Nathan Dugan

for Flathead County Commissioner

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What did your county property tax actually do?

The commissioners keep saying they cut our property taxes. But the county collected 41% more in property tax this year than in 2022. Take out the jail bond voters approved, and it is still 34% more.

If you live here full time, your county bill went down anyway. That is because the Legislature changed how homes are taxed. Without that, your county tax would have gone up.

Type your address or name below to see yours.

Your street address, like 307 Edgewood Dr. Or the owner’s name, last name first, like Smith John.

We use this only to find your property in public records. We don’t keep it or share it.

Or type in the numbers from your bills

Open the county tax site and find your property. For 2022, click the number under Statement# to open the bill. For 2026, use the bill you got in the mail. Numbers you type here never leave your computer.

Look up your tax bills

Your two county totals

On your 2022 bill: SUB-TOTAL – Taxes For County Functions.

On your 2026 bill, the CO COUNTY slice of the pie chart. Online, click Detail, then View Pie Chart. If a water and sewer line is tagged CO, take it out.

One more line from 2026

Find this line by name in the list on your 2026 bill. Online, click Detail. It is marked OTHER there.

Only this line goes here. Don’t use the OT OTHER slice of the pie.

The line FECC SPECIAL DIST. This is 911 dispatch.

Optional: what the state’s change did for you

On your 2026 bill, or online under 2026 Value. We use it to figure what you would have paid under the old state rates.

Your result

How this works

This is county tax only. It leaves out schools, cities and fire districts. You are compared with 406 full-time homes from a sample of 592. Second homes are left out of that group. The state now taxes them at a higher rate, so most of them went up.

To check it on paper:

  1. On your 2022 bill, find SUB-TOTAL – Taxes For County Functions.
  2. On your 2026 bill, find the CO COUNTY amount.
  3. Add the OT FECC line to it. That is 911 dispatch. It was part of the county total in 2022 but not in 2026.
  4. Take step 1 away from step 3. A negative number means you paid less in 2026.

What about fire and EMS?

In most of the county, fire district bills barely moved. But Evergreen and Bigfork had to ask voters for more, and both said yes. In those two places, the higher fire tax wiped out the savings.

Why fire costs are going up

More than 10,100 people have moved to Flathead County since 2020. More than one in five people here is 65 or older, and they call for an ambulance the most. Evergreen answered 454 calls in 2004 and 2,314 in 2023. Bigfork went from about 300 calls a year in 2010 to about 1,300 today.

In Evergreen, a full-time home paid $105.96 less to the county but $160.08 more to the fire district. That is $54.12 more in all. In Bigfork, it was $154.18 less to the county and $179.62 more for fire, so $25.44 more in all.

Other districts will likely have to ask voters too. Cities pay for their own fire and EMS. Out in the county, your fire district bills you. So the county can call it a tax cut while the cost to residents shows up somewhere else.

What your fire district charged you

Your fire district sets this tax, not the county. If your district has more than one line, like a bond, add them up. Leave out water and sewer lines.

On your 2022 bill, your fire district’s line in the Other section, like BIGFORK FIRE.

On your 2026 bill, the same line, tagged OT.

Your fire and EMS result

See what 592 homes paid

What the sample shows

I pulled the 2022 and 2026 bills for 592 homes across the county. These charts show the 559 that are clearly a full-time home or a second home. None of this comes from people who used the calculator.

Under the old state law, most full-time homes would have paid more Not counting the jail bond, 28 of 406 full-time homes paid more county tax on their 2026 bill. Under the old state law, about 305 would have. Second homes went the other way: the new law raised their tax. The old-law numbers are estimates.
County tax change on the 2026 bill and under the old state law, without the jail bond The median change in county property tax from 2022 to 2026, leaving out the voter-approved jail bond, as billed and as estimated under the state tax law before 2025. Full-time homes: 2026 bill −$148.74, old law $51.98. Second homes: 2026 bill $441.18, old law $58.31. Bigfork: 2026 bill −$179.32, old law $73.12. Columbia Falls: 2026 bill −$122.23, old law $65.08. Coram: 2026 bill −$227.67, old law $2.78. Evergreen: 2026 bill −$144.68, old law $49.67. Hungry Horse: 2026 bill −$130.59, old law $56.05. Kalispell: 2026 bill −$181.86, old law $10.77. Lakeside: 2026 bill −$209.46, old law $74.81. Whitefish: 2026 bill −$85.12, old law $138.71. Full figures are in the table below the chart. −$300 −$200 −$100 $0 +$100 +$200 +$300 +$400 +$500 Median change in county property tax, 2022 to 2026, without the jail bond FULL-TIME HOMES BY AREA Full-time homes 406 homes Full-time homes, on the 2026 bill: −$148.74 Full-time homes, under the old state law: $51.98 −$149 +$52 Second homes 153 homes Second homes, on the 2026 bill: $441.18 Second homes, under the old state law: $58.31 +$58 +$441 Bigfork 52 homes Bigfork, on the 2026 bill: −$179.32 Bigfork, under the old state law: $73.12 −$179 +$73 Columbia Falls 48 homes Columbia Falls, on the 2026 bill: −$122.23 Columbia Falls, under the old state law: $65.08 −$122 +$65 Coram 40 homes Coram, on the 2026 bill: −$227.67 Coram, under the old state law: $2.78 −$228 +$3 Evergreen 58 homes Evergreen, on the 2026 bill: −$144.68 Evergreen, under the old state law: $49.67 −$145 +$50 Hungry Horse 42 homes Hungry Horse, on the 2026 bill: −$130.59 Hungry Horse, under the old state law: $56.05 −$131 +$56 Kalispell 64 homes Kalispell, on the 2026 bill: −$181.86 Kalispell, under the old state law: $10.77 −$182 +$11 Lakeside 48 homes Lakeside, on the 2026 bill: −$209.46 Lakeside, under the old state law: $74.81 −$209 +$75 Whitefish 54 homes Whitefish, on the 2026 bill: −$85.12 Whitefish, under the old state law: $138.71 −$85 +$139

