What’s at stake?
-- Local communities

Montana's CI-97 (SOS) proposal limits state government spending. Colorado's TABOR limits both state and local government spending. This is one area where CI-97 differs from Colorado's TABOR.

However, Montanans have learned through painful experience that when state government has to cut its budget, the burden often falls to local communities.

One classic example is school funding. Over the past 15 years, Montana's legislature repeatedly cut funding for K-12 public schools. School districts, in trying to keep providing a quality education to Montana's children, had to turn to local property taxpayers to help make up the difference.

If CI-97 passes, we can expect to see less state money flowing to local communities. That means local governments will have to make difficult decisions in providing local services.

Montana’s cities and counties depend on state transfers (state revenue that is shared with local governments) for about 25% of the money they spend for police and fire protection, streets, road emergencies, medical, and other essential services.

Deep cuts in the state budget caused by CI-97 would threaten these transfers. The responsibility to pay for these lifeline services would then shift to local property taxpayers.

That's why many individual city and county commissioners in Montana oppose CI-97.

What's At Stake:

Senior citizens

Public health and safety

Local communities

Jobs and economic development

K-12 schools

Higher education

Montana's most vulnerable citizens

Agriculture