Hardin Plant is Tax Delinquent

A Hardin coal-fired power plant, owned by Rocky Mountain Power, is one of the area’s largest taxpayers that is delinquent by more than $2 million.  The Billings Gazette reports that public schools in Big Horn County have missed out on nearly $250,000 in tax revenue as a result of the company’s tax delinquency.  The unpaid tax bills from the 116-megawatt Hardin Generating Station also drains county operations, the city of Hardin and its development district of expected revenue, according to records obtained and reviewed by The Gazette.
While a law passed this year by the Montana Legislature grants the county some additional power to try to recoup the money, officials have made no such effort.  The power plant opened in 2006, and was exempt from paying taxes for eight years as part of a bond agreement with Hardin.