7-6-1504. Resort tax -- election required -- procedure -- notice. (1) A resort community, resort area, or resort area district may not impose or, except as provided in 7-6-1505, amend or repeal a resort tax unless the resort tax question has been approved by a majority of the qualified electors voting on the question.

(2) The resort tax question may be presented to the qualified electors of:

(a) a resort community by a petition of the electors as provided in 7-5-131, 7-5-132, 7-5-134, 7-5-135, and 7-5-137 or by a resolution of the governing body of the resort community;

(b) a resort area by a resolution of the board of county commissioners, following receipt of a petition of electors as provided in 7-6-1508;

(c) an existing resort area district by a resolution of the board of directors of the resort area district in accordance with special district election procedures provided in 13-1-501 through 13-1-505.

(3) If a proposed resort area is in more than one county, the resort tax question must be presented to and approved by the qualified electors in the resort area of each county.

(4) The petition or resolution referring the taxing question must state:

(a) the rate of the resort tax;

(b) the duration of the resort tax;

(c) the date when the tax becomes effective, which date may not be earlier than 35 days after the election; and

(d) the purposes that may be funded by the resort tax revenue. If the petition or resolution includes the additional tax provided for in 7-6-1503(1)(b)(i), the revenue from the additional tax must be designated for infrastructure and the specific uses must be identified in the petition or resolution. The additional levy for infrastructure authorized under this subsection (4)(d) terminates when the specified infrastructure debts and project costs are paid unless the board submits and the qualified electors approve another levy for infrastructure.

(5) On receipt of an adequate petition, the governing body shall hold an election in accordance with Title 13, chapter 1, part 5.

(6) (a) Before the resort tax question is submitted to the electorate of a resort community or resort area, the governing body of the resort community or the board of county commissioners in the county in which the resort area is located shall provide notice of the goods and services subject to the resort tax by a method described in 13-1-108.

(b) The notice must be given two times, with at least 6 days separating the notices. The first notice must be no more than 45 days prior to the election, and the last notice must be no less than 30 days prior to the election.

(7) Notice of the election must be given as provided in 13-1-108 and include the information listed in subsection (4) of this section.

(8) The question of the imposition of a resort tax may not be placed before the qualified electors more than once in any fiscal year.

(9) The governing body, as defined in 7-6-1505, of a resort area, resort area district, or resort community that already imposes a resort tax may submit to the qualified electors of the resort area, resort area district, or resort community the question of whether to levy the additional resort tax provided for in 7-6-1503(1)(b)(i). The election must be noticed as provided in this section and conducted as provided in 13-1-501 through 13-1-505.

History: En. Sec. 4, Ch. 729, L. 1985; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 549, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 554, L. 1995; Sec. 7-6-4464, MCA 1995; redes. 7-6-1504by Code Commissioner, 1997; amd. Sec. 82, Ch. 49, L. 2015; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 242, L. 2017; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 261, L. 2019.