:The Laurel Outlook:News

The Yellowstone County Commissioners approved a sale of $3 million in general obligation bonds to D. A. Davidson, last week. The funds will be used to finance building of the Yellowstone County Veterans Cemetery and the purchase of new seats for MetraPark. The cemetery financing amounts to $1.6 million and MetraPark's share is $1.4 million.

D.A. Davidson submitted the lowest of three bids, with an interest rate of 3.699 percent. The next lowest rate was bid by Wells Fargo Brokerage at 3.79 percent. County Director of Finance Scott Turner said that he was pleased with the outcome of the sale, since it was, “well within the projected debt service we had forecasted.” The low rate means a savings to the county of some $15,000 - the difference in a debt service of $160,000 rather than $175,000.

The commissioners discussed applying the savings to construction costs at the veteran's cemetery, which came in higher than anticipated.

Hardy Construction came in with the lowest bid for construction of the cemetery at $1,421,651.

An option of the cemetery bid includes a warming hut, the acceptance of which will depend upon available funding. If the $15,000 isn't needed as part of a contingency fund for the cemetery construction, it could be applied toward the building of the warming hut, which will cost about $150,000.

The commissioners also discussed the possibility of financing the warming hut's construction internally. The veterans are working on fund-raising for the project.

As budget hearings approach for the county, one topic that is sure to get attention is a plea from the Big Sky Senior Services for a bigger budget.

Denise Armstrong told commissioners that the agency, which is appropriated funding through the Council on Aging, is in need of more funding for the services it provides for seniors who otherwise “fall through the cracks.” Those services include Meals on Wheels and In-Home Services. She said, “Our goal is to keep the seniors in their home as long as possible.”

The Council on Aging is a board appointed by the County Commissioners to appropriate the funding available for the many senior programs, including support of the Senior Centers. According to Director of Finance Scott Turner, the council administers about $662,000. Of that total, pointed out Armstrong, Big Sky Senior Services gets less than 10 percent, even though, she said, it was with the promise to provide more funding for Meals on Wheels and In-Home Services that the increase of one mill was approved by the voters a year ago.

Big Sky Senior Services gets about $55,000 from the Council (up from $32,000 prior to the mill levy increase). Armstrong said that they would like to increase their appropriation to $100,000. Senior Services gets almost 13 percent of its $393,500 budget from fund-raising efforts.

Commissioner John Ostlund said that she had “a good message,” but the commissioners were not the ones to whom it should be delivered. The commissioners urged Senior Services to take their issue to the Council on Aging and to attend the budget hearings for the Council on Aging on June 23.

See Commissioners, Page 7

The commissioners asked the Senior Services representatives how much money would be necessary to meet all the needs they see from seniors. They said that an additional $250,000 would be necessary.

With all the talk about the state of the economy, it's caused some people to wonder if delinquent tax collections might be an indicator of hard economic times for some in the state.

Yellowstone County Treasurer Max Lennington said last week that if there are any economic woes being suffered in Yellowstone County, they are not being reflected in the tax collections.

While numbers are still coming in from the $166 million in tax payments which were due by May 31, Lennington said he would not be surprised if the rate of delinquency is less than 1 percent. “That's pretty good and one could hardly expect it to be better. It's much better than it was 10 or 15 years ago, and it is probably much the same throughout the state, except perhaps for a few isolated pockets,” said Lennington.

The annual increase in the value of new construction is also another indicator of the area's economic strength. For a number of years, now, it has ranged from 4 to 7 percent depending on which area or district is being considered. Lennington is confident that it will remain strong for awhile given - if nothing else - “the rate at which the refineries are reinvesting in themselves.”

“The refineries have been good neighbors in Yellowstone County,” said Lennington.