Condon
Condon, MT · Business
Whitefish Pilot
Opinion: Keeping Whitefish on solid footing under Montana’s new property taxes
Montana’s recent changes to property taxation are reshaping what homeowners see on their tax bills: FY26 moved from a flat 1.35% residential rate to a graduated structure, and FY27 introduces a Homestead Exemption with primary residences and long‑term rentals remaining on a graduated structure, while second homes and short‑term rentals are taxed at a flat 1.9%. For Whitefish, prudence matters. The City has relied on carry‑forward mills, a financial shock absorber, to avoid sudden tax spikes. Recognizing real risk that the Legislature may eliminate this cushion, the Council chose on a 4-3 vote, to use more mills now. We moved from 27.82 carry‑forward mills at the end of FY26 to 11.59 at the end of FY27. This decision is about stability, not spending for spending’s sake. This decision also helps us avoid leaning on reserves for day‑to‑day operations and fund planned capital improvements not instead of using reserves or deferring projects to future years. What does this mean for a typical primary residence? Based on the mill levy and assessments needed to balance the budget, a $1,000,000 home will see less than a 6.6% increase in the City portion of the tax bill, which totals about $53 a year, or
Flathead Beacon
Floor Space: What You Can Buy for About $890,000
Set on 1.85 acres with sweeping views of Flathead Lake and the Swan Mountains, this three-bedroom home offers main-floor living plus a finished basement for recreation or guests. A deep attached garage adds workshop space, and the mid-century character is ready for a personal touch. It’s a 3-minute drive to the Lakeside public beach. Dean & Leininger, Inc.
The Western News
Three Lincoln Co. fire companies receive Town Pump grants
The Town Pump Charitable Foundation has provided grants totaling nearly $1.2 million to 81 volunteer firefighting groups across Montana this summer, including three serving the Libby area. The total was about $425,000 more than the Foundation originally planned to provide, but following overwhelming response to the grant offer, the Foundation increased its grant budget. The grants will be used for a variety of life-saving equipment, including turnouts (fire-safety suits), SCBAs (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus), rescue equipment, pumps, and automated external defibrillators and training. In the Libby area, the Libby Volunteer Fire Department received $20,000 for personal protection equipment (PPE), the Fisher River Valley Fire Rescue received $20,000 for a Lucas CPR kit and the Troy Volunteer Fire Department received $20,000 a live-burn training facility. "We appreciate the commitment of volunteer firefighters across Montana,” said Bill McGladdery, director of corporate communications for Town Pump. “Their needs for personal protective equipment, SCBAs, training resources and other equipment were greater than what we had originally forecasted. We hope that these grant funds to volunteer fire departments will help strengthen our Montana communities.”
Char-Koosta News
SKHA Opens New Transitional Supportive Housing in Ronan
PABLO — The Salish & Kootenai Housing Authority (SKHA) cut the ribbon on its newest Transitional Supportive Housing facility Aug. 20, celebrating the opening with staff, contractors and the families who will live there. The facility builds on the model of SKHA’s Transitional Living Center in Pablo, offering a...
Lake County Leader
Polson continues in ‘okay’ tax revenue this budget season due to growth
As Montana’s taxable values have continued to change over the last few years, small cities have felt the impact, leaving them with a less reliable basis for projecting their next budget. The changes led to cuts in the City of Polson’s last year’s budget, and with 2026 taxable values...
montanian.com
Libby Employers Should Protect The First-Job Workload
Montana’s apprenticeship expansion aims to grow work-based learning while AI changes how work gets done. Libby employers should protect the work that turns beginners into professionals. Stanford Digital Economy Lab’s August update found the employment shortfall for workers ages 22–25 in highly AI-exposed occupations widened from 15% to 19%...
Lake County Leader
Bison Valley Farms raises lavender, dahlias, sunflowers and so much more
The lavender plants are rounded puffs stirring gently with the breeze. The fragrance is ahead — clean, calming, but not too sweet — and the bees are buzzing happily in the endless rows. The plants must grow well in the calmness, quiet, goodness and caring CarolAnne Rozelle exudes...
