A proposed mill levy and $15 million bond to fund the Bigfork Fire Department has drawn criticism from some community members who say the measures are too costly for taxpayers. 

Dan Elwell, a former Bigfork Fire board member and volunteer firefighter, said he will not vote to approve the permanent mill levy or the 20-year, $15 million bond. In a social media post, Elwell said he resigned as board chair because he could not support the measures. 

The bond would fund construction of a new fire station. If passed, the mill levy would support hiring additional firefighters, purchasing equipment and increasing pay, generating $1.2 million in its first year, according to Bigfork Fire Public Information Officer Al Benitez.

Although Elwell said Bigfork currently receives high-quality care from the district’s staff and volunteers, he believes continued tax increases are not sustainable. 

Bigfork Fire’s taxing district spans 75 square miles, while the Emergency Medical Services district covers 168 square miles. To offset some costs, residents in the EMS district pay a $200 out-of-district fee if they require ambulance service. 

“If my taxes go up to cover this, and an ambulance is out of service for four hours on a run to Condon, I'm paying more for it and I don't have any more access to it,” Elwell told the Bigfork Eagle. “The people that are getting access to it aren't paying anything other than $200 for an out of district call. Well, that doesn't even cover my staffing, let alone the fuel and wear and tear on an ambulance. So it just doesn't make sense.” 

He said he’d like to see the department return to a more robust volunteer program, as well as the high school cadet program and internships, which he said would help supplement staffing.  

He also called for increased fundraising efforts for a new station, citing other community projects funded by local donors in recent years. 

“We've done a library, we've done the baseball field, we've done the ACES after-school program. We've done all these things in the community, and there's a lot of big hitters in this town who might be more willing to take a huge chunk of that away,” Elwell said.  

While Elwell believes the district needs more staff and a new facility, he said the bond and mill levy are not the right approach. 

He expressed concern about what equipment the district would transfer to the new facility, saying he was told only the generator would be moved. 

“In the past few years, we have purchased new computers, beds, kitchen appliances, heavy duty washers and dryers, gym equipment, updated the phone and computer systems and much more. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. As a taxpayer, I see this as an atrocious waste of money,” Elwell wrote in his social media post.  

Tayler Hayes with Bigfork Professional Firefighters Local-5289 said it’s true the generator would be the only permanent fixture to go to the new station. However, the department expects the other appliances to be nearly worn out by the time the new station is constructed and ready for furnishing, he said. 

One of the primary goals for the new station is improved ventilation and designated spaces for cleaning trucks and equipment. Hayes said the current barracks are essentially connected to the vehicle bays, which poses health risks. 

“We can have space that's separated from the apparatus base, that we can live in and not have to worry about being contaminated by the exhaust,” he said. 

Hayes said Bigfork Fire is asking the community to approve the mill levy so they can raise wages for their firefighters, which is currently 30-50% lower than the other neighboring fire departments, according to the Bigfork Fire website.  

“There are highly qualified and skilled people that we would like to retain, but we're losing them to those other departments. I think in the past two to three years, we've lost 10 individuals. 

“We have people that we train and commit a lot of time to, and then somebody else gets to reap that reward down the road,” Hayes said.  

Benitez said the department also faces challenges with outdated equipment, including two water tenders converted from sewer trucks. 

Hayes recalled responding to a fatal fire last April on the lakeshore, where one water tender was unusable due to hose issues. The department relied on assistance from the Polson Rural Fire District. 

“Our ability to bring water to a fire in the rural environment is less than adequate for what we need to do, and that puts us at pretty significant risk,” Hayes said.  

The mill levy will generate $20.62 per $100,000 of a home’s taxable value annually. A home with a $600,000 taxable value would pay $142.16 annually. If approved, the mill levy will include the 2025-26 tax year, and the department would receive the first funds in December. 

Bigfork Fire officials estimate they need $4.2 million for scheduled vehicle replacement in the next five years.   

