76-13-213. Formula to set landowner assessments for fire protection. - Montana Statutes

     76-13-213. Formula to set landowner assessments for fire protection. (1) The department shall, pursuant to 76-13-207, set the annual fire assessment fee due from landowners pursuant to Title 76, chapter 13, parts 1 and 2. The total of all statewide landowner assessments may be no greater than one-third of the amount appropriated by the legislature to fund the protection costs.
     (2) The individual assessments must be established using the following criteria:
     (a) Each person or corporation who is responsible for fire protection pursuant to 76-13-108 and 76-13-201 and for whom the department provides fire protection must be assessed a per capita landowner fee. The total per capita landowner assessments statewide from persons or corporations who own 20 acres or less of land for which the department provides protection must be as close as administratively possible to 60% of the total private landowner assessments.
     (b) A person or corporation who owns more than 20 acres of land for which the department provides protection shall, in addition to the fee assessed pursuant to subsection (2)(a), pay a per-acre fee for each whole acre that the person owns in excess of 20 acres. The total of all assessments statewide from persons or corporations that own more than 20 acres must be as close as administratively possible to 40% of the total private landowner assessments.
     (c) A person who owns a share of property and has full ownership of a unit on the property must be assessed an amount not less than one-half of the amount established to be assessed for the property under subsection (2)(a).
     (3) (a) Except as provided in subsection (3)(b), the per capita and per-acre fees must remain in effect for subsequent years.
     (b) The department shall reset the per capita and per-acre fees whenever it is necessary to obtain up to one-third of the amount appropriated by the legislature.
     (c) Whenever the department resets the fees pursuant to subsection (3)(b), it shall do so in accordance with 76-13-201(2).

     History: En. Sec. 29, Ch. 336, L. 2007; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 173, L. 2009.