Tax meeting

On Tuesday, Jan. 19, there will be a Lake County town hall meeting for anyone interested in solutions to our property tax problems. Several of the legislators from our area who are working on solutions will join me in the second floor conference room of the Lake County Courthouse in Polson.

Because we will start at 6:30 p.m., we will have to enter through the sheriff’s door on the west side of the building. That door has a buzzer to allow entry.

Sen. Verdell Jackson and representatives Scott Reichner, John Fleming and I will be joined by commissioner Bill Barron. Knowledgeable citizen Kyle Karstens will be there, and Sen. John Brueggeman and Rep. Mark Blasdel hope to attend. The Department of Revenue Director Dan Bucks and Scott Williams from the DOR Kalispell office, are not able to be there, but have offered to help in a pre-meeting conference call. Governor Brian Schweitzer has also been invited. Others have been invited, but property owners that would like to help us work on solutions are the most important attendees. We have many plans and ideas that we wish to share. We have heard many of the problems, now let’s work on answers.

The large conference room holds about 115 people. If we can’t get everyone in, we will hold another town hall meeting. See you on Jan. 19.

On a different subject, have you heard that our governor has asked agencies for a 5 percent budget reduction? His budget director has even said that it might be 10 percent by the time the next session starts. More about this budget train-wreck next month.

Contact me at 849-6096, write Rep. Janna Taylor, P.O. Box 233, Dayton, MT 59914, or e-mail me at jannataylor@montana.com.