BOZEMAN — Come this November, Gallatin County voters will see a question on the ballot to raise the motor vehicle tax—that’s the tax you pay when you renew or get a new license plate—that county leaders say will be used for road maintenance.
“We moved here in '96; everyone was complaining about the growth already,” says Gallatin County resident Kristi Mills.
Waiting at the DMV is one of those things that Mills and many others don’t like doing.
“Nobody likes paying taxes, but it is what we have to do to have all the things provided,” she says.
Or even sitting in traffic during your commute, and residents like Kristi want to see change.
“We weren't built for as many cars. I think we need to improve our roads systems, improve our traffic flow,” says Mills.
It's no surprise that roads in Gallatin County are a lot busier.
“We needed it a lot seven to eight years ago,” says Gallatin County Commissioner Scott MacFarlane.
MacFarlane says the County has a limited budget to repair roads.
“To do kind of minor basic maintenance of existing roadways but upgrading of roadways is not something that we have a revenue source for,” says MacFarlane.
Which is why the county is proposing to raise the motor vehicle tax, from .5% to .7% of your vehicle’s value.
“What we estimate retained by the county would be about 3 million of that,” says MacFarlane.
In 2024, Gallatin County made $11.2 million from the motor vehicle tax. If this .2% increase passes, Gallatin County would make around $15.7 million.
Gallatin County would keep an additional $3.1 million, and cities and towns in the county would split a portion of the extra revenue collected.
“We are licensing a lot of vehicles from out of state. And this is a way to kind of capture some of that as well,” says MacFarlane.
The additional money raised would be used to fund road upgrade projects.
“What we found is that the list is enormous. I don't think that surprises anybody in our community,” says MacFarlane.
MacFarlane says roads like Cottonwood Road, Baxter Lane, and Love Lane all need upgrading.
Intersections along Alaska Road & East Cameron Bridge Road, Alaksa and East Valley Center Road, Love and Durston Road would see immediate funding for planning if the tax increase passed.
“If it is for road maintenance and to help with infrastructure I'd probably vote for it,” says Mills.
The question will appear on the November ballot. If it passes, the county will begin collecting the increased taxes starting Jan. 1, 2025.
