Flathead County asks voters to back bond for new jail

On July 15, a thunderstorm fried the outdated electrical system at the Flathead County Detention Center. For six hours, the hallways had to be lit with temporary battery-powered lamps. 

An old electrical system is just one of the issues facing Flathead County’s outdated jail, said Sheriff Brian Heino, who is campaigning this fall for a $105 million bond to construct a new facility south of Kalispell. Heino said building a new jail in the Flathead has been a long time coming. 

“I started in the sheriff’s department in 2003, and a new jail has been a topic of discussion the entire time,” he said. “We are at capacity.”

The jail south of downtown Kalispell was built in 1987 to house 63 inmates. In 2018, it was expanded, and by maximizing space and adding bunks, the county has been able to hold 154 people. However, Heino said that figure is well above the “maximum safe operational capacity” of 96, which the jail’s staff tries to avoid surpassing. Due to the jail’s linear design, it would be nearly impossible to increase capacity further, the sheriff said. 

Heino said overcrowding at the jail poses a risk to the health and safety of both inmates and staff. It also means law enforcement in the Flathead Valley cannot do their jobs effectively, as they are sometimes forced to release individuals who might otherwise stay behind bars pending charges or trial. 

Heino attributed the overcrowding issue to several factors, most notably the county’s growth. When the jail was built in 1987, there were 57,662 residents in Flathead County. Thirty-eight years later, the county has more than doubled in size to 114,000 residents, with a large percentage arriving in the last decade or so. Another factor has been a lack of mental health services in the Flathead Valley and limited bed space at the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs, Heino said. When someone experiencing a mental health crisis is detained in Flathead County, they often cannot be housed with other inmates, further reducing capacity. 

Over the years, the county has considered buying existing buildings to turn into a jail, including an old Walmart in Evergreen and the former Plum Creek Timber Co. offices in Columbia Falls. Topped by another bid or scuttled by community pushback, those attempts failed. In 2024, the county took its first major step toward building a new jail when it purchased 115 acres south of Kalispell for $3.9 million. Officials now say it’s time to do something with that land. The new jail will be twice as large as the current one and will have more space for violent offenders. While the jail will be able to hold twice as many inmates, officials said they will need to hire only 14 more staff members (currently there are 38) because of its improved design. 

Heino said the jail will cost $130 million, and the county is asking for a $105 million bond. According to the county, the 20-year bond will lead in its first year to an annual property tax increase of about $35 for a home valued at $300,000 or about $80 per year for a home valued at $600,000. 

Had Flathead County built a new jail six or seven years ago, it would have cost about $50 million. But Heino said construction costs have risen dramatically, and he expects that trend to continue. 

“Every year we wait, it’s just going to get more expensive,” he said. 

The bond is supported by several elected officials, including Gov. Greg Gianforte. In a letter endorsing the project, he commended local officials for their efforts to cut the project cost by $25 million. 

“This campaign is about more than a building,” the governor wrote. “It is about one of the government’s most important obligations: to protect our communities.”

The bond will be up for a vote on Nov. 4.

An old and overcrowded jail is just one of the issues currently facing the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, Heino said. He said his department is struggling to attract and keep sheriff deputies. He noted that Flathead County deputies are paid less than officers in other departments. 

For example, Kalispell police officers start at around $35 per hour, but the county pays its deputies about $32.20 per hour. While Heino would like to give his deputies a raise to stay competitive, he legally can’t without giving himself a raise. According to state law, deputy salary is based on a percentage of the sheriff’s salary. Earlier this year, Heino requested a $5,000 raise for himself, which would trigger higher pay for county deputies, but the county compensation board denied that request.

“We want to be able to hire good people and we want to be able to keep them,” he said. 

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