By CHRIS PETERSON

Hungry Horse News

The Columbia Falls City Council last week got a hint at what’s to come in the ‘24-’25 budget. City manager Susan Nicosia recommended a 5% increase in the street maintenance and lighting assessment. The increase is due to increased costs associated with maintaining and lighting the city’s 39 miles of streets.

The city will also hire an additional police officer, which would ensure that two officers are working nights. 

Nicosia also reported that the resort tax to date has raised close to $1.5 million in revenue, but the tax rebate to homeowners will be less than last year, as the city estimated it would have higher revenue.

Last year the city estimated the resort tax would bring in about in about $780,000. It actually brought in more than $1.5 million.

Under state law, any tax collected above the city’s estimate goes back to the property taxpayers in addition to what is already called for under the law. The city this year estimated the tax would be higher after seeing how much it raised last year.

The resort tax already has a property tax rebate built into it — 25% of the tax goes toward property tax relief under the law. So taxpayers will still see a rebate, just not as much as last year, which amounted to anywhere from $200 to more than $400 per home, depending on assessed value.

In other news of financial importance:

• The city finalized the purchase of a new fire truck. The truck will cost $785,000, with the rural share about $487,000 and the balance the city’s expense.

The rural share is determined by a formula that accounts for the number of calls and the taxable value of each entity. The Columbia Falls Fire District is much larger than just the city limits, which also means it pays a larger share of the cost.