On the 2026 bill Under the old state law

See the numbers
Median change in county tax, 2022 to 2026, without the jail bond
GroupHomesOn the 2026 billUnder the old state lawPaid more, 2026 billWould have paid more, old law
Full-time homes406−$148.74$51.9828305
Second homes153$441.18$58.31153121
Full-time, Bigfork52−$179.32$73.12136
Full-time, Columbia Falls48−$122.23$65.08142
Full-time, Coram40−$227.67$2.78221
Full-time, Evergreen58−$144.68$49.67545
Full-time, Hungry Horse42−$130.59$56.05137
Full-time, Kalispell64−$181.86$10.77040
Full-time, Lakeside48−$209.46$74.81432
Full-time, Whitefish54−$85.12$138.711452
Primary residences and second homes went opposite ways The typical primary residence paid $127.78 less. The typical second home paid $503.85 more. That split comes from the state’s new tax rates, not from the county’s budget.
County tax change, primary residences against second homes Two histograms of the change in county property tax between 2022 and 2026, on one shared scale. The 406 homes taxed as primary residences centre on a median of −$127.78; 42 of them paid more. The 153 homes taxed at the higher non-primary rate centre on a median of $503.85; 153 of them paid more. Full figures are in the table below the chart. Primary residences 42 of 406 paid more 0 50 100 150 200 −$500 to −$400: 6 homes −$400 to −$300: 15 homes −$300 to −$200: 62 homes −$200 to −$100: 171 homes −$100 to $0: 110 homes $0 to $100: 29 homes $100 to $200: 8 homes $200 to $300: 4 homes $300 to $400: 1 home median −$127.78 Second homes and other non-primary 153 of 153 paid more 0 50 100 150 200 $100 to $200: 10 homes $200 to $300: 16 homes $300 to $400: 28 homes $400 to $500: 22 homes $500 to $600: 12 homes $600 to $700: 19 homes $700 to $800: 12 homes $800 to $900: 11 homes $900 to $1,000: 4 homes $1,000 to $1,100: 11 homes $1,100 to $1,200: 5 homes $1,200 to $1,300: 2 homes $1,400 to $1,500: 1 home median $503.85 −$400 −$200 $0 $200 $400 $600 $800 $1,000 $1,200 $1,400 Change in county property tax, 2022 to 2026

Primary residences Second homes and other non-primary

See the numbers
County tax change, 2022 to 2026, 559 sampled homes
ChangePrimary residencesSecond homes and other non-primary
−$500 to −$40060
−$400 to −$300150
−$300 to −$200620
−$200 to −$1001710
−$100 to $01100
$0 to $100290
$100 to $200810
$200 to $300416
$300 to $400128
$400 to $500022
$500 to $600012
$600 to $700019
$700 to $800012
$800 to $900011
$900 to $1,00004
$1,000 to $1,100011
$1,100 to $1,20005
$1,200 to $1,30002
$1,400 to $1,50001
Median−$127.78$503.85
Homes that paid more42 of 406153 of 153
Where fire costs rose, the savings are gone Primary residences that pay a fire district, average change by area. In Evergreen the fire district took $160.08 more while the county took $105.96 less.
County change and fire change, primary residences in fire districts For primary residences that pay a fire district, the average change in county tax and in fire district tax between 2022 and 2026, by area, with the net. Evergreen: county −$105.96, fire $160.08, net $54.12. Bigfork: county −$154.18, fire $179.62, net $25.44. Hungry Horse: county −$107.60, fire −$50.58, net −$158.18. Coram: county −$173.03, fire −$27.38, net −$200.41. Lakeside: county −$164.28, fire −$48.84, net −$213.12. Full figures are in the table below the chart. $0 Evergreen 58 homes net $54.12 Evergreen, County: −$105.96 county −$105.96 Evergreen, Fire district: $160.08 fire $160.08 Bigfork 52 homes net $25.44 Bigfork, County: −$154.18 county −$154.18 Bigfork, Fire district: $179.62 fire $179.62 Hungry Horse 42 homes net −$158.18 Hungry Horse, County: −$107.60 county −$107.60 Hungry Horse, Fire district: −$50.58 fire −$50.58 Coram 40 homes net −$200.41 Coram, County: −$173.03 county −$173.03 Coram, Fire district: −$27.38 fire −$27.38 Lakeside 47 homes net −$213.12 Lakeside, County: −$164.28 county −$164.28 Lakeside, Fire district: −$48.84 fire −$48.84

County Fire district

See the numbers
Average change, 2022 to 2026, primary residences that pay a fire district
AreaHomesCountyFire districtNet
Evergreen58−$105.96$160.08$54.12
Bigfork52−$154.18$179.62$25.44
Hungry Horse42−$107.60−$50.58−$158.18
Coram40−$173.03−$27.38−$200.41
Lakeside47−$164.28−$48.84−$213.12

Found something you can’t explain? So did I. Call me at (406) 213-5145 or email nathan@electdugan.com.

Paid for by the Committee to Elect Nathan Dugan, PO Box 396, Whitefish, MT 59937, D.