Schweitzer’s Tax Rebate, Open Space Bond & County Attorney Takes INSA Investigation

By Courtney Lowery, 6-29-06

There's just so much news to keep up with today. The highlights:

Come November, we'll all be voting on an $10 million open space bond for Missoula County. As Mea Andrews reports for the Missoulian today, County Comissioners made it official last night in a formal public meeting. For more background on this issue, read Greg Lemon's report for New West on open space from this winter. It's a good overview of what the county bond means versus what the city wants to do to expand the open space we've got now.

Missoula County Attorney Fred VanValkenburg will take the lead on deciding whether to file criminal charges against the two fomer University of Montana employees at the center of the Inland Northwest Space Alliance scandal. As the AP reports, the state attorney general office's cheif ciminal counsel has handed the case over to VanValkenburg. Earlier this month, a Legislative Audit report concluded that the two former employees, George Bailey and Lloyd Chesnut may have violated state ethics laws involving conflict of interest and nepotism in the creation and their work with the Alliance -- a spinoff company of UM's Northern Rockies Center for Space Privatization.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer says his tax rebate -- $400 to 250,000 homeowner in Montana -- is the largest rebate in state history. As Chuck Johnson reports for Lee Newspapers, the legislature will have to sign off on the rebates -- which will come from the projected state surplus of $525 million. [End of article]