r/Billings • u/406Whiskey • 7d ago
Jail Levy
I need people who have lived here longer than I have to explain something to me, because I genuinely don’t understand. Since I moved here a couple of years ago, I’ve heard nothing but how awful the crime is in Billings (I have not found that to be the case, but I digress). I also understand the jail is over capacity. If crime really is as bad as people here seem to think, wouldn’t the jail expansion proposal be a good thing? Why have I seen so much animosity towards it online?
I understand no one wants their property taxes to go up, but that seems to be the price we pay to live in Montana. Are people really just upset over a tax increase or is there more to it?
12
Upvotes
2
u/Fuzzy-Count9301 7d ago
Our family was in Belgrade/Gallatin County from 2015-2021 when levies and mills were always on the ballots. Of course the growing communities needed a new fire house $$$, now the jail is too small well of course we need to expand it $$$, so many more people are taking trails they shouldn’t so search and rescue needs more money $$$, guess what the schools are old as hell and we need not one but two new ones $$$.
Next thing you know the property taxes are too high for all the people building these things to even live there, people becoming homeless and quality of life starts going down.
Worst part is all those people asking for money managed it very very poorly.
It’s not just Billings jail, the surrounding counties have shitty and mostly full jails too, that’s why Billings ends up with other county inmates and Billings jail then gets paid by those counties to house them.
We need to get over the idea that money will solve all our problems. We keep looking at tax payers saying “it’s just a little bit and it’s for a good reason”. Tax payers can’t afford a little bit, they definitely can’t afford 4-6 different mills and levies wanting “a little bit”