Governor signs bill authorizing veterans cemetery in Columbia Falls

A new veterans cemetery serving former servicemen and women in Northwest Montana is coming to Columbia Falls.

House Bill 81 — sponsored by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls — was signed into law April 18 by Gov. Greg Gianforte. The legislation allows for the creation of a state veterans cemetery in Flathead County.

“This bill will honor past, present and future generations,” Mitchell wrote in an email. “As our community grows, one thing must never change: commitment to the heroes who secure our future and freedom.”

According to Mitchell, the cemetery will be adjacent to the Montana Veterans Home and funded through state tobacco tax revenue. The fiscal note predicts the yearly operational and maintenance costs to be around $160,000 on average.

While the Montana Veterans Home includes a cemetery, it is only available to veterans who lived at the facility, Mitchell said earlier this year.

There are a few preexisting veterans cemeteries in the state already, in Lewis and Clark County, Missoula and Miles City. The legislation also allows for a possible burial ground in Yellowstone County.

The bill sets aside 150 acres of land for the future burial ground, which is open to veterans in nine counties in the region: Lincoln, Sanders, Flathead, Lake, Glacier, Toole, Pondera, Teton, and Liberty counties.

Upon the bill's passage — and as outlined in the fiscal note — the state Department of Military Affairs and the Montana Veterans Affairs Division can apply for a grant from the federal Veterans Administration to develop the burial ground.

Because the funding for the cemetery will come from allocating state tax funds, its creation is contingent on the passing of House Bill 2, which is the state’s general appropriation fund. HB 2 is still working through the Senate.

“Our veterans came home to the Flathead Valley and they ought to be laid to rest at home, too,” Mitchell said in an email. “We have the land and means to make this happen, so it was critical to act now.”

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.