Gov. Signs Eminent Domain Bill
“Property owners facing the loss of their home or property will receive an earlier offer for JUST COMPENSATION. Currently, condemnors may not make their best offer until later in the legal process. Additionally, property owners believe that they will get a better offer later in the process. Now both the property owners and the potential condemnors will know that when the condemnor presents their FINAL WRITTEN OFFER, it will probably be much closer to actual JUST COMPENSATION. Potentially both parties will have LOWER legal costs because the “gaming” will be taken out of the process. Additionally, conflicts over JUST COMPENSATION may be resolved sooner than under current law. Time will determine how effective HB 417 will be, but certainly it looks like it could provide positive outcomes for both parties.
The same day Governor Bullock signed another bill I sponsored, House Bill 206. This bill raises the cost of filing fees for people filing actions in small claims courts. The fees had not been changed since 1989, and over time the costs of small claims court has been shifted from the users to the taxpayers. This cost shift has steadily increased over time as filing fees have stayed the same and more cases have been shifted from District Court to small claims court. The shift has been accentuated by the passage of SB 238 in 2011 when the limit on actions in small claims court was raised from $7,000 to $12,000. (Cost of the filing fee in District Court is $120) The gradual increase of filing fees in small claim’s court from $25 to $40 will relieve the local taxpayer from some of the burden of paying for these civil actions. Again this bill won’t be a headline bill for any of the major newspapers, but it will save taxpayers on the costs over the long haul.”
Flynn, Kelly. Belgrade News 8 May 2013.