Hungry Horse News
Most homeowners will see city tax decrease
Owners of primary residences in the city of Columbia Falls should see their property taxes go down this year, while owners of second homes and short-term rentals will see their taxes go up. That was the message last week as city council continued its review of the 2026-27 budget. A primary residence assessed for $600,000 this year will see an estimated city general fund tax bill of about $777, a decrease of about $359 over 2025. That’s due to the resort tax rebate and changes in state property tax formulas. A $600,000 second home, or short-term rental, will see a tax increase of $558.54. The state Legislature in 2025 changed the tax formula, which lowered the tax rate on primary residences, but increased it on secondary homes and short-term rentals and other income producing properties. Long term rentals also enjoy a lower tax rate. But there are other city taxes in play. The city’s medical levy, for example, amounts to $207 on the same home, the lighting district about $14 and street maintenance about $104. The street maintenance levy falls far short of what the city needs to maintain its streets, City Manager Eric Hanks noted to council, and it
Flathead Beacon
Floor Space: What You Can Buy for About $540,000
Custom built in 2008 on a peaceful half acre between East and West Glacier, this three-bedroom retreat offers warm wood accents, a wood-burning fireplace, and a covered front porch. The durable metal roof adds peace of mind, and the location puts Glacier National Park, the Izaak Walton ski trails, and the Bob Marshall Wilderness within easy reach. National Parks Realty – Whitefish.
NBCMontana
StanCraft Companies returns to Montana roots with new Kalispell office
KALISPELL, Mont. — A Montana company with nearly a century of history is coming home. StanCraft Companies returns to the Flathead Valley, opening its new Kalispell office nearly 100 years after the company first got its start. The company started on the shores of Flathead Lake, in Lakeside, in...
NBCMontana
Twin Willows becomes Flathead Valley’s 5th resident-owned community
KALISPELL, Mont. — In the Flathead Valley, 55 households are taking control of their housing future, after residents joined together to buy the land beneath their manufactured homes, creating the valley’s fifth resident-owned community. Twin Acres and Willow Glen, two manufactured home communities in south Kalispell, are now...
Valley Press - Mineral Independent
‘Remain calm’: First batch of Dixon Melons hit local markets
POLSON — The Dixon melon harvest started last week, with the coveted fruit quickly dispersed to Charlo and St. Ignatius grocery stores and the Polson Farmers Market. The 30-minute wait in the long line at the farmers market didn’t dampen patrons' urge for the sweet melons. The first truckload of melons won’t last long at the markets during the beginning of the harvest season, explained Faus Silvernail, the Dixon Melons farm owner and operator. Silvernail said he knows people are anxious for the melons, but he advised them to “remain calm,” because this is only the first wave of the harvest. “We'll be where we usually go as soon as we got the melons,” Silvernail said. The melons take 80 to 90 days to mature. The farm spaces out plantings to have a consistent harvest throughout the season. As long as there are no weather events, the melons will be harvested until mid-September. Dixon Melons is owned and operated by Faus and his wife Cassie. In total, they typically plant around 50- to 60,000 plants, which can sometimes grow multiple melons. Silvernail said once they have a good amount harvested, they will open the local farm stand in Dixon and
Flathead Beacon
Flathead Forest Set to Approve Swan Valley Logging Project Under Emergency Authority
Land managers with the Flathead National Forest plan to approve a fuels-reduction project in the Swan Valley near Holland Lake using an emergency determination on the grounds that it lies in a “high-risk fireshed,” according to an Aug. 18 decision notice. Foresters say the project is eligible for an Emergency Action Determination (EAD) because it proposes to reduce wildfire risk while preserving the area’s old-growth forests.
Lake County Leader
‘Remain calm’: The first batch of Dixon Melons is here
Last week, the first picking of the Dixon melon harvest started, and it was quickly dispersed to Charlo and St. Ignatius grocery stores and the Polson Farmers’ Market. Of course, the 30-minute wait in the long-stretching line at the Polson Farmers’ Market didn’t dampen patrons' urge for the sweet melons. That truckload of melons won’t last very long at the markets during the beginning of their harvest season, explained Faus Silvernail, the Dixon Melons farm owner and operator. Silvernail explained that he knows people are anxious for the melons, but he advises them to “remain calm,” because this is only their first wave of the harvest. “We'll be where we usually go as soon as we got the melons,” Silvernail said. Silvernail said the melons take 80 to 90 days to mature and that they space out plantings so they have a consistent harvest throughout the season. As long as there are no weather events, the melons will be harvested until mid-September. Dixon Melons is owned and operated by Faus and his wife Cassie. In total, they typically plant around 50- to 60,000 plants, which can sometimes grow multiple melons. Silvernail said once they have a good amount harvested, they