Helena voters Tuesday appeared to approve, by less than 100 votes, the construction of a new fire station in the city but rejected a public safety tax that would have, among other things, paid the salaries of new firefighters, according to unofficial results.
Lewis and Clark County election officials received 4,985 votes in favor of the new fire station and 4,887 votes against it. The public safety mill levy failed by 10 percentage points, 55-45, with 9,907 votes cast.
County election officials said Wednesday that they would conduct a recount for the fire station bond results if a Helena resident petitioned and gathered 10 signatures of voters registered in the city.
Helena Mayor Wilmot Collins told Montana Free Press Wednesday that it is too early to tell what the city’s next steps will be, but he remained positive that officials will find a way to staff the new fire station if the tight margin supporting its construction holds up.
“We’re in a predicament, but it’s not as bad as we think it is,” Collins said. “We will respect what the voters say. We live in an informed community, our community will come together and we will find a way to make things work.”
Earlier this year, Helena city staff, police and fire department officials proposed the bond for the new station and the safety levy after a study showed that both were needed if emergency services were to keep up with the city’s size and population growth.
Helena’s city limits have expanded about three miles, and its population has increased by 9,000 in the past 20 years. Neither the local police nor fire department have kept up with the growth.
If Tuesday’s results are confirmed, the city’s third fire station will be built on the north side of the city, while the mill levy would have funded salaries for nine police officers and 15 firefighters.
With the bond for the fire station passing, taxes on a home valued at $300,000 will increase by $23 in the first year. Taxes for a home valued at $600,000 will go up $46. If the mill levy vote had passed, taxes on a home valued at $300,000 would have increased by $128 per year, while a home valued at $600,000 would have increased by $256.
Helena police and fire department officials said Wednesday morning that it was too early to comment on the election results.
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