Flathead County commissioners on May 2 signed documents canceling scheduled May 6 trustee elections for multiple small special districts after too few candidates filed, and they set out a process for appointing trustees to fill vacancies, county elections staff said.

County elections staffer Dorey said the cancellations reflect filings during the candidate period: "these individuals filed within the candidate filing period," and because the number of candidates was equal to or less than the number of open positions, the elections were canceled and some trustees are deemed elected by acclamation, while other vacancies must be filled by the Board of County Commissioners.

The moves affect dozens of small fire districts, county water and sewer districts and advisory committees across Flathead County. For several fire districts (for example, Big Mountain Fire, Evergreen Rural Fire, Hungry Horse Rural Fire, Olney Rural Fire, South Kalispell Rural Fire, and West Valley Rural Fire), commissioners will advertise and appoint trustees to terms listed in the notices. For many water and sewer districts — including Eagle Ridge Estates, Emerald Heights, Essex County Water District, Glacier Ranch, Meadow Hills, Meadowlake, Pleasant View Homesites, Smith Lake Vista, Stillwater and Wapiti Acres — county staff said the districts do not have a quorum and the vacancies become positions the county must fill on or after May 31, 2025.

The county reading of the statutes guided the action. The documents presented to the board cite the special-district filing deadline (noted in the packet as 02/10/2025 at 5 p.m. and the write-in candidate deadline of 03/03/2025) and the statutory provisions that allow the election administrator to cancel elections when the number of candidates is equal to or less than the positions to be filled. The packet also cites MCA 7 13 22 62 and 7 13 22 32 (subsection 1) regarding how vacancies on water district boards are filled when there is no remaining board quorum.

Commissioners and election staff described practical problems that prompted the appointments: several small water districts currently have too few directors to form a quorum and therefore cannot legally conduct business or appoint replacements themselves. "If a water district does have enough directors on their board, they have the authority under Title 7 to appoint their own members," Dorey said. "These particular water districts do not have a quorum."

Christina Glatz, the county's election supervisor, said county staff have contacted affected districts but that some districts have been slow to respond. "We are — we have reached out to all of these water boards, and we're either in communication with them or they are not responding to us," Glatz said, noting that one district (Essex) appears to have about five year-round residents and increases seasonally.

Several commissioners expressed frustration about the workload this creates for county staff. "This board management is becoming a monster," one commissioner said during the discussion, adding that the current situation consumes significant staff time in the elections and clerk offices. Commissioners directed staff to advertise the open trustee positions, to vet any letters of interest or declarations submitted to the elections office for eligibility, and to return to the board with candidates for appointment. The board also discussed but did not adopt any immediate policy to recover county advertising costs from the districts; staff said that possibility could be researched with the county attorney.

The board approved three signature documents by voice vote: the notice of cancellation and notice of trustee election by acclamation for multiple small districts; the notice of cancellation and notice of vacancies on fire boards to be filled by the governing body; and the notice of cancellation and notice of vacancies on water and sewer boards to be filled by the governing body. For each document the chair called for the final vote, commissioners responded "Aye," and the chair declared the motions carried.

Next steps outlined by staff include advertising the vacancies, vetting applicants to confirm they are eligible electors within the relevant districts, and appointing trustees at a future meeting. Staff also asked that trustees who were elected by acclamation notify the county once newly drawn lot determinations are made where multiple vacancies require staggered term assignments.

The county did not provide a timetable for appointments beyond the requirement that some positions "become vacant" on May 31, 2025, and staff said the county attorney will be asked to advise on whether advertising costs or other expenses can be billed back to the districts.