Taxes Rising Despite Rural Opposition

For the third time in three years a countywide bond issue has passed with Missoula city voters in favor and rural voters opposing it. Rural voters were also outvoted in the county commissioner race this year like they were in 2014.

The $30 million bond to pay for a new public library in Missoula passed countywide with 58 percent of voters saying “yes” to 42 percent “no” votes.

However, rural voters in Clinton, Frenchtown, Lolo, Seeley Lake, Potomac and the Swan Valley voted down the bond with 45 percent “yes” to 55 percent “no.” Voters in these precincts made up nearly 9,000 of the 58,000 votes cast and were easily outnumbered by the urban areas of the county.

The highest opposition came from the Frenchtown 14N precinct with 66 percent against and followed by the Swan Valley with 61 percent opposition.

Conversely, the highest support for the bond came from the UC Center precinct with 81 percent in favor. Nine precincts in Missoula had higher than 70 percent of voters in favor of the bond.

This played out very similarly to two recent bonds. The $42 million Parks and Trails bond passed in 2014 despite rural opposition. These same communities averaged 62 percent against and 38 percent in favor. Frenchtown 14N voted it down by 77 percent.

The following year the Missoula County Public Schools’ $70 million high school facilities bond passed by less than one percent. Again, voters in rural communities voted it down with 62 percent against and 38 percent for while the urban passed it.

With the library bond estimated to increase taxes on a $200,000 home by $28 per year it brings the three-year total increase to $137 per year.

In similar fashion to the bond elections, this year’s commissioner race between Dave Strohmaier and Todd Geery shows the disparity between the rural and urban voters. Geery attained 64 percent of the vote in the rural communities but Strohmaier ultimately won with 57 percent of the vote.

Commissioner Cola Rowley’s 2014 win was no different with her opponent Vicky Gordon attaining 66 percent of voters in rural communities. Rowley won with 53 percent countywide.