Spending down in county budget after completion of projects

Flathead County’s taxable valuation has increased considerably because of a strong local economy, but whether property owners’ taxes will go up and down depends on the state’s new appraisals for individual properties.

The county commissioners will vote on the final budget for this fiscal year on Wednesday, Aug. 30, following a public hearing at 9 a.m. in the commissioner chambers on the third floor of the main Courthouse.

This year’s budget of $90.3 million is about $1.7 million lower than last year because the county wrapped up two major building projects — the South Campus Building and the County Attorney offices in the renovated old jail building.

The total taxable value for the county increased from $224.9 million to $243.16 million, according to new valuation numbers released by the Montana Department of Revenue, Flathead County Administrator Mike Pence said in his budget message.

The increase in taxable valuation means the county will reduce the number of mills levied by 13.05 mills. Flathead County’s actual total property tax projected for this fiscal year is $37.3 million, compared to $36.5 million last year, or a 2.3 percent increase.

“Assuming no change in taxable value,” a taxpayer with a $200,000 market-value home will see roughly a $35 decrease in county taxes, Pence said. The owner of a $100,000 home would see a decrease of about $17.62.

But appraisals vary from property to property, and while some taxpayers may have seen their property appraisals decrease, others have had an increase.

“This is a mathematical calculation that will vary from one taxpayer to another based on their actual taxable valuation set by the Department of Revenue,” Pence cautioned.

The final budget adds a couple of employees to the county payroll and gives county workers a 1.3 percent raise.

The county is growing its workforce to the equivalent of 540.7 full-time employees. Coming on board this fiscal year are a new environmental health officer, a half-time detention officer and a roughly three-quarters-time solid-waste container-site monitor.

Saving for a future new county jail is in its fourth year. The county has $6.3 million saved and this budget provides for a $1 million transfer from federal payments-in-lieu-of-taxes funding to increase the amount saved to $7.3 million.

A 40-bed expansion of the current detention center recently tapped into the county’s jail savings to the tune of $1.5 million.

“The commissioners are now considering a facility at a new site and are not considering further expansion of the current detention facility,” Pence said. “Management and staff are currently evaluating capital and operating costs involved in construction and operation of a new facility in line-item detail.

“We most often talk in terms of capital costs, but the future operational costs for an expanded facility that includes additional personnel and overhead expenses far exceeds the initial capital cost over a period of years as these costs carry on in perpetuity,” Pence noted. “We will need voter approval to cover both the construction cost of a new detention center plus the new operational costs created by the expansion in the number of beds.”

The county is moving forward this year with grant-funded improvements to senior centers in Columbia Falls, Whitefish and Kalispell. The cost is $523,135 with the community development block grant covering $400,507 and the county match totaling $122,628.

Another significant construction project this year will be new public restrooms at the fairgrounds, along with shower facilities and two new food-vendor spaces to replace existing structures. The price tag is roughly $1.2 million, which includes block-grant funding of $150,469 and a Round Up for Safety grant from Flathead Electric Cooperative of $6,000.

The Solid Waste District will start construction for the Phase 5 groundwater protection system at the landfill. The main landfill access road will be relocated to create the limits of the Phase 5 liner and start the excavation for the project. District operations will continue removing soil for the next couple of years after project completion until the base grades are ultimately reached. The project was awarded to LHC Inc. for $782,291 and should be completed by late this year.