Helena voters divided over fire station, public safety tax

Helena voters appeared to approve Tuesday, by fewer 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 the new firefighters, according to unofficial results.

Election officials in Lewis and Clark counties received 4,985 votes in favor of the new fire station and 4,887 votes against. The public safety tax failed by 10 percentage points, 55-45, with 9,907 votes cast.

County election officials said Wednesday they will conduct a recount of the fire station bond results if a Helena resident submits a petition and gathers 10 signatures from registered voters in the city.

Helena Mayor Wilmot Collins told the Montana Free Press on Wednesday that it was too early to say what the city's next steps will be, but he remained confident that officials will find a way to staff the new barracks with firefighters in personnel if the tight margin supporting its construction holds up.

“We're in a tough situation, but it's not as bad as we think,” 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 proposed the bond for the new station and the security levy after a study showed both were needed if emergency services wanted to keep up with city size and population growth.

Helena's city limits have expanded by about three miles and its population has increased by 9,000 residents over the past 20 years. Neither local police nor firefighters have kept up with this growth.

If Tuesday's results are confirmed, the city's third fire station will be built in the north of the city, while the factory tax would have funded the salaries of nine police officers and 15 firefighters.

With the passage of the fire station bond, 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 increase by $46. If the factory tax vote had passed, taxes on a home assessed at $300,000 would have increased by $128 per year, while a home assessed at $600,000 would have increased by $256.

Helena police and fire officials said Wednesday morning that it was too early to comment on the election results.