Senator Tempel Visits Malta, Gives July Update

Hoping the summer is treating you all well. I took a trip to Malta (a couple of weeks ago) with a couple of constituents and colleagues. It was a great opportunity to get acquainted with the new Senate District 14 I will be representing starting 1 January 2025. You may recall, Montana was recently redistricted, which drew new political boundaries for congressional and legislative districts. I’m trying to familiarize myself with where the district lines are in the real world, not just on a map.

East of Havre, I know the district includes all of Liberty Co. and all of Hill County except the reservation. Upon reaching Blaine County going east, District 14 stays north of Highway 2 until Chinook, where the line includes all of the town of Chinook. Then, the district stays north of Highway 2 to Harlem. Interestingly, Harlem is not in the district. Back onto north of Highway 2, the district continues until the Phillips County line, at which time the line goes south to the Milk River. From that point, it follows the river to the west of Dodson where the river hits the highway again and follows the highway to Dodson. All of the town of Dodson is included in the district. Again, heading east, north of Highway 2 to Malta is all included, with an interesting area drawing around the town. Continuing to follow the highway, Saco is also in the district. Now going east, the southern boundary is the railroad to Glasgow, which is not included. From west of Glasgow, the eastern district boundary jogs north to Canada. That being said, I am hoping to figure this all out and get to know the folks in this new district.

As I mentioned, we were driving to Malta to take in a meeting regarding the St. Mary Diversion. I was very happy to hear a fix is coming sooner than I thought possible. This is good news for the towns of Havre, Chinook, and Harlem, who all depend on the Milk River for their water. At the meeting were good number of agricultural folks who rely on the Diversion for crops, livestock, and domestic use. One thing I never heard about was the loss of tourism dollars. If the Milk River, Fresno, and Nelson do not get water, not only will local recreationists suffer, but tourists will not have these places to go, utilize and spend their money. The point is this water is foundational for a large part of our local economy.

A bit of a heads up as I was at a meeting this week, that a local option tax was being discussed. I do not know what all it is to do, at this point. It will be a sales-type tax and is supposed to share the wealth. There will be more information forth coming.

May the remaining summer be a fun healthy time. As always, stay safe out there in the sun and water, especially as the fire season is upon us! Go to http://www.legmt.gov for a link to the map. [email protected]