Page 11 - Flathead Beacon // 6.11.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS
JUNE 11, 2014 | 11

Tribal Oicer Elected Lake County

Secure
Sherif; Attorney Unseated

the
More voters than before oice, earned 879 votes.
Paula Holle, the clerk and recorder
P
R
turn out to elect Bell
More than 5,100 voters turned out
and a Democrat, ran unopposed and
for the GOP primary election, nearly
does not face a challenger in the Novem-
ber general election.
1,300 more than the 2010 primary. sherif, Eschenbacher
Other unopposed winners were Incumbent Mitch Young fell short in
Michelle Wood, the superintendent of attorney
his bid for a third term as county attor-
schools, and Patti Duford Kugler, the ney, losing to irst-time challenger Steve
treasurer.
Eschenbacher by 267 votes.
future
Joey Jayne, the incumbent county By DILLON TABISH of the Beacon
Eschenbacher, the managing attor-
justice of the peace, received far fewer ney for the Oice of the Public Defend-
votes than her opponent, Randal Owens, In last week’s primary election, er in Polson, received 2,490 votes while
1,821 to 4,009. The two contenders will Lake County voters turned out in higher Young garnered 2,223.
square of again in the general election.
numbers than usual and bumped an in- In the race for the District 1 seat on
County voters overwhelmingly sup- cumbent out of the county attorney’s of- the county commission, incumbent Bill
ported funding of community senior ice and elected an outsider to be the new Barron easily won against Rory Horn-
services, with 4,014 in favor and 2,081 sherif.
ing, garnering 3,126 votes to Horning’s

opposed.
The June primary settled several 1,852. Without a Democratic challeng-
Polson residents voted in favor of a key county positions that drew only Re- er in November, Barron automatical-
local government review, with 531 in fa- publican candidates, thus sidestepping ly earns a second six-year term on the
vor and 504 opposed, setting the stage November’s general election.
three-person commission.
for a commission to be organized that Don Bell, an oicer with Tribal Law In two primary legislative races in
will analyze all aspects of the municipal Enforcement on the Flathead Reserva- Lake County, GOP voters selected Dan
government. A similar countywide com- tion, garnered the most votes among Salomon of Ronan to advance to the gen-

mission was shot down, 3,361 to 2,609. four candidates running for Lake Coun- eral election, vying for the House Dis-
The City of Ronan also opposed a gov- ty sherif. Bell received 1,631 votes and trict 93 seat. Salomon edged Frank Del-
ernment review, 184 to 124.
will replace Jay Dohl, who did not run gado, 976 votes to 700.
For complete results from the pri- for a second term, in January 2015. In the Democratic race for HD 93,
mary election, visit www.latheadbea-
Rick Schoening, an oicer for the Pol- Susan T. Evans had an eight-vote advan-
con.com
son Police Department, received 1,389 tage over James Steele Jr., 227 to 219,
votes and Dan Yonkin, the county’s un- after Tuesday. The result triggered the [email protected]
dersherif, received 1,201 votes. Kim Montana Secretary of State’s Oice to

Leibenguth, a detective in the sherif’s
review any provisional ballots this week.

Municipal Matters

A recap of recent news from City Hall

KALISPELL
hearing on July 7 on a proposal to a dedicated funding source. The
expand the light maintenance dis- proposed levy, which will appear
trict, which operates traffic signals on the November election ballot,
• The city council voted unanimous- and street lights. City staff are pro- would generate $760,000 a year,
ly to raise meter rates for parking posing to enlarge the district to a removing the city’s general fund
from 25 cents an hour to 50 cents an
hour, while also hiking the month- citywide boundary instead of the subsidy of EMS operations, provide
ly parking permits by $3 as a way current scenario that only applies staffing levels that could increase
to generate additional revenue for assessed fees to properties within the number of days with three am-
operations and the maintenance 300 feet of a light pole. The propos- bulances in service and allow for
al would not impact those proper- capital equipment replacement. If
of parking facilities. The increases ties that are already being assessed; approved, the levy would increase
in parking fees should generate an instead it would add assessments of home property taxes by $48.96 a
estimated $24,000 in additional $0.003 per square foot to proper- year for a home valued at $200,000,
funds for the maintenance and
enforcement program. The city’s ties that are not being served by a according to the city. “We want to
parking division is budgeted rough- private lighting system in the city be able to provide those services to
ly $135,700 annually, and covers an right-of-away. Those who are being our residents when they call,” City
array of operations, including snow served by a private system would be Manager Doug Russell said. There
assessed $0.0015 per square foot. were 3,058 emergency medical
removal, which costs an average of If approved, the expansion would calls last year. The city has looked
$14,515 per year, according to the allow for the operation of the light at other alternatives, including
city. Revenues for the division are
collected through permits, meters maintenance district, which is combining emergency responders
and fines, and the latest budget re- struggling with revenues, to con- into one department and privatiz-
view shows a projected deficit of tinue through fiscal year 2024 and ing the EMS transportation servic-
roughly $19,093. The increased me- would include the installation of es, something other cities have opt-
five new luminaries a year in areas ed for. Russell said handing over pa-
ter and permit prices would help al- without street lights.
tients to be transportated by a pri-
leviate pressure on the general fund vate company was not recommend-
to cover any deficits in the parking •Faced with revenue shortfalls of ed because of the likelihood that
division, according to city manager more than $260,000 for emergency
Doug Russell.
medical services, the city is propos- the market was not large enough to
ing a mill levy that would establish
dictate a full-time service.
www.ThreeRiversBankMontana.com
• The city council will hold a public
www.T