Page 12 - Flathead Beacon // 4.2.14

12 | APRIL 2, 2014 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM

Future of Troy Area Dispatch Goes to a Vote

Emergency dispatch services
Lincoln County Clerk
would move to Libby
and Recorder Tammy
Lauer discusses
a inancial error
By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon
that resulted in an
estimated $2 million
The Lincoln County Commissioners have decided overtaxation during
to let local residents determine the fate of the Troy a press conference
Area Dispatch, which has been at the center of a debate in Libby.
about the rural county’s budget woes. Voters will de-
cide to either preserve or dissolve the emergency ser- FILE PHOTO BY
vices dispatching center during the June election.
GREG LINDSTROM
FLATHEAD BEACON
“We all felt that it was only fair to have it go to a
vote,” Commissioner Ron Downey said. “The residents
of Troy voted it in and they can vote it out.”
The Troy Area Dispatch budget, which amounts
to about $250,000 annually, came under scrutiny last
year when county oicials realized they had been over-
taxing residents to the tune of $2.2 million. The de-
partment that beneited the most from that money was

the Troy Area Dispatch.
Late last year, someone noticed the county had al-
lowed 56.86 mills to be levied for the Troy Area Dis-
patch, when it should have been 31.91 mills. The mills
are supposed to rise with inlation. Instead, upon fur-
ther inspection, the county realized that taxes were in-
lating above and beyond that level. The error happened was recently refurbished. He also worries about the six been discovered. However, because the county must

sometime around 2009 when the county clerk and re- people who would lose their jobs if the dispatch center pay back the $2.2 million it overtaxed, oicials are fran-
cording was calculating tax data that determines how were to close.
tically looking for ways to make cuts, including dissolv-
many mills could be levied in each district. Instead of Even if Troy residents decide to close their local ing the Troy Area Dispatch. If it were closed, emergen-
entering the gross proceeds money received from the dispatch center, the county has to dig deep to balance cy-dispatching services in the Troy area would be com-
Troy Mine, the clerk entered the taxable value of that its shrinking budget and oicials recently said it could bined with the county dispatch in Libby. According to
money and that resulted in the mill levies exceeding take up to ive years to repay everyone following the Lincoln County Sherif Roby Bowe, his oice can ofer
their limits.
county’s $2.2 million mistake.
the same services for about $10,000 annually. But Troy
Since the mistake was realized, the county budgets [email protected]
Area Dispatch member Gene Rogers said closing the

have been audited and the true mill levy numbers have
dispatch center doesn’t make sense, especially since it

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