Governor signs Columbia Falls cemetery bill
KATE HESTON | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 3 months AGO
Kate Heston covers politics and natural resources for the Daily Inter Lake. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa's journalism program, previously worked as photo editor at the Daily Iowan and was a News21 fellow in Phoenix. She can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 406-758-4459. | April 26, 2023 2:00 AM
A new veterans cemetery serving former servicemen and women in Northwest Montana is coming to Columbia Falls.
House Bill 81 — sponsored by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls — was signed into law April 18 by Gov. Greg Gianforte. The legislation allows for the creation of a state veterans cemetery in Flathead County.
“This bill will honor past, present and future generations,” Mitchell wrote in an email. “As our community grows, one thing must never change: commitment to the heroes who secure our future and freedom.”
According to Mitchell, the cemetery will be adjacent to the Montana Veterans Home and funded through state tobacco tax revenue. The fiscal note predicts the yearly operational and maintenance costs to be around $160,000 on average.
While the Montana Veterans Home includes a cemetery, it is only available to veterans who lived at the facility, Mitchell said earlier this year.
There are a few preexisting veterans cemeteries in the state already, in Lewis and Clark County, Missoula and Miles City. The legislation also allows for a possible burial ground in Yellowstone County.
The bill sets aside more than 100 acres of land for the future burial ground, which is open to veterans in nine counties in the region: Lincoln, Sanders, Flathead, Lake, Glacier, Toole, Pondera, Teton, and Liberty counties.
Upon the bill’s passage — and as outlined in the fiscal note — the state Department of Military Affairs and the Montana Veterans Affairs Division can apply for a grant from the federal Veterans Administration to develop the burial ground.
Because the funding for the cemetery will come from allocating state tax funds, its creation is contingent on the passing of House Bill 2, which is the state’s general appropriation fund. HB 2 is still working through the Senate.
“Our veterans came home to the Flathead Valley and they ought to be laid to rest at home, too,” Mitchell said in an email. “We have the land and means to make this happen, so it was critical to act now.”
MORE LOCAL-NEWS STORIES
Governor signs bill authorizing veterans cemetery in Columbia Falls
Daily Inter-Lake | Updated 2 years, 3 months ago
House passes bill allowing for state veterans cemetery in northwest Montana
The Western News | Updated 2 years, 5 months ago
ARTICLES BY KATE HESTON

Runway repairs timed around narrow weather window, says airport director
Business community worried about closure during peak season
Glacier Park International Airport will significantly limit operations for four weeks during peak tourism season next year, but federal regulation and the project's scope leaves no better option, according to Airport Director Rob Ratkowski.

Australian hiker stops in Montana during attempt to become first woman to walk length of the Americas
The 2024 Australian Geographic Adventurer of the Year, Lucy Barnard, has set a goal of becoming the first woman to walk the length of the Western Hemisphere, from Argentina to Alaska.

Under the Big Sky brings three days of music to Flathead Valley
Under the Big Sky is turning up the volume for a sixth year, bringing an array of country, folk, bluegrass and rock acts to center stage just outside Whitefish this weekend.