Montana homeowners can get information in most cases on how much the property values of their residences have gone up or down under the new reappraisal, state Revenue Director Dan Bucks said Monday.

Bucks was responding to a Lee Newspapers State Bureau column that ran Sunday on the new reappraisals and questioned why this information isn't public now.

Statewide, residential property values have risen by an average of 55 percent cumulatively between January 2002 and June 2009, although the increases vary widely by county and within counties.

Bucks' response, in question-and-answer format, may be found on the Revenue Department's Web page at: http://mt.gov/revenue. Go to the gray column on the left side that says Montana Legislature and click on "Property Tax Reappraisal: Legislative Bills Under Consideration." Bucks' response will at the top under "Public Information on 2009 Reappraisal Values."

Homeowners may call their local Department of Revenue property appraisal offices and ask about their 2009 reappraisal values, Bucks said. The phone number is under the state government section of the telephone directory and then under the Department of Revenue field office or property assessment office.

While many new 2009 values for homes are complete, some still are in progress, Bucks said. In either case, Bucks said the department's local property tax staff will be glad to talk to homeowners about the latest reappraisal of their property and to make sure the information in its records is accurate.

The best time for homeowners to call about the reappraisal information is in June, after they receive their property assessment notices telling what the new values of their homes are, Bucks said.

People who disagree with the new values then can seek an informal review or learn how to file a formal appeal.

While the Revenue Department likely has the new market values for many properties, the Legislature is still working on a bill to mitigate the potential tax impacts from reappraisal.

After the Legislature adjourns, the department will be able to provide homeowners with information on how the mitigation bill affects the taxable value of their property.

Bucks said local Revenue Department staff members also can help people now who may be interested in buying property in another area and wonder how the values there may have changed under reappraisal.

He suggested they first consult the basic county-by-county reappraisal average percentage increases on the Web site under "Basic Changes in Property Values due to Reappraisal."

Bucks said the department measures market value trends not on a countywide basis, but in smaller local neighborhoods. To learn about the neighborhood trends in a county, he suggested calling a department field office and asking for an area or regional manager.