New Resolution To Address Tax Situation

Roosevelt County commissioners and the Montana Department of Revenue fixed an oversight during a special meeting on Tuesday, April 2.

The county and United Grain agreed in 2016 to a resolution to provide economic development tax relief of 50 percent for two new grain bins that have the capacity of storing a million bushels.

The tax break, however, wasn’t ever applied to United Grain’s taxes. Montana Department of Revenue representatives said they never received the resolution. Recently, a local Department of Revenue official became aware of the issue.

Options to solve the situation included going back year by year to figure out the reduction or the preferred method of going forward with an amendment resolution to start in 2024.

A representative from the Department of Revenue that with inflation, United Grain will probably be more in the positive with the delay.

The cost of the two bins combined is $1.3 million.

Commissioner Gordon Oelkers said United Grain has added a significant amount to the tax base in both Culbertson and Roosevelt County.

“It has been a huge bonus for the community of Culbertson,” Oelkers said. “It has really helped with the tax base.”

The resolution won’t be officially approved until an upcoming commissioners’ meeting.