The Flathead County Commission unanimously approved a $99.2 million budget during its Sept. 4 meeting.
Last week, the county commission hosted a public hearing about the proposed budget. No members of the public spoke.
During the Aug. 28 hearing, county employees dove into the specifics of the budget. Nearly a quarter of the proposed budget, 24 percent, will fund public works departments, including roads and bridges, weeds and solid waste. General government services — including the commission, clerk and recorder, county attorney, finance and human resources — take up 21 percent of the budget. And pubic safety, including the sheriff’s office, detention center, search and rescue and firefighting, take up 18 percent of the budget.
The largest funding mechanisms for the annual budget are local taxes (41.5 percent); government grants (17.1 percent) and charges for services (16.9 percent). Total taxable value for the county increased from $245.45 million to $267.50 million with the certification of the new valuation numbers by the Department of Revenue, a 9 percent increase over last year. As a result of the increase in valuation, the proposed tax levy will drop by 5.82 mills to 160.70.