Hungry Horse news., 1955-08-26
District and Falls Taxes Take Big Drop

This is fhe final Hungry Horse
News detailed story deIving into
valuations, taxes and finally the TO-
tai mill levies.
Next November and May, taxes
paid in School District will be 20
per cent less than paid a year ago.
Columbia Falls residents will pay
1875 per cent less taxes on the same
piece of property than they did a
year ago.
elsewhere
In Kalispel there will be frac-
ton of one per cent decrease, and
in Whitefish about a per cent in.
crease. Slight decreases or increas-
es are essentially pattern over the
Flathead except for Columbia Falls
and District with decreases, and
increases where there are new
schools. Evergreen shows a 10 per
cent increase. The small Foys Lake
district has a 81 per cent increase
in levy to replace burned school,
and Marion went up So per cent for
a school, Districts with small tax
bases often pay for new schools
through high levies rather than bond
issues.
The reason District and Column
bia Falls taxes are lower is princi-
pally the impact of the new Anacon-
da Aluminium Co. plant and addition
al Columbia Falls housing.
AAc IMPACT
The Anaconda plant has an as
sessed valuation, as of last March,
Of SIG, 200, 44O, compared to $18,-
177,758 for the whole city of Kalis-
pell. Columbia Falls valuations this
year totaled $1,000, 284, up from last
years $1,894,6 91. The increase is
more than occurred in Whitefish
and Kalispel together.
District tax base as a result is
1886, 621 more than doubling from
last years SO, 1888.
The addition of the AAC plan
saw Flathead county's valuation
jump to $78,945, 062 from $62, PSI ,85'
, and the tax base total $22, ,00'
up from $17,7O5, 900.
AS result despite an approx
mate 10 per cent increase in antici
pated expenditures by the county
the mill levy for county purpose
dropped to 1884 from 1912.
SCHOOL COSTS UP
Schools of the Flathead generall
are spending more money in 1855
$ than they did in 1954-55. County Supt
Lulu Barnard reports that tota
school expenditures in the count
; for elementary purposes is budget
S ed for 81, 694, 1888 next year com
; pared to ST, 578, 582.85 last year, an
= that high school budgets total 81
! 0O5, 6O982 up from last years $917
095.62. There are about 5000 grad
$ school and 1900 high school stuG
i ents in the Flathead with gradus
: enrolment increases.
q The budgets are made up by tn
4 individual school boards, and mos
. of them are somewhat larger TO
1856. If a districts taxes are high
er, it is largely a result of an In
crease in school costs.
!, Other smaller factors of increas
= = are the costs of city government
), CITY GOVERNMENT COST
n Columbia Falls residents this yea
# are to pay 41.21 mills or a third {
g their total real estate taxes fe
= city government. The 41.21 lev
q compares to 1893 last year.
h Kalispell residents pay nearer
q fourth of their total taxes to cit
government with a levy Of 41.6 mil
:, up from 1874 last year. Columbi
"a Falls residents total levy is 1872
= and Kalispell, 1915. Whitefish eli
: taxes are also up.
: Levy for state purposes is Z mil
q up /.
: Bad Rock section of District
= residents will have somewhat 10,
y er levy-79.71 mills compared
. 8O92-they don't pay for bonded i
!. debtedness Martin City and Co
II u am schools) incurred before thu
:, - voted to join District 6. This is Il
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