Voters in the Bigfork Fire District on Tuesday approved a $15 million bond for a new fire station and a permanent mill levy, according to unofficial results from Flathead County Election Department.  

For the 20-year bond, 1,045 people voted in favor, with 841 against. 1,145 people voted to support the mill levy, while 775 voted no, for a total of 1,931 votes cast.  

Election results will not be canvassed until Sept. 18 at 9 a.m.  

Tayler Hayes, president of Bigfork Professional Firefighters Local-5289, posted a letter to social media thanking voters for their support.  

“We are deeply humbled and grateful for the overwhelming support of both our mill levy to increase staffing and our bond to build a new fire station ... We will continue to uphold our oath to provide the citizens of Bigfork the highest quality fire and medical services,” the statement read.  

The bond funds the construction of a new fire station to be built on the district’s 8.65-acre property at 925 Chapman Hill Road, which was purchased in 2018. The new station will include five pull-through apparatus bays, a decontamination wash bay, new offices, a wing for firefighter barracks, a medical aid room and an emergency helicopter pad.  

The $15 million bond increases property taxes by $19.84 per $100,000 taxable value a year, $59.51 per $300,000 taxable value a year, or $136.77 per $600,000 taxable value annually.  

The mill levy will generate $1.2 million its first year, according to Bigfork Fire. The funds will go toward hiring six additional firefighters, three of which are already hired in seasonal positions that will be made full-time. Funds will also be used for raising firefighter pay, training opportunities and replacing outdated equipment and vehicles.  

The permanent mill levy will generate $20.62 per $100,000 of a home’s taxable value annually. A home with a $600,000 taxable value will pay $142.16 annually.  

The mill levy includes the 2025-26 tax year, and the department will receive the first funds in December, according to Bigfork Fire Public Information Officer Al Benitez.  

He said it was a challenge, as the district’s staff and board of trustees understood that the proposals were a big ask, but knew that their problems would only become bigger and more costly over time.  

“The mission of our board of trustees and the fire department is to look forward and do the best we can to protect this community, not only today, but well into the future. We decided that these proposals were the best solution for the problems that we're experiencing now ... so we left it up to the community to decide whether that was the direction that they wanted to go. The answer was a pretty resounding yes,” Benitez said. 

He said they saw a 45% voter turnout, which is higher than expected.  

“So many more people participated and made their voices known. And so we're certainly proud of the community that they could look into the future and essentially open their wallets to help support us,” he said.  

Though hiring additional staff will be the first order of business, Benitez said the district’s board will soon revisit the designs for the new station, turn them into buildable drawings and then put bids out for contractors. He said construction is expected to begin on the new fire station in the spring or summer of 2026, with a move-in goal set for 2027.  

For more information on Bigfork Fire’s ballot initiatives, visit www.bigforkfd.com/.  

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

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