The Nov. 21 recount didn’t change much for the vote on whether the county would create a new special-fee district to fund the Flathead Emergency Communications Center, which was defeated by a very slim margin of 10 votes.
The final count was 15,217 votes against the referendum, and 15,207 for it. Before the recount, the votes stood at 15,212 opposed, and 15,201 in support.
Flathead County administrator Mike Pence said after the recount was finalized that he believes the administrative board at the 911 Center will try to float the measure again in either the next primary election or the next general election.
“We did have preliminary discussions and most everybody feels that we should take it to the voters again,” Pence said of the board.
The ballot measure proposed creating a special-fee district for a new annual tax: $25 for residential units, and $50 for commercial units, with a maximum of 30 commercial units possible. Larger businesses and organizations would be charged more than smaller places.
The special-fee district would encompass Flathead County.
Kalispell and Whitefish each passed resolutions saying if the ballot measure passed, the cities would not spend the money usually earmarked to fund the 911 Center, so as to not doubly tax residents.
There was no such plan for county residents, whose taxes would increase.
Columbia Falls looked at a similar resolution, but it didn’t pass.
A long-term funding solution for the 911 Center has been one of the center’s goals since its inception five years ago, but has yet to come to fruition.
The annual budget for the 911 Center is about $3.9 million. This new special-fee district would have brought in about $1.8 million, and the county would also continue to levy six mills to pay an additional $1.5 million. The remaining funds would come from an existing tax on phone bills.
Since the measure didn’t pass, Pence said the current funding scheme for the center would stay in place; it includes the county contributing six mills, and each municipality contributing different amounts from their general funds.
One of the financial concerns that prompted the ballot measure is the continual need for capital improvement projects, Pence said, and there isn’t room for those in the current budget.
“We’re going to struggle a little bit financially trying to figure out how to cover the capital needs in particular,” he said. “But that’s what we put out there to the folks and we lost by 10.”
The administrative board would have at least a year and a half to regroup and present the idea to county residents if they wanted to put the measure on the next primary election ballot, Pence said, and two years if they decide on the general election ballot.
Flathead County Election Department recording manager Monica Eisenzimer said the recount took about three hours, and went smoothly.