The Flathead County Board of Commissioners on Thursday voted unanimously to approve a resolution that will place a $105 million jail bond on the Nov. 4 all-mail general election ballot, marking another step towards upgrading the current outdated Flathead County Detention Center.
If approved by voters the bond would fund the Flathead County Public Safety Facility, which would house both the jail and the sheriff’s office at 225 Snowline Lane in Lower Valley.
“We’ve been working, planning, pushing, and saving to move this forward — and now we’re finally at the point where we can present it to the public and let them decide how we move ahead,” Commissioner Pam Holmquist said. “If anyone wants more information or a better understanding of the situation, I encourage you to tour the current facility and talk to the people who work there.”
The bond is expressed in mills, with one mill equaling $1 in taxes per $1,000 of the assessed property value.
For example, the taxable value of a $100,000 home in fiscal year 2025/2026 would cost a taxpayer $11.13 per year; a $300,000 home would cost $33.38; and a $600,000 home would cost $76.72.
Flathead County officials last month launched a campaign to educate taxpayers about the bond that would relocate the jail to Lower Valley, doubling the current detention capacity and enhancing safety with a new design and technology upgrades.
Built in 1987, the current jail on Main Street originally housed 63 inmates and has since not kept up with the area’s population. In 2018, the jail increased its capacity to 154 beds, but the facility can only operate at roughly 75% due to the high volume of mentally ill or violent inmates who require additional space.
After county officials began setting aside funding for the detention center, a facility analysis was conducted in the summer of 2018, but plans stalled until 2023 when a needs assessment was conducted and concluded a capacity of 250 beds was needed in the future jail.
Last year, the county purchased a $3.9 million, 115-acre property in Lower Valley located at 225 Snowline Lane. Elevatus Architecture was selected to design the facility. Earlier this year, a pre-construction service contract was signed with Martel Construction.
If passed, county officials hope to open doors at the new facility in three years.
The election will be conducted entirely by mail with ballots mailed to registered voters on Oct. 17. Ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. on Nov. 4.