Lewis and Clark County weighs East Helena school resource officer contract

Lewis and Clark County commissioners spent their June 4 morning weighing decisions that would touch East Helena classrooms, Forestvale burials, public health work and county buildings all at once. The biggest item was a proposed three-year contract with East Helena Public School District #9 to keep two school resource officers in place from Aug. 20, 2026, through June 20, 2029.

Under the agreement, the district would pay Lewis and Clark County $80,000 in the first year, $85,000 in the second and $90,000 in the third, plus $2,000 each year for SRO training. The county sheriff’s office already lists school resource officers for East Helena High School and East Valley Middle School, and county officials describe the program as a visible safety presence that can investigate criminal incidents, enforce laws and build relationships with students and staff. A previous East Helena SRO agreement was unanimously approved when the district first added an officer, showing the partnership has already become part of the school system’s safety plan.

Commissioners also considered a resolution that would set new Forestvale Cemetery fee rates beginning July 1, 2026. That matters to families who rely on the cemetery for burial services and long-term care of gravesites at one of Helena’s oldest public assets. Forestvale dates to 1890, when the first burial took place in September of that year. County records show 14,271 burials had been recorded by June 2002, and the cemetery now covers about 148 acres, with about 40 acres developed and in use. The Forestvale Cemetery Board, appointed by county commissioners, oversees policy and maintenance.

Two Lewis and Clark Public Health amendments were also on the agenda. One was tied to immunization services and listed at $46,694.80. The other would extend wastewater surveillance work through July 31, 2027 without changing the amount. The county’s wastewater program joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Wastewater Surveillance System in May 2022 and is carried out with Carroll College, the cities of Helena and East Helena, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, and the CDC. County procurement documents say the results help shape disease-mitigation strategies and are posted publicly.

The commission also looked at a bid award for the Benchmark Road Gravel Load and Haul Project, which calls for moving 10,000 tons of county-owned gravel from the Hat Ranch at 4125 Sun Canyon Road near Augusta to Benchmark Road. Another item would extend Slate Architecture’s deadline for a two-phased condition assessment of the County Annex property at 16 W. Custer Avenue, west of the Fairgrounds entrance, including permit documents and cost estimates. Together, the agenda showed how one county meeting can reach into school safety, cemetery operations, public health and the future of county facilities.