Happy Election Day, voters! By the time you’re reading this, there’ll be at most five hours left for eligible residents to drop off completed ballots at the drive-through box, located outside the Flathead County Election Office at 290 N. Main St. Color in a few ovals with a black or blue pen, add your John Hancock and birth year to the outside of the envelope, and swing down before 8 p.m. tonight.

If you’re still not sure where you stand on the issues, we’ve got an election guide for you laying out the particulars on the proposed bond for a new Flathead County jail, the renovation request for Columbia Falls High School, and the stances of local city council and mayoral candidates – just follow the link here.

If you’re still unconvinced to make a special trip to the election office, I recommend positive reinforcement. My post-voting rituals have previously included, but have not been limited to, a midweek beverage out or a decadent, sugar-laden treat.

Now that we’ve covered our civic duties, let’s see what Kalispell city councilors were up to on the eve of Election Day.

Councilors approved an annexation application from Flathead County, adding to the city a 33.5-acre parcel of land proposed to house the new Flathead County Public Safety Facility. The facility would include a modern detention center and a new sheriff’s office. (A bond to fund the new facility is on today’s ballot.)

In presenting the proposal before council Monday night, PJ Sorensen, the city’s assistant director of development services, clarified that the council’s decision on the annexation was not a review of the project itself. He noted that the project’s impetus fell within the city’s Growth Policy standards.

“One of the central goals of the Growth Policy is to ensure that public infrastructure and essential services keep pace with community growth,” Sorensen said. “This project supports that growth by addressing one of the county’s most pressing needs which is expanded detention and law enforcement capacity.”

The parcel of land at 225 Snowline Lane sits within the city’s annexation boundary, and the facility would connect to city water and sewer. If the jail bond does not pass, Sorensen noted that anything else built there would still have to adhere to city standards.

“I believe that regardless of what happens with this property, whether the levy passes or not, it is a little pocket of county out there surrounded by city that needs to be brought into the city anyway, so that we can avoid septic and stuff being put in there in the future,” Councilor Sid Daoud said.

Councilors unanimously approved the resolution, save for Mayor Mark Johnson and Councilor Kari Gabriel who were not present at the meeting.

“It’s a pretty simple straightforward annexation and it makes sense for it to come into the city,” Councilor Chad Graham said.

I’m Zoë Buhrmaster. Let’s get into the rest of today’s Roundup.