County mulls another levy attempt for 911 services
Flathead County is reconsidering another mill levy to help fund the 911 Emergency Communications Center, six years after a ballot measure fell short.
County Administrator Mike Pence said the new levy would be similar to the 2014 measure that would have created a special district to raise $1.8 million annually for the 911 center. He said residents would be taxed based on the value of their property, as opposed to a flat fee.
“We feel like it’s the most simple and understandable way of collecting dollars for this kind of need,” Pence said.
Pence said the Emergency Communications Center’s administrative board recommended the county commissioners support a ballot measure for the general election in November.
Susan Nicosia, city manager of Columbia Falls, clarified that it is still “very early in the process.” She is a member of the Emergency Center Board and said the funding committee is still exploring options.
According to county figures, the center has an operating budget of $3.6 million and an approximately $305,000 capital budget for this fiscal year. The budget was about $180,000 shy for operations and $140,000 short in the capital budget, but the county had reserves in the budget to make up the shortfall.
About $2.5 million of the annual budget goes to salaries and benefits, according to Amy Dexter, county finance director.
“It’s a salary-driven budget … there’s not a lot we can cut,” she said.
About $610,000 of the budget is funded through a tax on telephone services, but that number is “pretty stagnant,” Dexter said, because a significant number of people are abandoning major carriers to subscribe to prepaid telephone plans, which are not taxed in the same way.
In 2008, voters approved a $6.8 million bond to consolidate Flathead County’s 911 services. However, the measure did not provide for long-term capital improvement.
After the failed 2014 measure, which lost by 10 votes after a recount, commissioners proposed a special tax district that would have required residential property owners to pay a flat fee of $25 for 911 services. Businesses would have paid up to $1,000 annually based on their size.
Commissioners did not go through with the plan following overwhelming public opposition.
Pence said the proposed levy has nothing to do with upgrades or expansion of the 911 center, but rather would provide funding for the center’s “huge, high-tech communications system” that helps dispatchers do their job as quickly and efficiently as possible. It would also help pay for other operating costs such as payroll, overhead and managing radio communication towers.
Pence said if a new ballot measure failed, the 911 center would still be able to be fully funded, as he expects the county’s continued increase in the population and tax base to help.
“If we didn’t have more growth, we’d be in big trouble,” Pence said.
Reporter Colin Gaiser may be reached at 758-4439 or cgaiser@dailyinterlake.com