Montana’s real estate bonanza turns political as property taxes soar

GLEN, Mont. - The pastoral expanse that Art Mangels has called home for 10 years comes with views of snowy peaks, banks on the trout-rich Big Hole River and acres of grasslands traversed by bears, moose and muskrats.

These days,it also comes with a property tax bill 35 percent higher than in 2022.

The spike is one effect of a western Montana pandemic real estate boom that has transformed Bozeman, two hours away, into what Mangels calls “Bozeangeles,” and is reverberating here in Beaverhead County, where cows far outnumber people. The ripples are threatening to cross from personal into political. Like other longtime residents, Mangels has soured on the state’s crimson-red legislature and governor.

“What’s happened is the real rich people have bought up a lot of acreage, a lot of big ranches,” the retired potato farmer, who now runs struggling fishing cabin rentals, said as he sat at the kitchen table in the cozy home he shares with his wife. “We’re farmers over 50 years, and then for 10 years here, we’ve contributed greatly to the economy. And now we’re getting penalized for it.”

Four years after covid sent a new class of remote workers in search of stunning scenery and cheaper housing across the Mountain West, residents are reeling from tax hikes driven by extraordinary growth in property values. While taxes remain relatively low, theincreases have been jolting to homeowners already stressed by higher gas, grocery and insurance prices. The Montana Free Press reported that some counties here saw median increases of up to 46 percent.

The resulting public outcry has gripped legislatures and spawned a range of proposals for a problem that is inherently complex. Property taxes are a major funding source for local services and especially important in a state such as...