Evergreen group on the hook for $50K in sidewalk effort

Evergreen community leaders say they were blindsided by a clause in a recent Flathead County resolution that requires them to come up with $50,000 in order to construct sidewalks along the U.S. 2 corridor.

The county commissioners on June 3 approved a resolution of intent to create two special taxing districts that would cover 61 properties along the highway, which would help fund the construction and maintenance of the new sidewalks in perpetuity. That enabled a group of Evergreen residents to submit a last-minute grant application to the Montana Department of Transportation.

Members of the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce and area civic groups thought establishing the taxing districts — one for construction and one for maintenance — would be the last step in the long process of applying for the roughly $1 million grant. But the commissioners' four-page resolution contains a clause they didn't anticipate.

"It is expected that matching funds must be contributed to MDT for engineering costs as early as January 2022," the resolution states. "However, as the earliest possible assessment cannot be collected until November 2022 and the viability of the [taxing districts] cannot be finally determined until construction bids are awarded, private funds in the amount of $50,000 must be remitted to the Flathead County commissioners office by Dec. 1, 2021, to be deposited into a county fund."

That money, the resolution states, would cover preliminary engineering costs and would be refunded once the taxing district begins generating revenue. But it's still a sizable amount, and Daren Engellant, vice president of the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce, said he and other backers of the project were not aware of the financial requirement until a Daily Inter Lake reporter inquired about it last week.

"It is indeed a surprise to all of us," Engellant said in an email.

He said the Chamber of Commerce and other individuals and groups will cobble together the $50,000, but he doesn't understand why the county won't use its own funds to fill in gaps in the project.

THE PROJECT would add paved paths along U.S. 2 between Montana 35 and Sunset Drive, and along portions of Montana 35 and West Evergreen Drive. The corridor is lined for much of the year with muddy or dusty foot paths, or nearly impassable mounds of snow and ice, forcing students to walk or bike along the edge of the highway to and from Evergreen's elementary and junior high schools.

In a phone call Monday, Commissioner Randy Brodehl maintained that county staff had communicated the financial expectation to the group of Evergreen citizens.

"That's the number that we've been using all along with them, so it shouldn't have been a surprise," Brodehl said.

Brodehl and the other two commissioners, Pam Holmquist and Brad Abell, are all Republicans who speak often about reining in county spending, and they have continued a yearslong moratorium on the construction of sidewalks in unincorporated areas.

The community-driven effort to build sidewalks in Evergreen is unusual, Brodehl said, as the bulk of the project would be covered by the state grant, and local funds would come from the taxing districts. In other words, only the property owners along the highway would pay taxes for the sidewalks.

Brodehl said the county is seeking private funds to begin the project because "that keeps it from being on the backs of the taxpayers that are from out of the area."

"We don't put sidewalks in Marion, and we don't put sidewalks in Lakeside. We just don't do that," he said. "So, we have to treat everybody equal."

ENGELLANT SAID the Evergreen project is a public good that will not only improve safety for school children but also improve accessibility for anyone who visits the community.

"Our committee simply cannot figure out where the commissioners are coming from," he said. "Sidewalks in Evergreen are needed for so many reasons, and it will be an asset to everyone in the county, even though the people in Evergreen will perhaps benefit the most."

Engellant said there have been frustrating miscommunications between his group and the county since the start of the project.

"We are appreciative that they passed the [taxing districts] and sponsored the grant application," he said, "but it does seem that they are not a full partner in making this a reality for their citizens and constituents in Evergreen."

Assistant editor Chad Sokol may be reached at 406-758-4439 or csokol@dailyinterlake.com.