Central Montana Times

Public Safety Town Hall meeting on June 14 at 6 p.m. in the Mansfield Theater

In anticipation of the upcoming Public Safety Levy, the City of Great Falls invites the community to get their questions answered at a Public Safety Town Hall meeting on June 14 at 6 p.m. in the Mansfield Theater. This city-wide event will be the first of two town halls and is free and open to the public. In addition to an interactive Q&A portion of the night, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from the police and fire chief, city attorney, and municipal judge on the current state of public safety in Great Falls.

“Public safety affects everyone in the community,” said City Manager Greg Doyon. “It has been more than 50 years since residents voted to support public safety funding. In 2009, the City Commission asked voters to consider an operational levy, which ultimately failed. Since then, the City has attempted to maintain service levels that taxpayers expect by providing additional resources toward police, fire, municipal court, and the city attorney’s office when possible. If you’re at all curious about public safety in Great Falls, we encourage you to come out to the Town Hall meeting on June 14 to learn more about these efforts and current needs.”

The last time Great Falls voters passed public safety funding was in 1969 and resulted in a bond that constructed the City’s current four fire stations. Since then, the footprint of Great Falls has grown by 44%, while the tax revenue funding for public safety has remained the same – causing a continued strain on the City’s public safety system. In an effort to preserve tax increases, a public safety levy has never been passed. But after 50 years, the Great Falls community is beginning to see the effects. Since 1969, fire and emergency calls have increased by 700%. However, due to staffing and a lack of resources, Great Falls’ first responders can only adequately respond to one major incident at a time – leading to longer emergency response times.

The City of Great Falls has proposed a Public Safety Levy to appear on the November ballot to address the current and growing public safety needs. At its maximum, the levy will cost approximately $280.11 a year for a home with an assessed market value for tax purposes of $200,000. If passed, the levy will provide

increased funding for additional personnel, fundamental resources and equipment, and training for all Great Falls public safety departments (fire, police, court, and legal services).

To learn more about the current state of public safety in Great Falls and the impacts that passage or failure of the levy will have on residents, attend the Public Safety Town Hall on June 14 at 6 p.m. in the Mansfield Theater.

Paid for by the City of Great Falls, Melissa Kinzler, Finance Director, P.O. Box 5021, Great Falls, MT 59403

Original source can be found here.