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Vol. 19, No. 17
January 11, 2023
Lake County withdraws from Public Law 280 By Taylor Davison / Valley Journal
Dispatch upgrades pg. 8
Race pg. 14
Teachers pg. 18
LAKE COUNTY — On Tuesday, Jan. 3, the Lake County Commissioners voted to withdraw the county from Public Law 280. PL280 is an agreement with the State of Montana passed in 1964 to conduct law enforcement and provide other services on the Flathead Reservation. According to Commissioner Bill Barron, the meeting minutes from that time indicate the county commissioners were told there would be no impact on Lake County, and that was the reason they agreed. In the last nearly 60 years, however, the costs of PL280 for the county and its taxpayers have increased to millions of dollars per year. The commission met initially about the issue in a Dec. 9 meeting and began the two-part process to withdraw with a gap between meetings for public input. A significant decision, Commissioner Barron said at the time they wanted to make sure the public could weigh in on such an important matter. County residents’ support for the withdrawal was shown at the Jan. 3 meeting as all who spoke were in favor of the withdrawal. One attendee even made the case that PL280 should never
SUMMER GODDARD / VALLEY JOURNAL
have gone into effect at all due to a lack of an official seal, much like a notary stamp, on the original document. The process of withdrawing from PL280 will be a monthslong endeavor with an effective date of May 26, after the legislative session is over. According to the resolution document, w w w.va l le yj our na l.net
“the Board has recently learned that one or more bills are being drafted, and are likely to be introduced at the 2023 Session of the Montana Legislature; the aforementioned bills are designed to, and may satisfactorily address the funding problems faced by the County; and the Board desires to allow the Leg-
islature adequate time to consider and address the issue.” This wording and the long timeline are both meant to give the State of Montana legislature time to work with the county to address the situation. Should they come to an agreement, the commissioners could amend the resolu-
see page 2