County OKs lower budget

The Flathead County commissioners lauded the county’s management team for fiscal conservatism on Thursday as they unanimously approved a $75.2 million budget for the coming year.

Most county department heads gathered for the public hearing, but no one from the public attended.

The budget is down from $78.9 million for the previous fiscal year. The biggest reason for the drop in expenditures is the absence of major construction projects. The county spent $2.7 million renovating the courthouse in 2011 and also built a $155,000 records storage building.

“The last three years have not been easy,” Commissioner Dale Lauman said. “And this year we asked you to hold the line. All of you have met those goals.”

The final budget pencils in a 25 percent cash reserve of $11.7 million at the end of the fiscal year, gives most county workers a 2.5 percent cost-of-living raise and slightly decreases the amount of property tax homeowners will pay.

“If the federal government has a dollar, they’ll spend 10 dollars. If Flathead County has a dollar, that’s what we have to spend,” Lauman said, adding that he believes the county is finally “coming out the other side” of the economic downturn.

Commissioners Pam Holmquist and Cal Scott praised the county’s management team.

“You do an exceptional job,” Scott told the group.