Voters funded Helena fire station, levy failed to fund 15 firefighters

Construction is underway on Helena’s third fire station after voters approved a $7 million bond in 2024, but city officials say they currently lack a reliable plan to staff the facility after a separate public safety levy failed. The levy would have funded 15 new firefighters for the Helena Fire Department and nine officers for Helena Police Department; city leaders now face decisions about how to provide coverage for the growing city without those personnel.

Helena City Manager Alana Lake told the city commission, “While we are making progress on the facility itself, staffing remains an unresolved challenge,” remarks she made during a commission meeting last week as construction moves forward. The $7 million bond will be repaid over 20 years, and the station design rendering is credited to A&E+SMA Design.

City budget estimates show the recurring cost of hiring the proposed 15 firefighters and nine police officers at roughly $3.1 million to $3.2 million per year, depending on the outlet reporting the figures. Montana Free Press reported the levy would have cost taxpayers about $3.2 million a year, while NBC Montana cited a combined annual cost of about $3.1 million. NBC Montana also provided homeowner impact examples: a $100,000 home would pay about $43 more per year, a $300,000 home about $128 more, and a $600,000 home about $256 more.

Helena Fire Chief Jon Campbell has argued a staffing increase is needed to address gaps in geographic coverage, noting at a Monday meeting that the city “does not have a fire station north of the railroad tracks, while about a fourth of the calls for assistance to the fire department come from that area of town.” Campbell added that the goal is “to bring our emergency service capability up to the level that the community is demanding.” Montana Free Press reported Chief Campbell did not respond to its specific request for comment on the levy outcome.

City spokeswoman Amanda Optiz, in an email to Montana Free Press, said, “The city could consider pursuing another levy, but no decisions have been made at this point about that.” Optiz added, “The city is always looking for creative ways to fund city services beyond increasing the tax burden on residents.” MTFP also noted Optiz’s caution that external grants could be pursued but are “not always guaranteed year to year, making it a shaky solution for paying workers who deliver critical services.”

Other local actions were taken at recent meetings: the Lewis and Clark County Commission approved a $215,318 grant application to the Montana Opioid Abatement Trust to continue detention-center treatment and recovery services, potentially extending the program through June 2027, and AARP Government Relations Director Kristin Page-Nei presented the city with an AARP Montana Outstanding Community Partnership award for Helena’s age-friendly planning. With the station under construction and no final funding decision for staffing, city leaders must choose whether to pursue another levy, seek uncertain grants, reallocate city funds, or rely on mutual aid to cover the north-of-railroad area as the project moves forward.