Flathead County commissioners sign off on final budget

Flathead County commissioners have approved a $129.7 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year.  

In approving the budget, commissioners on Aug. 29 commended county staff for holding the line on the budget while providing services for the community.  

“We have an incredible staff here and department heads that have done an amazing job of keeping the county on solid footing,” Commissioner Pam Holmquist said.

The budget includes $119.1 million in revenue.  The gap between expenditures and revenue comes from expenses related to the regional septage facility. The county previously received American Rescue Plan Act funds for the project.   

Under the fiscal year 2025 budget, homeowners with a home valued at $100,000 should see an increase of $5.70, a home valued at $300,000 should see an increase of $17.37 and a home at $600,000 should see an increase of $34.75.    

The tax levy for fiscal year 2025 is 107.63 mills, compared with 103.34 mills in the previous fiscal year. The total property tax for fiscal year 2025 is $51 million, an increase of $2.66 million over the previous fiscal year.  

Almost half of the increase at $1.23 million is attributed to newly added properties entering the tax roll, County Administrator Pete Melnick notes.  

“These new residents not only contribute to the general welfare of Flathead County, but also alleviate the overall tax burden of all residents,” Melnick said.  

The budget forgoes collecting about 7 mills, which equates to $3.56 million going untaxed.    

“Because of your actions we were able to slow the advance of allowable property taxes caused by increased Department of Revenue valuations,” Melnick said in his budget memo.  

The capital improvement program totals $12.8 million as part of the budget, which is a slight increase over the previous year. This includes setting aside $1 million for a future detention facility.  

The budget adds $166,000 to the county emergency services budget and funds for increased staffing at the new Bigfork library branch.  

Personnel costs for the roughly 560 county employees include a 3.2% cost of living adjustment, equating to $1.07 million.  

The budget maintains a cash reserve of 26.95% for tax-levied funds, which is within the legal limit of 33%.  

The budget total in fiscal year 2024 was $115.8 million. 

Deputy Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com.