GREAT FALLS — Following Tuesday's election, MTN talked with Jane Weber and Eric Hinebauch:
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Weber, who served as a Cascade County commissioner for 10 years, was elected to the Montana Legislature for House District 19.
“I served as a county commissioner for a decade here in Cascade County, so I understand local government. I understand the challenges of local government. I took a little bit of a break, and then I decided after the 2023 legislative session that I wanted to jump back in. I think I can do some good in Helena for the people of Great Falls,” said MT Rep. elect, Weber.
Weber was the only Democratic representative elected in Cascade County and has three major issues she is concerned about: public education, health insurance expansion, and property taxes.
“There are elderly people who outright own their homes and they are now struggling to pay their property taxes. I have met young people who have recently purchased homes and their house payments because they’re escrow, that factors in, their property taxes have increased, some of them almost 400 a month. and so, people are being taxed out of their homes.
Hinebauch served as a Great Falls city commissioner from 2021 to 2023, and was elected a Cascade County commissioner on Tuesday. Hinebauch is also concerned with property taxes.
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“Really being involved in that and making sure that we're doing the best we can to create a pro-business environment in Cascade County, which hopefully will in turn help us to lower some of our property taxes, because if we get more growth in our commercial and industrial base, that helps all the way around,” said Hinbauch.
Hinebauch is looking forward to returning to local government as a county commissioner. He believes there are some necessary changes to be made.
“Just the decorum that I've seen in the county commission office the last couple of years, I've been pretty disappointed with. And so I'm hoping to get in there and just establish a good working relationship with the current two commissioners and just try to move forward and do it in a civil manner,” Hinebauch said.
Both Weber and Hinebauch will begin their new roles in January, focusing on lowering property taxes as well as several other key issues in Cascade County.
