Missoula County: No Rural Property Taxes for Homeless Shelter

Faced with the ongoing backlash over high property taxes, and how the money is being spent, Missoula County commissioners are trying to dispel rumors some of the dollars are going to a controversial homeless shelter.

And the board wants people to understand that if they're in the rural corners of Missoula County, their tax payments aren't involved in funding the operation.

The criticism comes after Missoula County agreed to partner with the City of Missoula to help finance the operation of the Johnson Street shelter earlier this month.

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Who's paying for the Johnson Street Shelter?

The city opened the Johnson Street Center as a way of helping to provide temporary shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as the city's homeless population has grown, local leaders have kept the shelter open. And the city, along with Missoula County recently approved a plan to keep the shelter operational for the next two years.

The contract with the Poverello Center has the city and county splitting the $1.8-million dollar cost to the end of August 2025.

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Add taxes to the public's concerns

The Johnson Street Shelter has already stirred controversy around safety and impacts on the surrounding neighborhood. But this month's decision to fund the center adds to objections from outside the city. Residents in Condon are circulating a petition to succeed from Missoula County because they're concerned about taxes and representation.

This week, the county posted a clarification on its Facebook page, saying property taxes from rural county residents aren't being used for the shelter.

"This is false. While the County's FY25 budget includes $900,000 allocated for the Johnson Street Shelter, these funds come from a Tax Increment Financing district within the City of Missoula."

The county says the money is generated by taxes paid by property owners, but only within that district near the shelter. Anyone living outside the TIF isn't helping to pay for the operation.

If you'd like to read more about the county's budget, visit this link.