Gianfortes accelerate plan to donate historic Hauser Mansion to state

Gov. Greg Gianforte and First Lady Susan Gianforte are accelerating plans to donate the Samuel T. Hauser Mansion to the state of Montana.

In 2024, the Gianfortes announced their “private purchase” of the historic residence in Helena for $4 million with plans to donate the property to the state at the end of the governor’s term.

Gianforte, a former technology executive, is a multimillionaire who made more than $23 million in investment income from 2019 through 2022, according to a 2024 story by the Associated Press.

Last month, the Department of Administration told Lewis and Clark County Commissioners the Gianfortes were proposing to make a charitable gift of the Hauser residence.

The May 28 letter from the Department of Administration said the Gianfortes are proposing the house be used “as the future executive residence of the governor.”

The Land Board, which oversees proposed activities on state trust lands, will consider the proposed donation on Monday, the letter said.

The letter said it served as notice to the county of the proposed donation given “the property would become exempt from property taxes.”

“The Department (of Administration) is … advising that the tax rolls of Lewis and Clark County will need to be changed to show the property is tax exempt if the Land Board accepts the donation,” the letter said.

Records show the tax bill on the property was $18,400 for the current fiscal year. Based on the same mills and value, it would be $27,000 for the upcoming fiscal year, according to an estimate from the Department of Revenue.

The amount is higher in part because the 2025 Montana Legislature passed and Gianforte signed legislation that generally reduced property taxes on median valued houses and increased property taxes on mansions.

(Tax bills are still getting calculated, and that estimate does not include a $283 million school bond approved by voters, the DOR said.)

Lewis and Clark County Commission Chairman Tom Rolfe said the county hadn’t taken a stance on the proposed donation, and the decision would be for the Land Board to make.

“The governor needs a nice place where he can do some entertaining, and I think it’s a very generous thing the Gianfortes are doing,” Rolfe said. “I guess we lose some tax revenue off of a home of that size, but that’s part of the cost of living in the capital city.”

In an email, Kaitlin Timken, spokesperson for Gianforte, said the governor and first lady are following policies that govern the donation of the Hauser property.

“The governor and the first lady are donating the home before his term ends so that when the next governor and First Family take office, they have a governor’s residence that is in good repair, safe, healthy and family-friendly,” Timken said in an email.

A separate ‘governor’s mansion’

Montana has a separate “governor’s mansion,” owned and managed by the Department of Administration and the subject of debate among legislators in 2025.

At 2 N. Carson St. and part of the Capitol Complex, that residence requires roughly $100,000 a year in maintenance costs, according to an estimate in 2025.

In 2019 and 2021, the Montana Legislature appropriated a total $2.3 million for upgrades to the Carson Street house, but bids came in as much as $3.6 million, and renovation stalled.

State policy requires the Land Board determine that property proposed for donation “will not be a burden” on taxpayers.

In an email Tuesday, the Department of Administration said the agency estimates maintaining and operating the Hauser house will cost roughly the same as the Carson Street residence.

The Department also expects the cost to prepare the property to serve as the “executive residence” to be less than $2 million for improvements such as adding fencing, improving accessibility to meet ADA standards, and minor upgrades to electrical systems.

“An independent valuation estimates the Hauser Residence (appraised) at $5 million for executive residence use,” the Department of Administration said in an email. “In contrast, bids indicate $4.5 (million) to $5 million in repairs would be needed to resume use of 2 Carson Street.

“This supports the Department’s determination that the proposed donation will not create a financial burden.”

The Department of Administration is recommending the state accept the donation of the Hauser residence.

Operation and maintenance costs for the Hauser residence are budgeted at $270,250 for “this biennium” within the state’s long-range building plan, approved in House Bill 5 by the 2025 Montana Legislature, according to the Department of Administration.

The bill said the funds are provided “upon completion of the transfer of the real property.”

The Gianfortes owned their own home in Helena before buying the historic Hauser house, and in 2025, the Carson Street house had been vacant for at least three years.

“The decision about what to do with 2 Carson Street will depend on whether the proposed donation of the Hauser residence is approved,” according to the Department of Administration.

Sen. Mary Ann Dunwell, a Helena Democrat, has been vocal about wanting to ensure taxpayers aren’t overpaying for the Carson Street property and are able to put it to use.

Dunwell said this week the governor will receive “a significant tax write off” for the Hauser donation, should it be accepted.

“We just have to make sure that taxpayers get the benefit as well,” Dunwell said.

The Board of Land Commissioners, also known as the Land Board, meets at 9 a.m. June 15.

The Land Board is made up of the state’s five highest elected officials, Gianforte, Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, Attorney General Austin Knudsen, Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen, and Commissioner of Securities and Insurance James Brown.