Flathead County Commissioner primary: Harmon wants to be proactive, not reactive, he says

Tim Harmon wants to steer Flathead County down a path of tackling county issues with a proactive approach rather than reacting to challenges after the fact.

His decision to run in the Republican primary for the District 2 commission seat that represents the greater Evergreen area started one evening as he and his wife sat around the campfire contemplating how county government operates.

“There are questions that need to be asked,” he said. “If you buy it, how will you pay for it? If you build it, how will you pay for it?”

What baffles Harmon is how the county finds itself in a couple of big predicaments: How to pay for a new jail and how to keep the 911 dispatch center in operation.

“How did it get to this point?” Harmon asked. “Our elected officials did not know” years ago to begin planning for a bigger jail?

Harmon acknowledged the county now is setting aside some money for a new jail, but said it’s coming from a tax most county residents don’t understand.

During the recession the commissioners opted to not levy the maximum number of property-tax mills. Since the county is able to reclaim those unlevied mills from past years and levy them in the future, the commissioners two years ago directed staff to levy to the maximum legal ability and earmark the extra revenue for construction of an adult detention facility expansion.

Harmon’s opponent, incumbent Commissioner Pam Holmquist, initially voted against the extra tax mills but last year agreed to the plan. The commissioners vote on the levy plan each year. The extra mills have brought in about $5 million to date, and are expected to raise $10 million by 2021.

“We’re being taxed for a new jail we don’t have,” Harmon stated. “It’s like making payments on a car we don’t have, and we don’t even know what kind of car we should buy.”

Harmon said the mill levy plan should have been better explained to the public.

He favors the latest plan of determining if the County Attorney Office space that’s being vacated in the Justice Center could be used to house inmates. 

If that space is deemed feasible, Harmon’s idea is to use a portion of the $5 million already set aside for a new jail to remodel the County Attorney space, and use the rest to address the 911 center equipment and operation/maintenance needs. 

The county is struggling to find a way to pay for equipment improvements and ongoing maintenance of the consolidated dispatch center because the bonds to build it didn’t include a funding mechanism for ongoing needs. Voters twice have rejected attempts to create a tax district to raise additional money.

“My suggestion is to leave those mills in place and take those mills and provide roughly $900,000 in tax relief to city residents so they’re not getting double-taxed,” he said.

He believes treatment or rehabilitation programs should be incorporated into a future jail expansion, and that the county would be well-served to study how other municipalities have successfully created broad-based correction programs.

“We need a multifaceted approach,” he added.

Collaboration with the state is a must, Harmon stressed. He said he believes Flathead County should seek financial assistance from the state, perhaps in the form of a low-interest loan.

“I don’t think it’s kicking the problem to another entity. The state prison system is overcrowded. We can’t process [inmates] out of the county jail because the state prison is overcrowded, so the state is making their problem our problem ... the state has not added one [prison] bed since 1999.”

Harmon said he wants government transparency with county matters of any size, even in decisions such as installing heated sidewalks around the new South Campus Building and the renovated old jail building.

“What I’m finding out is people are asking why do we need heated sidewalks,” he said. “How many trips and falls have there been, and what has that cost been?”

To create better communication between county residents and the commission, Harmon advocates holding some public meetings in the evening at bigger facilities to allow working people to attend.

Harmon said the county does a good job of maintaining a wide network of roads, given the climate challenges.

He said it’s an exciting time for economic development in Flathead County, with projects such as the Glacier Rail Park on tap.

“The county is responsible to make an environment for job creation,” he said. “County government should be a cheerleader for job creation, but the government shouldn’t spend a dime without addressing public safety and asking how will it affect the private sector.”

Harmon said he’s proud to be a county employee, and was equally proud to be a small businessman for about 20 years. He managed his family’s business, the Four Corners Bar, for a number of years.

Tim Harmon

Age: 54

Occupation: Flathead County Fairgrounds maintenance supervisor for 14 years

Family: Wife, Tammy; two grown sons, two grandsons

Background: Received Over the Hill and Above and Beyond the Call of Duty Award from 4-H last year for his assistance to organization; board member of Northwest Montana Arms Collectors Association; board member of Alano Club of Kalispell; member of National Rifle Association for over 30 years; 1980 Flathead High School graduate; former small business owner

Online: www.harmonforcommissioner.com; Harmon for Commissioner on Facebook