Nine school districts hold elections

Voters in nine Flathead Valley school districts go to the polls today.

Three districts — Kalispell, Whitefish and Kila — are requesting levy approval from voters. Most polling places open at either 7 a.m. or 8 a.m.; polls close at 8 p.m.

These and the other six districts also have contested races for school trustee positions.

Absentee voting closed at noon Monday. All ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. on election day.

Following is a list of polling places and voting hours.

Where to vote

n Bigfork: Residents of Bigfork’s elementary district vote in the Lutheran Church ARK between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.

n Columbia Falls: Vote at Canyon Elementary School or Glacier Gateway Elementary School from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

n Helena Flats: Vote at the school between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.

n Kalispell: Voting in the Kalispell Elementary District is from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Flathead County Fairgrounds Expo Building.

There are two issues on the ballot.

One is whether the district can purchase property for a new elementary kitchen. The vote will not affect taxes; money for the kitchen was set aside as part of the 2004 bond issue that remodeled Kalispell Middle School. But because the land is not contiguous to existing school district property, the district must get voter approval to move forward with the purchase.

The second issue is a $338,000 general fund levy.

The district requested this levy to help alleviate the $603,000 shortfall it faces in its 2010-11 budget. District officials already have outlined about $250,000 in cuts in the elementary budget.

If voters approve the levy request, taxes on a home with a $100,000 taxable value would increase by a little more than $19 a year. Annual property taxes on a home with a taxable value of $200,000 would go up by around $38 a year.

n Kila: Vote between noon and 8 p.m. in the school gym.

There is a levy issue on the Kila ballot. The district is requesting a $150,000 building reserve levy to help with construction and maintenance needs. If voters approve the request, it will be levied over three years.

If voters approve the levy, annual property taxes on a home with a $100,000 taxable value would increase by about $29.62. Property taxes on a home with a $200,000 taxable value would increase by about $59.24 a year.

n Smith Valley: Vote from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the school gym.

n Somers-Lakeside: Residents of precincts 13 and 24 vote at Lakeside Elementary School; voters from precincts 29, 33 and 34 vote at Somers Middle School.

The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

n West Valley: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the school library.

n Whitefish: Vote between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. in the district board room, located downstairs from the performing arts center in Whitefish Middle School.

There is a $40,643 levy request on the ballot to help the district alleviate the $125,000 shortfall it faces in its 2010-11 elementary budget.

If voters approve the levy, it will raise annual property taxes on homes with a $100,000 taxable value by about $1.47. Taxes on a home with a $200,000 taxable value would go up by about $2.93 a year.

For more election information, go to www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_elections