Lincoln County adopts DUI task force plan and $17,220 budget; coordinator warns meth and fentanyl are rising

The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners voted to accept the Lincoln County DUI Task Force annual plan and the task force’s proposed $17,220 budget, and the plan will be submitted to the Montana Department of Transportation for state approval.

The plan was presented by Cindy Filler, who identified herself as the county’s DUI task force coordinator. Filler told the commissioners that while Montana’s level of alcohol-impaired fatalities has moved since the pandemic, the state remains several percentage points above the national average. She described data through 2023 supplied by the Montana Highway Patrol and local courts and warned that drugs are an increasing factor in impaired driving cases: “methamphetamine continues to be a problem, keeps showing up in these tests and fentanyl is increasing too,” she said.

Filler explained how task-force funding works: an offender reinstatement fee is distributed to local DUI task forces, and Lincoln County also has an accumulation of prior distributions. The presentation said the task force typically receives between about $7,000 and $10,000 annually and that the county currently holds roughly $29,778 in accumulated task-force funds; the plan proposes a $17,220 operating budget for 2025–26. Filler said any unused funds roll back into the accumulated balance.

On testing and laboratory results, Filler cited statewide lab findings included in the packet: a Montana Highway Patrol data point showing 2,366 DUI-related citations in 2023, and laboratory results that, according to the materials she presented, found an average blood-alcohol concentration in submitted samples of about 0.182 (roughly 2.3 times the legal limit of 0.08) and a highest reported sample of 0.565. She said lab results indicated alcohol was present in about 69% of samples and that 59% of samples had blood-alcohol levels above 0.10.

Commissioners asked about data gaps and the availability of district-court records; Filler said district-court reporting has historically been incomplete but that recent system unification may make fuller district-court information available next year. A county law-enforcement representative (the sheriff) answered technical questions about how the crime lab prioritizes alcohol versus drug testing.

The board made a motion to accept the plan and budget and approved it by voice vote; the plan will now go to the state for final approval.

The task force will continue a mix of enforcement, education and prevention activities in partnership with local law enforcement and courts, and Filler urged continued local support to sustain those efforts.