Election Preview: Some voters to decide road levy

The county mailed ballots for the Nov. 2 election to active voters Oct. 15. Ballots may be returned in person or by mail to: Lake County Election Office; 106 Fourth Ave. E; Polson, MT 59860. Ballots will be accepted at the Election Office 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Nov. 1 and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 2.

Lake County voters who reside outside of municipal boundaries will consider a request from county commissioners for a levy to fund the purchase of oil for rehabilitation of chip-sealed county roads.

Voters approved an initial request in 2018 that funded three summers of road work. Commissioners have said 1 mile of road requires approximately $40,000 worth of road oil, an amount that cannot be funded by the county’s current budget.

To date, 27 miles of chip-sealed roads have been resurfaced using levy funds, according to a county press release. Some of the larger projects completed include Terrace Lake Road, Airport Road, Salmon Prairie Road and the townsite of Charlo.

If approved, under the new levy request an owner of a home worth $200,000 would pay $10.80, the same as the previous levy. The new request is for two years.

Property owners within Polson, Ronan and St. Ignatius will not vote on the levy, as the additional tax will not be added to their tax bills.