The voters of Miles City voted to approve the $3.9 million bond to help improve the town's only fire station.
The final vote was not immediately available Tuesday night but confirmed with Miles City firefighters.
The approved funding will go to rebuilding the much-needed station, which has been an ongoing problem for over five years, being deemed unsafe by inspectors back in 2018. Firefighters were forced to move out of the structure and into modular homes just feet away.
The major issues facing the building are an uneven and sinking foundation, rotting wood framing, and moldy insulation, among other issues. Most of the necessary equipment are not stored in the building, like the $1 million ladder truck that firefighters must drive 12 minutes round trip to get to another facility.
Miles City Mayor John Hollowell says while the issue of the fire station has been on the minds of the City Council for years, finding the money to do so within the confines of the existing budget was never possible until recently. The new fire station will be built where the existing one stands on Main Street.
The tax increase for residents would be about $80 a year on a home valued at $200,000.
