Close races hold up in final tallies

The razor-thin leads in Flathead County's two closest ballots held up Monday after the final votes were tallied.

The 911 center bond referendum still passed.

And Democrat Cheryl Steenson still barely edged incumbent Republican Rep. Craig Witte in the Eighth House District race for the state legislature.

Last Wednesday, the $6.9 million bond referendum appeared to pass 20,237 to 20,031, with slightly more than 300 provisional ballots to be counted Monday.

Provisional ballots are those that have to be double-checked against voter rosters to confirm they are valid.

On Monday, the 911 issue's 206-vote difference grew to 236. The final tally was 20,376 to 20,140 - a 50.291 percent to 49.709 percent split.

The Flathead City-County 911 Administrative Board tentatively expects to meet Wednesday to discuss its next move.

The board wants to merge the county's four emergency dispatch centers into a new facility in northwestern Kalispell.

The bond issue will translate to an annual property tax increase of up to $12.48 on a $200,000 house.

Construction will likely begin next spring and will likely take 10 to 12 months.

The $6.9 million figure is a deliberate overestimate.

The bonds will not be issued until the construction bids are received and a contract is signed early next year -Ênailing down the actual costs of building the complex. The $6.9 million covers the worst-case scenario.

After the contract is signed, the bond amount will be adjusted to reflect the actual costs - and the taxes will be adjusted accordingly.

Meanwhile, Steenson saw her 22-vote Wednesday lead - 2,006 to 1,984 for a 50.276 percent to 49.724 percent split - drop by two votes.

On Monday Steenson's final total was 2,032 votes to Witte's 2,012. That's a 50.247 percent to 49.763 percent split.