Voters defeat Havre streets plan

It’s back to the drawing boards as Havre city officials look for ways to improve the city’s deteriorating streets.

Voters Tuesday rejected the proposal to increase taxes $30 million over 20 years to reconstruct many city streets.

The plan was defeated 918-1,199, losing in all four wards.

Supporters knew from the beginning they would have a hard time convincing voters to approve that kind of tax hike, but council member Terry Lilletvedt she was encouraged at the support the proposal did get.

“Almost 1,000 people voted for that kind of tax increase,” she said this morning.

Even opponents seemed to agree that the streets were in bad shape and needed major repairs, she said.

“I hope future councils will continue to take a look at this,” she said.

“Okay. So what do people think we should do about our streets?” asked council member Pam Hillery. “”We’re open to suggestions,”

Hillery is stepping down from council, but has said she will return to council meetings to encourage members to take the issue on.

Council member-elect Caleb Hutchins said he was upset that young people will suffer the most by the defeat.

He said he feared that it will make it “much more likely that Havre kids want to move away,” he said in a social media post this morning. He said that the condition of the streets will make it less likely that people will want to move here.

He proposed a scaled-back version of the plan, perhaps spread over 10 years.

He also noted that on the priority list of projects, many were located on the east side. That may have prompted some people living west of 5th Avenue to vote against the proposal.

Lilletvedt said she was disappointed that the state legislature hasn’t given municipalities more leeway in determining how to pay for such projects.

She would like to see the legislators allow municipalities to impose taxes on restaurants, food sales of gasoline sales.

Such taxes would still have to be approved by voters, she said, but it would give cities another way of paying for such repairs.

Ward votes on mill levy increase

Yes No

Ward 1 356 409

Ward 2 185 283

Ward 3 278 327

Ward 4 129 180

Total 948 1,199