Primary elections to be held Tuesday
The speeches have been given, the columns have been written and June 3 voters will have to make a decision on the issues and stand behind a candidate.
Three issues will be on the ballot for the primary election Tuesday: The library issue, the planning board issue and the senior ballot issue. The planning board issues has seemed to get a lot of attention. It has been heralded as “a planned future” by some and denounced as “layers of government bureaucracy” by others.
Sanders County is one of 12 counties in Montana that has seen unprecedented population growth within the last ten years, according to the official ballot. If created, the planning board would serve in an advisory role to the board of commissioners and elected officials.
The official ballot states that the purpose of the planning board will be to improve the present health, safety, convenience, and welfare of the residents of Sanders County and to plan for the future development of Sanders County.
The Thompson Falls Library issue is a levy designed to raise money for operation and improvement of the Thompson Falls Public Library. The levy would raise the current five-mill levy into a seven-mill levy. It would cost an owner of a home valued at $100,000 the sum of approximately $3.97 per year, gaining an approximate $23,851.
The last of the issues, the senior ballot issue focuses on raising funds for elderly programs and services. At 3 mills, this would be the largest of the two levies being proposed, costing an owner of a home valued at $100,000 the sum of approximately $5.96 per year, raising approximately $90,069.
The official ballot will state the levy is for “the purpose of maintaining the operation of aging services, including transportation, nutritional and other programs, and Senior Citizen Centers in Sanders County.” It would be a permanent increase from the current 2.39 mills to 5.39 mills.
Tuesday will also see Democrats, Republicans and the nonpartisan candidates alike looking for local support. There are six candidates seeking to be their party’s representative for District 3 County Commissioner.
In the democrat camp there are two candidates, both from Noxon: Cindy Iversen and Howard Bakke. The Republicans have four candidates that will be on the ballot: Bill Naegeli, from Thompson Falls; Tony Cox, from Thompson Falls; Vic Hays, from Trout Creek and Dieter Scholz, from Noxon.
To all those voters needing late registration, it’s important to note that all late registrations must be register and vote at the Sander’s County Courthouse. All precincts will be open on June 3 from 7p.m. to 8 p.m.