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Construction continues along the Kalispell bypass. BEACON FILE PHOTO
Infrastructure at the Legislature
Financing and selecting projects will be subject of scrutiny in upcoming session, elections
IBY MOLLY PRIDDY OF THE BEACON
t’s a new election year, but voters might get a feeling of déjà vu now that the governor has released a new plan to tackle the infrastruc-
ture needs throughout the state.
These needs, and the funding to take care of them, seem to be likely candidates for another major issue in the 2017 Legis-
lature, which begins in January.
At the end of April, Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, introduced his new $200 million plan for infrastructure improve- ment throughout the state. These bills in particular have become bones of conten- tion at the last two legislative sessions – in 2013, Bullock vetoed a bill that would have created a new $35 million fund for improvements on water and road systems
in oil-boom towns.
In 2015, lawmakers in Helena stuck
around an extra few days to debate Sen- ate Bill 416, a bipartisan public works bill that needed at least $150 million in funding. That bill would have authorized
bonding and borrowing authority to nance the projects, but several Repub- lican lawmakers took issue with the bill’s focus.
Rep. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, was the House Majority Leader during the 2015 session, and spearheaded the successful e ort to reject the bill, along with a core group of conservative Republicans, many from the Flathead, who splintered from their more moderate colleagues on the issue. Regier currently represents House District 4, but has reached his term lim- its. Instead of the House seat, Regier is running for Senate District 3.
The seat is open, since the current Sen. Bruce Tutvedt, R-Kalispell, can’t run again due to term limits.
The Democrats have their candidate for the Senate district, which encom- passes land northwest of Kalispell, including West Valley, White sh, and Olney, in Melissa Hartman of White sh, who ran unopposed in the primary.
On the GOP side, Regier faces a chal- lenge from political newcomer Don
Kaltschmidt, well known throughout the valley as the owner of Don K Chevrolet Subaru, one of the valley’s leading auto dealerships.
Approaching the race for the Senate seat, both Regier and Kaltschmidt have said the infrastructure needs throughout the state need to be dealt with, but both are wary of Bullock’s new proposal.
Bullock, who is also up for re-election, hasn’t released many details about the $200 million plan. The so-called “Build Montana Trust” would use 75 percent of the revenue from the state’s coal sever- ance tax fund and fund infrastructure needs in the future.
In an interview last week, Regier said he doesn’t oppose upgrading the state’s infrastructure but did take issue with the governor’s previous priorities when it came to doing so.
The 2015 bill would have funded a new building for the Montana Historical Society, as well as a new gymnasium at Montana State University, which Regier said were pet projects, while trying to
maintain a $300 million budget surplus. “To me, it was very frustrating that the priorities were not truly infrastruc- ture projects,” he said. “I’m looking at next session having an infrastructure bill that would divide the state into four sec- tions and divide surplus money in those
four sections.”
Equally funding communities
throughout the state could allay the clas- sic battles of East versus West in the Leg- islature (lawmakers from eastern dis- tricts have accused the state of ignoring the needs of the communities there while taking advantage of the oil and gas money coming from their region), as well as the GOP versus Democrat divide.
“I think it would mitigate any kind of pushback when each part of the state would be getting the same amount of funds and their needs would be met,” Regier said.
Regier said he would be pleased to carry such a bill if elected.
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