$8.1 million sewer bond passes

Bigfork Eagle

Bigfork voters approved an $8.1 million general obligation bond for the Bigfork Water and Sewer District on Tuesday.

The bond, payable over 20 years, will mean an estimated $71 a year per $100,000 taxable value for property owners in the district, regardless of whether or not those properties are hooked up to Bigfork's sewer system.

It will fund a new wastewater treatment plant to replace the district's aging system and allow it to meet the new standards required by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. A new DEQ permit goes into effect in August, but after negotiations with DEQ, the district has until Jan. 1, 2013 to comply. The total cost of the project is $9.6 million but $1.5 million has been raised in grants.

"We're glad it passed and now we can get ready to go out to bid," district manager Julie Spencer said Wednesday.

According to the Flathead County Election Office, approximately 506 registered voters, or slightly more than 50 percent of those in the district, sent in their mail-in ballots for the election by July 27. Of those ballots, 392 were in favor and 114 were opposed. Because the election had more than 40 percent voter turnout, a simple majority was all that was required to pass the bond. Those votes will be canvassed on Aug. 3.

With approval for funding, Spencer said the district will go forward with finalizing design for the project and getting comments from its funding agencies. The district hopes to have the project out to bid soon and to begin construction this fall.