Hayes acknowledged online discussions comparing the current ballot measure to a 2018 proposal, but said the similarities exist because the funding needs remain the same. 

He said their call volume has nearly doubled since 2018. 

“Having two people on shift and an officer on shift is not adequate. Every third call, we will get a second call while we are already on that call — which means that we don't have people to send out when that comes through,” Hayes said. “And that's what we're asking the community to approve, we just need to be able to have paid people on shift that can respond in a timely manner to people's emergencies.” 

Doug Averill said he agrees that Bigfork Fire is providing quality service for the district. As a longtime supporter, he sees the need forbetter wages and a new fire station. However, he also has concerns about the proposed ballot measures. 

Averill has been involved with Bigfork Fire’s effort for a new station, serving on a committee last fall to discuss the design of the new station, as well as financing options. He believes the committee’s suggestions to avoid an expensive bond or another mill levy were largely ignored by the board.  

Averill, owner of Flathead Lake Lodge, said they’ve been big supporters of Bigfork Fire over the years, purchasing old firetrucks for aesthetic and their own firefighting needs. The Averills once bought the district a relatively new ladder truck, trading a newer one for their old antique truck.  

Averill said he’s hearing concerns among some community members the proposal may be too grandiose or expensive.  

“When you look at the proposed 20,000-square-foot building for $15 million, in comparison, that's one of the largest facilities around,” he said. “Bozeman has 9,000 calls and their building is 14,000 square feet. So that brings the question, are we designing a building that is overbuilt for our needs at this time?" 

The Bigfork district fields an average of 1,400 calls a year, with 80% or more being medical calls, according to Benitez. 

Averill agrees the district is in need of a new facility, noting the current one is contaminated by fumes from fires and truck exhaust. However, he said the goal for better ventilation is made more costly by having five vehicle bays, which he sees as more space to decontaminate.  

He’s also concerned about the price of the proposed station design and how it compares to other similar structures. He said he would like to see a phasing plan for the station. 

"It's not $750 per square-foot architecture, and the contractors I've had look at it, we’ve compared it to six other large buildings in the valley that have been built over the last two years, most of them all fall in the $6 million range. What is the disparity between that and $15 million?” he said.  

The proposed mill levy and bond is too costly, he said, considering a recent rise in the cost of fire insurance for the area and other upcoming measures in the county, like the detention center bond on the November ballot. 

Averill said the estimates for the cost to taxpayers usually start at homes valued at $100,000, going up to $600,000, but many property owners in Bigfork have homes valued much higher than that.  

“As a large taxpayer it concerns me. I don't mind paying for very good fire coverage, but I would like to see it be well thought out and the best use of the dollars, and not overpay for a grand fire house," 

Friends of Bigfork Fire President Jim Sticka said though some people believe the new station design and bond proposal are too ambitious, Bigfork and the surrounding area “have been discovered” and more people are expected to move in. He said it’s worth investing in operations and a new station now, rather than paying higher construction costs later. 

"We need to be able to have the facilities that the department is requesting, and to be able to cover all those needs, it’s certainly not too big,” Sticka said.  

Friends of Bigfork Fire has raised almost $1 million in the last 19 years to pay for training and safety equipment. Sticka said they’ve been able to fundraise successfully because the community understands the value of reliable fire and EMS services.   

He believes it will be difficult for the district to handle the number of calls in the near future, let alone the long term, if the facilities aren’t improved. 

“It's only going to get more expensive. So if this gets postponed and then in five years, they bring up another bond issue because they just can't operate out of that location anymore, the costs are just going to be that much higher. There's no time like the present to make things happen," Sticka said.  

Bigfork Fire will be hosting an open house of the fire station on Sept. 7 from 1 to 5 p.m.   

For more information on the Bigfork Fire’s proposed bond and mill levy, visit their website at bigforkfd.com/.   

Ballots must be mailed or delivered to the elections office by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Postmarks do not count, ballots received after 8 p.m. on Sept. 9 will not be counted.   

Taylor Inman may be reached at 758-4440 or [email protected].