$105 Million Jail Bond Heads to Voters in All-Mail Nov. 4 General Election
Flathead County officials say the public safety bond would double capacity and enhance safety at a new location in south Kalispell; ballots for the general election will be sent out Oct. 17
By Maggie Dresser
Nearly a decade after new justice center plans began evolving in Flathead County, voters this general election on Nov. 4 will decide on a $105 million jail bond that would double the current inmate capacity of the detention center and relocate the facility to south Kalispell.
The new public safety facility would also house the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office while the updated jail design would enhance safety and efficiency with a central hub on a single floor. Upgraded technology like automatic cell locks would be added, which would update the current manual locks.
While the jail capacity would double, only 14 employees would be added to the current staff of 38 due to the efficient design, which would include a control tower that allows indirect supervision.
The bond is expressed in mills, with one mill equaling $1 in taxes per $1,000 of the assessed property value.
For example, a taxpayer who owns a home with a taxable value of $100,000 in fiscal year 2025/2026 would pay an additional $11.70 per year. the taxable value of a $100,000 home in fiscal year 2025/2026 would cost a taxpayer •••$11.70 per year; a $300,000 home would cost $35.10; and a $600,000 home would cost $80.66. Taxes would decrease in fiscal year 2026/2027 due to the recent property tax law enacted by the 2025 Legislature.
In addition to taxpayer dollars, a jail savings account was established in 2017 using primarily federal funding.
Flathead County officials this summer launched a campaign to educate taxpayers about the proposal, which they say is long-overdue and would address overcrowding, accommodate the high volume of mentally ill inmates and enhance safety.
“What’s at stake right now is we have overcrowding that has evolved from an inconvenience to a danger for staff and inmates,” Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino said earlier this summer. “The public facility lacks the ability to safely separate inmates, provide special services or house violent and vulnerable individuals appropriately.”
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.
Making up about 10% of the jail population, the mentally ill inmates far exceed the four-bed medical wing and the new design would increase the capacity to 30 beds.
While a new detention center would help address crowding and offer a safer environment for inmates and staff, Jail Commander Jenny Root plans to bring in more programming at the jail to help reduce recidivism by offering life skills like building resumes and offering mental health programming.
Last year, Flathead County commissioners Pam Holmquist, Randy Brodehl and Brad Abell unanimously approved the purchase agreement for a 115-acre property at 225 Snowline Lane for $3.9 million as the location for the new jail. Elevatus Architecture was selected to design the facility, and a pre-construction service contract was signed with Martel Construction earlier this year.
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.