Flathead County Commissioners Adopt $209 Million Budget

The Flathead County Board of Commissioners approved the county’s final operating budget for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27), including property tax reductions and funds for capital projects while continuing to minimize county spending. 

“It’s just amazing to see how fiscally conservative we are on so many things and we’ve been able to do a lot of infrastructure,” Commissioner Pam Holmquist said. 

The FY27 budget plans for $153.6 million in county revenue and $209.9 million in expenditures. The difference comes from bonds secured in last year’s budget to construct a new public safety facility at a cost of $95 million, which voters approved in 2025. Roughly half of those funds are expected to be spent in FY27 as the county moves from the planning phase into construction, Flathead County Administrator Pete Melnick said.

“Much of that budget deficit is timing,” Melnick said.

Tax is levied at 101.12 mills and is set to generate around $64 million in property tax dollars. That’s about a $10.4 million increase from last year, which county officials note is due to voter-approved levies and statutory requirements — $4.4 million comes from the jail bond and other mill levy changes, $3.65 million from restoring 5.47 mills, $1.39 million from inflation, and $917,855 from new property in the tax base. 

Despite the increase, the budget includes an overall decrease in county property taxes. Homeowners with a $100,000 property will see an estimated $1.14 reduction; those with a $300,000 home may see a $3.42 reduction, and those with a $600,000 home may experience a $44.23 reduction. Holmquist warned that due to changes in property taxes from the 2025 legislature, homeowners may not experience the county’s modest decreases.  

“Even though many may see a decrease in property taxes, it’s worthy to note that legislation passed in the last session created a property tax shift which, depending on where your property falls, you may or may not see a decrease,” Holmquist said. 

The county’s reserves remain healthy at $23.2 million, which is within the state’s statutory 33% cap. 

Other major capital projects in the budget include a design and feasibility study by Mosaic Architecture on potentially replacing or reconstructing the more than 100-year-old fairground grandstands. The budget also sets aside $67.9 million in the Capital Improvement Program for modernization projects in road and bridge maintenance, solid waste management, public health, libraries, planning, elections, and emergency services. 

For the county’s 574 full-time employees, the budget allocates a 2.15% cost of living adjustment. Melnick pointed out that the county was the first government organization to receive the Montana Department of Labor’s Employer of Choice for the Flathead Valley in 2026. 

“Good people are an asset,” Melnick said.

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