Vote moves forward after decision by new judge

POLSON — In one of his first acts in office, newly appointed district court judge James Manley waded into the ongoing fracas surrounding Flathead Reservation water rights and upheld a controversial referendum vote intended for local irrigators.

The ballot in question has been issued by the Flathead Joint Board of Control (FJBC) in an attempt to quantify support for and against the decision of two irrigation districts to withdraw from the board - a motion spurred amid strong disagreements over the negotiated water compact that faltered in the Legislature earlier this year. The movement of the Jocko Valley and the Mission districts to withdraw will officially take effect on Dec. 12.

In an interview with the Leader last month, Jerry Laskody, a commissioner from the Mission irrigation district, said that the non-binding referendum simply aims to “gauge the opinion” of local irrigators in the Jocko Valley, Mission and Flathead districts.

The referendum had temporarily been stalled after certain representatives of the Jocko Valley and Mission districts filed a restraining order, arguing that the FJBC no longer held authority over members of their districts.

However, Manley’s decision paves the way for the FJBC to proceed with the ballot, saying that the court “should encourage more rather than less participation of affected property owners.”