CEO Everett says outside emails cost county an $8 million senior-housing tax-credit award

CEO Everett told the Anaconda Deer Lodge County Commission on Oct. 14 that a proposed 23-unit senior-housing project that the county had pursued with state tax credits lost its competitive standing after what he described as a targeted, misleading campaign from a nonresident.

"We were in the top 4," Everett said, recounting the county's April/May tax-credit hearings. "By 08:00, I realized we're not even in the game. We've been lamb blasted."

Everett said the county purchased the school building about six years ago for $160,000 and had pursued several reuse options. The most recent proposal, which Everett said had been vetted through multiple public hearings and a request for proposals, would have produced roughly 23 senior units in condominium-like cottages aimed at residents 55 and older. He described renovation cost estimates between about $3 million and $6 million depending on the proposal and said the housing company behind the plan had agreed to pay property taxes even though it was organized as a tax-exempt entity, yielding an estimated $40,000–$50,000 per year in local tax revenue.

"Senior housing, $8 and a half million dollars in tax credits, gone," Everett said. "This hurt the community…Imagine $8,000,000 building project: every motel full, contractors, restaurants full. That's a lot of people working for a long time building something cool." He added that social-media posts and emails from a person he named in the meeting had circulated to board members and others, which Everett said included false statements about community input.

Everett identified the person in the transcript as "Cameron Boyle," saying the individual is "not even an Anaconda resident" and that the emails misrepresented the county's outreach. A commissioner following Everett's remarks referred to the property as the Dwyer Primary School and used a different surname variant (transcript: "Cameron Moylan"); the commission record does not include a formal response or verification from the person named during the meeting.

Commissioners discussed that the county had placed the project on the agenda and held multiple public hearings (two to the planning department and two open to the commission, per Everett), and Everett said the county would explore legal options and regroup to pursue other projects.

The meeting record shows no formal motion or vote tied specifically to the senior-housing proposal; Everett's remarks were presented as a report to the commission. He invited commissioners or members of the public with questions to contact him for more details.

Next steps: Everett said the county will review legal avenues and continue community discussions; no timeline was given for follow-up action.