Helena to seek voter approval for additional firefighters and police officers 20%
By JoVonne Wagner15%
7/30/2026, 1:12:59 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 12 faulty reasoning types, including Middle Ground, Post Hoc (False Cause), and Availability Heuristic, with Loss Aversion as the most egregious example at 17.7% saturation with 76 hits. Analysis detected 436 faulty-reasoning hits from 430 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 29.9% and a BS Rank of 20% (20,241 of 25,181 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 80.40% of the article peer group.
The Helena City Commission has tentatively decided to ask voters next spring to approve a public safety levy that will fund additional firefighters and police officers in the city.
During a meeting Wednesday evening, the commission settled on an election date and a levy amount after staff presented three funding options for both the fire and police departments.
The commission unanimously chose to put the levy vote on the March 9 ballot.
The commission also voted 3-2 to seek $5.3 million in funding — the middle option offered by city staff — that will be enough to hire 21 additional firefighters and nine police officers.
“I have been tempering myself a little bit because of the budget realities that everyone is facing, and thinking about what is a reasonable and achievable middle ground,” Mayor Emily Dean said during the meeting.
“So I am very comfortable with [option] two.”
The mayor was joined in her vote by commissioners Sean Logan and Julia Gustafson.
If voters approve the levy next spring, property owners with homes valued at $300,000 would see their tax bill increase by $134 per year.
Property owners with homes valued at $600,000 would have a tax increase of $310 per year.
Commissioners Melinda Reed and Ben Rigby favored the third and most expensive funding option, saying they would rather invest in the future of public safety now, especially given Helena’s growth.
“I feel hesitant to do anything less than that because I’m worried that if we go with the more responsible choice, it’s actually going to be a little bit less than what we need,” Reed said.
Helena’s growth and calls for service have outgrown the current capacity for both fire and police forces, according to police chief Brett Petty and former fire chief Jon Campbell, who left his position earlier this summer.
Without additional staff, Campbell said at the time, there are not enough firefighters to open and operate the third fire station, which voters approved in 2024 and is currently under construction, with completion set for next spring.
Police Chief Petty previously told the commission that the department lacks needed detectives for crash investigations and for its division that investigates violence against women, drug-related crimes and internet crimes against children.
While the commission has settled on the levy’s date and dollar amount, the city still needs to confirm the details, with a vote scheduled in August.
The post Helena to seek voter approval for additional firefighters and police officers appeared first on Montana Free Press .
Speakers
4speakers34%attributed speech282writer words
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100%flagged-word coverageMelinda Reed
36 attributed words24% of attributed speech54% writer coverage
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