Not everyone will have a life-or-death emergency today, but chances are great that several people in Flathead County will, and when they do, they will want to be assured that the responding ambulance, fire truck, or police car will arrive promptly when they dial 911.

Our investment as a community in the 911 dispatch service is a vital component of our quality of life. Indeed, it is hard to imagine life without it.

So when property owners in Flathead County decide over the next few weeks whether they support the county commissioners’ request for a special taxing district to support 911, we hope they base their decision on the need for the services that will be funded by the tax.

Unfortunately, a distraction has arisen that has caused some taxpayers to protest the new tax on the mistaken belief that the commissioners have rigged the ballot.

The confusion arises, as it often does, because of a poorly devised mandate in Montana law. As a result of a specific requirement of law found in Montana Code Section 7-11-1008, the commissioners were required to send a protest form out that actually looked like a ballot where voters are choosing whether to support or oppose the 911 special district.

In fact, the only relevant “votes” are the ones that protest the district. If enough property owners protest the district, it could either be forced to be submitted to the voters as a referendum, or delayed altogether for one year.

The number of “protest” forms submitted in favor of the district is completely irrelevant, but because some know-it-all legislative geek in Helena inserted the language into the code, the commissioners are stuck with it.

What’s worse, Section 7-11-1008 specifically mandates that if a property owner does not return the form, “the owner’s lack of action must be construed as support of the special district.”

Our own county commissioners borrowed that exact language and inserted it on the form they sent out, which led some property owners to think the county was “pulling a fast one.” We heard from many readers who thought it was unfair to count unsubmitted forms as being supportive.

But that misses the point. It is not a vote in the true sense. All that matters to the outcome is how many taxpayers protest against the tax district. Votes in favor are completely irrelevant.

So we encourage all property owners who will be deciding the fate of the special 911 district to make their decision based upon whether they believe the funding mechanism proposed is the correct means to pay for what we all agree is a vital service, not based on an emotional reaction to language foolishly mandated by the Montana Legislature.