difference.”
For those who don’t want to wait until Thursday, Gernand says taxes are available online right here.