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Lincoln County passes resolution of intent to alter Eureka Fire Service Area, schedules two public hearings
Summary
The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution of intent to alter the Eureka Fire Service Area boundaries to include additional parcels, citing updated mapping and fire-official recommendations; public hearings are scheduled for Aug. 20 and Sept. 17, 2025.
The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners voted to adopt a resolution of intent to alter the Eureka Fire Service Area boundaries, directing staff to publish notice and hold two public hearings to receive property-owner input.
The board read Resolution 2025-27, which cites 7-33-2401, Montana Code Annotated, as the statutory authority to establish, alter and dissolve fire service areas. County staff said updated mapping, property-access routes and recommendations from Eureka-area fire officials supported adding listed parcels to improve emergency-response coverage.
The resolution sets a protest process required by state law: if written protests come from owners of more than 50% of the properties in the proposed area, the boundary alteration will be void. The board scheduled the first public hearing for Aug. 20, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. and a second hearing for Sept. 17, 2025 at 11:00 a.m., both to be held in Eureka at the North County Annex. Notices will be published and posted consistent with the cited statute.
Commissioners described the changes as mostly boundary “clean up” related to recent residential development. A representative from the Eureka-area fire department told the board the changes should be welcomed by many homeowners who currently lack clear protection: “a lot of these homeowners don't know that they are not protected,” the representative said, and added that most property owners they had spoken with support inclusion in the FSA.
The resolution was approved as a resolution of intent, which opens the public-notice and hearing process rather than finalizing the boundary change. The board said it will receive written and oral comments, including protests, at the hearings; staff will return to the board after the statutorily required notice period to consider a final adoption or to note any valid protests. The board advised property owners to watch county postings for maps and documentation of the parcels proposed for inclusion.
Next steps: county staff will publish required notices and accept written protests; the board will hold the two advertised public hearings and may adopt a final resolution no sooner than 30 days and no later than 90 days after passing this resolution of intent.
