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MISSOULA - A Missoula accountant wants to recall the governor because she says he illegally raised property values and taxes behind the legislature's back.

Patty Lovaas filed a rough draft recall petition with the Secretary of State's Office, and when it's finalized, she'll start gathering signatures.

Thousands of Montanans were shocked when they received their property value statements. In some cases the values jumped so dramatically that homeowners said they couldn't afford to stay in their homes.

Some people caught a break after they protested their tax bills, but Lovass wants the governor recalled for official misconduct for conspiracy to defraud property owners.

"And the legislature wanted revenue neutral and the governor let the bill go through without the signature and after the fact raised it by $3.5 billion. Everyone knows what's going on but no one wants to touch it because it's such a political fireball. But it's wrong."

The petition could be available for signature gathering by March 24. It needs almost 67,000 signatures to recall the governor. The Montana Farm Bureau Federation and the Montana Taxpayer association already filed a lawsuit against the department of Revenue over property values.

We called the Governor's Office for a response and a spokesperson said while they appreciate the chance to comment, they have nothing to say on the recall effort.