SWAN VALLEY – At a meeting held July 10, the Missoula Board of County Commissioners adopted Resolution No. 2019-106 to assess the Rural Special Improvement District No. 282 for the cost of maintaining the Lindbergh Lake bridge across the Swan River at the outlet of Lindbergh Lake and change the boundaries of RSID 282. Any property owner within RSID 282 can protest the proposed bridge maintenance cost and/or against the extension of RSID 282 in writing by Aug. 20 or speak against the resolution at the Commission’s regular meeting Sept. 5 at 2 p.m.
At a meeting Nov. 3, 1977, the Missoula Board of County Commissioners signed a resolution to create RSID 282 after 60 percent of the property owners within the proposed boundaries signed a petition to create the RSID. RSID 282 was created Jan. 12, 1978.
The RSID was created for the purpose of constructing a bridge crossing the Swan River at the outlet of Lindbergh Lake which began in 1978. The cost of construction was assessed against lots in Exhibit A of Resolution No. 77-182. There was no date established for the termination of RSID 282. Missoula County owned the bridge infrastructure.
The Montana Legislature in 2015 authorized a board of county commissioners to transfer the ownership of the improvements in a district to the owners of property in a district. On Aug. 21, 2017, 73 percent of the property owners in RSID 282 petitioned the commissioners to transfer the bridge ownership to the Lindbergh Lake Homeowners Association.
The Missoula Board of County Commissioners held a public hearing on the petition Nov. 30, 2017 but delayed their decision until their Feb. 22, 2018 meeting.
Following comment of both those in support of and against transferring ownership to the LLHOA, the Commissioners voted 3-0 to maintain ownership of the bridge. They also adopted Resolution 2018-024, resolving that the whole cost of maintaining, preserving and repairing the bridge should be paid by the owners of the property in RSID 282. The Missoula County Public Works Department will oversee and perform all maintenance and preservation of the bridge.
At a meeting July 10, 2019, the Missoula County Commissioners adopted Resolution 2019-106 to maintain the bridge crossing the Swan River by assessing property owners in RSID 282 and changing the boundaries of the district.
The maintenance consists of replacing timber bridge railing, concrete patching and repairs, applying a polymer overlay on the bridge deck, and other miscellaneous work to the bridge. The entire cost of the bridge maintenance is $73,176.29 including $66,600 for the estimated cost of the work, $6,076.29 to be paid to the Lindbergh Lake Homeowners Association for engineering costs they incurred in 2014 and 2016 and $500 to defray the costs incurred by Missoula County in administering the maintenance. This will be distributed equally across the 115 properties in RSID 282. This equates to an estimated $636.32 per unit.
The boundaries of RSID 282 have not changed since it was established in 1978. The boundaries changes included in the resolution, are to add properties in RSID 282 that benefit from the bridge and remove others that do not.
Written protest can be made until Aug. 20 at 5 p.m. Such protest must be in writing, identify the property in RSID 282 owned by the protestor and be signed by all owners of the property. The protest must be delivered to the Missoula County Clerk and Recorder.
The Board will hold a public hearing for any additional public comment Sept. 5 at 2 p.m., in the Sophie Moiese Room 151 of the Missoula County Courthouse Annex, 200 West Broadway, in Missoula.
Reader Comments(0)