Flathead Valley citizens expressed frustration with asset taxes, a lack of affordable housing and a failed formula for intellectual fitness in a listening poll conducted Tuesday through the state’s Democratic lawmakers.
“We may not have all the answers, even if you think we have them and some lawmakers think we do,” Rep. Mary Caferro, D-Helena, said during the consultation in Columbia Falls, drawing laughter from the crowd.
The consultation component of a statewide Democratic legislative listening tour. Lawmakers in attendance Tuesday included Rep. Dave Fern, D-Whitefish, Sen. Mary Ann Dunwell, D-Helena and Caferro.
The goal of the listening field trip is not to host a candidate forum or participate in a question-and-answer session, lawmakers said.
“We just want to listen,” Caferro said.
Concerned citizens discussed several issues during the session, the main one being the price and availability of housing.
Bob Horn, a Whitefish resident and retired urban planner, expressed concern about Senate Bill 528, which requires cities to authorize accessory housing complexes by right. Horn argued that the law was not having a positive effect on valley communities.
The housing problem, everywhere, stems from “how incredibly expensive life is for middle-class Americans,” according to Mike Jopek, a former Democratic lawmaker who attended the rally.
Everything costs more, Jopek said, especially housing. The gargantuan Republican majority has made the scenario worse, he said, prompting an increase in asset taxes.
“[The supermajority is] crazy. . . They’ve forgotten that we’re all Montanans,” Jopek told the group.
Columbia Falls resident Marissa Getts also expressed her thoughts on the housing market as it relates to home financing. According to Getts, the state wants greater features for first-time homebuyers.
“I think the state can play an exclusive role in artistic financing structures and financing products for affordable housing, especially for starter homes, if other people are willing to reimagine what that looks like,” Getts said, mentioning quads, small condos and other cheap designs.
Mental fitness and the lack of infrastructure surrounding it were a topic of interest to network members.
Andy Hudak, an intellectual fitness professional in the valley, cited intellectual fitness as a primary concern. Providers struggle to access a budget that can help them and there’s a general lack of help from the state, she said.
Hudak, from the perspective of providers, called on lawmakers to be more obvious when addressing intellectual fitness advancements, programs or institutions.
Mallory Phillips, who will graduate this year with a degree in social work, echoed Hudak’s sentiment. According to Phillips, asset taxes, affordable housing, food security, intellectual fitness, and other issues are strongly intertwined. Similar problems will also need to be addressed.
“We’re going through an intellectual fitness crisis in the valley,” Phillips said.
Kyle Waterman, a former congressional candidate and chairman of the board of directors of Western Montana Mental Health Center, has called for more communication from the state about intellectual fitness resources.
Waterman, who serves on the Kalispell City Council, said she knows other people need to be available.
Others expressed concerns about Columbia Falls Aluminum Company’s Superfund site, transparency regarding campaign funding, school funding, contaminated wells, and teacher pay.
The face-to-face consultation is for Democratic lawmakers to listen to the public’s concerns about where the state is headed. The tour is scheduled to head to the Flathead Indian Reservation and Ravalli County after the March 26 stop at Columbia Falls.
The legislative listening field trip began last summer in Great Falls and traveled more than 11,579 miles across the state. At the end of the tour, the Montana Democratic Party is expected to report on what it has learned.
Journalist Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake. com or 758-4459.