Columbia Falls backs street project

By the narrowest of margins, Columbia Falls voters passed a $1.1 million street levy request Tuesday, that will rebuild some of the city's worst thoroughfares and possibly add a stoplight on U.S. 2.

About 42 percent of the electorate voted in the mail election, an unusually high turnout for a non-general election issue.

"I'm pleased to see that many people had an opinion on the conditions of the streets and took the time to vote on it," City Manager Bill Shaw said Wednesday.

After mail-in ballots were counted at the Flathead County Election Department, 434 had voted in favor of the levy and 424 opposed it.

The 10-vote margin represents just more than 1 percent of the votes cast.

Flathead County Election Department officials said 858 valid votes were cast by the city's 2,166 registered voters. But the number of registered voters is adjusted downward by more than 116 mailed-out ballots that were returned as undeliverable, and others who are either inactive or canceled for lack of voting in recent general elections.

Many ballots were spoiled because 54 came back without signatures and several more voters didn't respond to the election department's requests to come in and sign their ballots.

The election office said 10 voted ballots were returned on Wednesday - too late to be counted.

The county commissioners will canvass the election next week, then the results will go to the Columbia Falls City Council's July 9 for formal action.

"The council will have to confirm that they want me to proceed," Shaw said. "They could say that this is not enough of a margin, but I don't think they will do that."

Assuming the project gets a green light, Tuesday's vote means Talbott Road, Veterans Drive and First Avenue East will get some much-needed attention after serious deterioration in recent years. All three are heavily traveled, and Talbott and Veterans are primary school routes.

In addition, the city is petitioning the Montana Department of Transportation for a stoplight on U.S. 2 at 12th Avenue West. That is a major crossing for children on their way to Ruder Elementary and Columbia Falls High School.

A decision on installing a stoplight there is up to the Department of Transportation. The city received word this spring that it has been included in potential department projects, but no money is immediately available. Because the city now could come up with its share of the cost, it may push the project higher on the state's list.

The tax bill on property assessed at $100,000 will go up by about $43 a year for the next 20 years.

Shaw said that, as more homes are added to the city's housing stock over the next 20 years, the tax burden might be spread out over more people and thereby reduce the impact on each property. He said he still has to research that possibility, though.

It could be, he speculated, that the state might allow the city to reduce the number of years for repayment as more developers and new residents begin pitching in on the levy.

To fund the $1.1 million, the city will borrow the money from its own Cedar Creek Trust Fund, which now stands at $1.4 million from the first sales of almost 400 acres of city land at the Cedar Creek Reservoir on the North Fork Road.

About 180 acres immediately surrounding the reservoir, and another 15 acres in two tracts, was paid for last year. Final payment on another 122 acres west of the North Fork Road came in last month.

The city itself is developing two final parcels at the north and south ends of the land, and will be selling the lots over the coming months. The eight lots in those two parcels are expected to sell for an average of $200,000 each.

Shaw projected the fund's ultimate value, after land sales and expenses, at $2.8 million.

The street levy money will be paid back at the going interest rate when draw-downs are taken for the road work - projected now at 5.2 percent.

By borrowing from itself, the city will save about $25,000 in costs associated with selling bonds.

Shaw expects to begin engineering work on the projects this fall, either by contracting with HDR Engineering of Missoula, which has done much of the city's engineering and design work over the years, or by sending out requests for proposals.

He hopes to have a bid package ready to go out for bids by February 2008.

"We want it in the hands of contractors early in the season so we can figure our costs," he said.

Construction could start as soon as the frost is out of the ground, but road work closest to the schools probably will be delayed until after classes are out next summer.

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com