Flathead County voters will decide in November on a $105 million bond for a new detention center. 

County commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved putting the bond proposal on the ballot after unveiling plans for the new facility last month.  

“Four years ago, I told people, I promised them that I would do everything I could to put this on the ballot,” said Commissioner Brad Abell. “I think this is an important issue before the county ... our present detention center is too small.” 

If approved by voters, the bond would be issued over a 20-year period. The county estimates that property taxes for homes with a $100,000 assessed market value will increase by $11.13 in the first year. For homes valued at $300,000, property taxes will go up by $33.38. And for homes valued at $600,000, property taxes will increase by $76.72. 

Project manager and grant administrator Whitney Aschenwald said the updated figures from the state Department of Revenue this week were slightly lower than originally projected. 

Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino, earlier this week, presented plans for the new detention center to the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce's Government Affairs Committee, an entity that discusses issues affecting local businesses. 

The chamber is in favor of the bond initiative and is urging the business community to support it. Public safety is tied to economic stability, reads a chamber-sponsored flyer supporting the project. 

For the past two decades, Heino said there’s been nearly yearly talks about designing a new detention facility. Overcrowded jails pose higher risks of violence and threaten the safety of detention officers, inmates and the public.

When the existing county jail on Main Street was built in 1986, it could house 63 inmates. After multiple expansions, the jail now holds 150 beds. The sheriff said he aims to keep the jail at around 80% capacity so there’s flexibility to separate inmates.  

But the facility cannot be expanded any further and it is in constant need of maintenance, Heino said. The sheriff told committee members the building suffers from flooding from its water and sewage system. 

“Personally, I've had my whole desk flood many a time,” Heino said. “It's a very sinking feeling when you have all your papers on your desk and then you have a pool of water on there.”

The jail has long faced problems with overcrowding, safety, limited ability to serve inmates with mental illness and lack of space to appropriately separate inmates. With limited spacing available, the county courts have had to decide which individuals are released from the jail to make room for incoming inmates. 

“One of the biggest things for me is I want that opportunity for our judiciary and our staff to be able to hold more people accountable, but also in a safe environment,” Heino said. 

Designs for the new facility include 200 inmate beds and a special housing unit with expanded health and mental health facilities. The new building would also house the Sheriff’s Office and a courtroom. 

The current facility has multiple hallways connecting the jail cells, which require additional staff to monitor the inmates. In the new building, jail cells will be closer together, so fewer detention officers are needed to monitor the area, Heino said.  

The county last year purchased 114 acres on Snowline Lane as a location for the potential jail. If approved, construction could begin as early as spring of 2026 and would take about three years to complete. 

Heino invited residents to tour the current jail facility. More information about the facility and scheduling jail tours is available at flatheadjail.com.  

Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 758-4439 or [email protected].