Fire district petitions to annex 120 properties

The Lincoln County Commission has accepted petitions to annex 120 properties to the Lincoln County Rural Fire District.

Steve Lauer, fire marshal and first assistant chief of the Libby Volunteer Fire Department, presented the three petitions at the Commission’s April 4 meeting.

One proposes to annex 116 properties in Big Horn Terrace; another proposes to annex three properties in the Lost Treasure area off Pipe Creek Road; the third proposes to annex the Libby Heritage Museum property at 34067 Highway 2.

All properties are adjacent to Rural Fire District boundaries, according to letters fire district board members sent to the Commission.

The proposed effective date of the Big Horn Terrace annexation is Jan. 1, 2019, while the proposed effective dates of the others are immediate upon Commission approval.

Lauer attested that the petitions meet a state statute requiring support from the owners of at least 40 percent of the real property within each area and owners of property representing at least 40 percent of the taxable value of property within each area.

The proposed annexation of Big Horn Terrace garnered 57 percent and 56 percent of the required support, respectively, while proposed annexation of the other four properties have 100 percent support from property owners.

The statute also requires the Commission, at its April 11 meeting, to set a public hearing to occur no sooner than four weeks after Lauer’s presentation on April 4.

Leigh Riggleman, Lincoln County election administrator, said via email that she set a tentative meeting for 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on May 23, but that the time and date is contingent upon the Commission’s decision.