Montana Title 15. Taxation § 15-1-210. Taxpayer right to know--centrally assessed property

(1) The department shall, in the course of valuing properties, post on its website 30 days prior to the issuance of current year assessment notices the capitalization rate or rates to be used by the department to determine the income indicators of value for centrally assessed property, including supporting information on capitalization studies. The supporting information must include the rationale for adding or deleting a company or property from those included in the study in the prior year.

(2) The department shall display a statement on its website that it will accept comments on the current year capitalization rates and information as provided in subsection (1) for 20 days after posting. The department shall consider the comments prior to issuing the current year assessment notices and shall post a response to each written comment within 20 days of the close of the comment period.

(3) The department shall include all underlying computations when providing a taxpayer with a determination of valuation.

(4) If the department changes its reliance on any indicator of value by more than 15% from the previous valuation, the department shall provide the taxpayer with a written explanation of the rationale for the change when issuing an initial or final determination of valuation to a taxpayer.

(5) Nothing in this section may be construed as affecting an appraisal judgment.

(6) Inaccuracy or inadequacy of compliance with this section does not invalidate a determination of value or provide independent grounds for appeal.