Bill > SB260

This bill addresses the alteration of hospital and school district boundaries in Montana, focusing on cases where property owners have difficulty accessing public services. For hospital districts, a qualified petitioner can petition to transfer property to an adjacent district or divide an existing district if they cannot reasonably access services in their current district. The bill outlines a detailed process involving public hearings, elections, and specific voting requirements, where more than 50% of votes must approve a boundary change. When a hospital district is divided, the bill mandates a gradual tax collection sharing mechanism over eight fiscal years, with the newly separated district paying a decreasing percentage of its tax collections to the original district. For school districts, the bill establishes a reconciliation payment system for "isolated pupils" - students who cannot practically access their resident school district's services due to geographic barriers. School districts can petition for these payments, with a county superintendent reviewing the petition and determining eligibility. The bill also requires districts to calculate and impose levies to fund these reconciliation payments, and mandates that when territory is transferred between school districts, the taxable value of that territory is split equally between the districts for three years. Additionally, the bill creates provisions for an advisory council in districts with significant numbers of isolated pupils and includes detailed procedures for territory transfer petitions.

Budget and Finance, Government Affairs

https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC3227