Montana Code Annotated 2023

TITLE 85. WATER USE

CHAPTER 7. IRRIGATION DISTRICTS

Part 21. Taxes and Assessments

Collection Of Taxes Or Assessment

85-7-2136. Collection of taxes or assessment. (1) On or before the third Monday in August of each year, the board of commissioners shall furnish to the department of revenue a correct list of all the district lands in the county, together with the amount of the total taxes or assessments against the lands for district purposes. The department of revenue shall immediately upon receipt of the list enter the assessment roll in the property tax record of the county subject to taxation or assessment under 85-7-2104 for each year.

(2) The county treasurer of each county in which any irrigation district is located, in whole or in part, shall collect and receipt for all taxes and assessments levied by the district, in the same manner and at the same time as is required in the collection of taxes upon real estate for county purposes as provided in 15-16-102. The treasurer must receive from any taxpayer, at any time, the amount due on account of any district assessments of any kind, whether other taxes on the same real estate are paid or not.

(3) During the water delivery season, as determined by the irrigation district commissioners, the county treasurer shall make available to the board of commissioners of an irrigation district notice of the receipt of payments of district assessments by 9 a.m. on the day following receipt of those payments.

(4) If requested in writing by a board of commissioners of an irrigation district, the county treasurer may receive assistance from an employee of the irrigation district or a commissioner of the district for the purpose of collecting district assessments as provided in 15-16-102, investing district funds as directed by the board of commissioners of the district, and preparing district assessment notices.

(5) When any real estate on account of which the district taxes and assessments have been levied has been sold to the county and a tax lien certificate is held by the county, the taxpayer may pay to the treasurer at any time any semiannual installment of the district tax or assessment, together with the penalty and interest to date of payment on the installment. However, the payment may not be considered a redemption of the property from the tax lien but must be credited on account of any redemption that may be made. In case of any payment pursuant to this subsection, a separate tax receipt must be issued showing exactly what assessments have been paid and showing that no other tax on the real estate has been received by the treasurer. The county treasurer may not collect, receive, or receipt for any taxes levied for county purposes upon real estate situated wholly or in part within any irrigation district upon which an assessment for the purposes of the irrigation district has been levied unless the assessment levied for irrigation district purposes is either paid as permitted in this section and the receipt for the payment is presented to the county treasurer at the time the taxes are paid or paid at the time the irrigation district taxes are paid.

History: (1)En. Sec. 54, Ch. 146, L. 1909; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 96, L. 1919; re-en. Sec. 7240, R.C.M. 1921; re-en. Sec. 7240, R.C.M. 1935; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 14, L. 1945; amd. Sec. 65, Ch. 391, L. 1973; Sec. 89-1812, R.C.M. 1947 (2)En. Sec. 1, Ch. 71, L. 1923; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 73, L. 1935; re-en. Sec. 2172.1, R.C.M. 1935; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 188, L. 1943; Sec. 84-4108, R.C.M. 1947; R.C.M. 1947, 84-4108(part), 89-1812; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 584, L. 1989; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 485, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 154, Ch. 27, Sp. L. November 1993; amd. Sec. 159, Ch. 584, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 14, Ch. 93, L. 2007; amd. Sec. 29, Ch. 110, L. 2007; amd. Sec. 33, Ch. 67, L. 2017.