Missoula County Government: Missoula County Weekly: Aug. 23-27

Press release from the Missoula County Government:

08/23/2021 7:00 AM

Commissioners seek public comment on budget; final hearing set for Aug. 26 

Following their preliminary budget hearing on Aug. 11, the Missoula County Commissioners are encouraging members of the public to review and provide feedback on the proposed budget for fiscal year 2022. The public is encouraged to review budget documents, which are posted online at http://missoula.co/budgets. In addition to commenting during public meetings, residents can comment by leaving the commissioners a voicemail at 406-258-4877, emailing bcc@missoulacounty.us or mailing comments to the Commissioners’ Office at 200 W. Broadway St. Missoula, MT 59802. The hearing on the final budget will open 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26, and the final adoption will occur at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 9. 

Read more 
Join the Aug. 26 meeting via Microsoft Teams or call (406) 272-4824, conference ID: 840 390 653# 

Make sure to stay safe with the smoke. Find updates on current air quality!

Reminder if you live in the City: municipal primary ballots mail out Aug. 25! Visit http://missoula.co/elections for more info.

Health department urges residents to reduce social circles

The Missoula City-County Health Department asks residents to reduce the number of people in their social circles as COVID-19 case counts rise rapidly in the community. Residents can also help by:

• Not calling the health department to ask for close contact documentation
• Self-quarantining if you know you are a close contact 
• Testing for COVID-19 if you have symptoms
• Wearing a mask in public places where social distancing isn't possible
• Washing hands frequently with soap and water
• Getting vaccinated if you have not done so already.

Read more.

Tip of the Spear: Conversations with Dave, Josh and Juanita - FY22 Budget

Chief Administrative Officer Chris Lounsbury joins Commissioners Juanita Vero and Josh Slotnick to help explain the process of the creating the Missoula County budget. They discuss the Montana Department of Revenue property assessments and how those impact County funding, key elements in FY22, the reasons for increases and the issues leadership are grappling with while they create a balanced budget during inflation. To view FY22 budget documents, visit http://missoula.co/budgets.Email comments on the budget to bcc@missoulacounty.us, call 406-258-4877 or mail the Commissioners' Office, 200 W. Broadway, Missoula, MT 59808. Residents are also invited to join the final budget hearing at 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26. View the agenda at http://missoula.co/bccmeetings.

Missoula County celebrates land stewardship award recipients at site visit 

The Board of County Commissioners and County Parks, Trails and Open Lands will host a site visit and award presentation to honor the Iverson Family Ranch, the recipient of the 2021 Land Stewardship Award. The event will take place at 1:45 p.m. Monday, Aug. 23, at their ranch in Potomac. The Land Stewardship Award recognizes landowners and residents who take stewardship of land and water seriously and are embarking on projects and practices that make a difference for land, water, forests, wildlife and communities. This year’s award honors the Iverson family’s dedication to land and water stewardship on their property, their work to engage and educate others about stewardship and restoration, and their generations-long commitment to this ethic and effort. 

Read more 

2021 Western Montana Fair smashes attendance, revenue records 

The 2021 Western Montana Fair was especially memorable with the debut of the new Historic Plaza, Concessions Building, First Nations Family Day and Lords of Dirt. Fairgoers from rural and urban communities rejoiced in togetherness on green lawns under beautiful shade structures and without the dust they had come to expect. Fair food was even more delicious when enjoying it with a cold drink at a clean picnic table.  

Attendance topped 90,000, up 17% from 2019. The carnival broke $500,000 for the first time and had its first-ever $100,000 day. As with other Fairs that had to remove beer garden fences due to the pandemic, alcohol sales doubled, up 46% from 2019, and concession sales increased 22%.  

The Missoula Stampede Rodeo is now known nationwide. Attendance for the ticketed events increased by 27%, seeing sellout crowds almost every night. Network executives at the Cowboy Channel monitored the first two nights of the Missoula Stampede Rodeo, liked what they saw, and took Friday’s performance live to their 16 million viewers around the world.  

4-H/FFA kids are taking it to the bank! This year’s 4-H/FFA Livestock Auction was higher than any in memory. Beef prices averaged over $4 per pound, hogs over $7 per pound, lambs over $9 and goats over $11. Any one of these would make a phenomenal sale, but all four at once is groundbreaking.  

“With space nearing capacity, our focus in 2022 will be on the quality of the events offered. We know not to chase these numbers, but we are enjoying every bit of the moment,” said Billie Ayers, Events and Operations manager. “None of this would have been possible without the hard-working team on staff or the numerous volunteers and service groups who worked round the clock to meet the demands of a record-breaking Fair.” 

Find statistics from the 2021 Fair 

Commissioners Interview Senate District 50 Nominees 

The Missoula County commissioners this week will interview three candidates vying to serve in the Montana Legislature following the resignation of Sen. Bryce Bennett from Senate District 50. The schedule for the interviews is below, and commissioners will make their appointment during their administrative public meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30. 

Bennett, a Democrat, resigned from his elected position earlier this summer to take a position with a national early voting organization. Pursuant to Montana Code Annotated 5-2-402, whenever a vacancy occurs in the Legislature, the vacancy must be filled by appointment by the board of county commissioners. The central committee for whichever party the resigning member belonged to is responsible for providing the commissioners with a list of three prospective appointees to fill the vacancy within 45 days of receiving notification of a resignation. 

The Missoula County Democratic Central Committee submitted their nominees – Andrea Olsen, Dave Severson and Tom Steenberg – to the commissioners on Aug. 18. The commissioners must make and confirm an appointment and notify the secretary of state within 15 days of receiving the list of appointees. 

Missoula County residents can send public comment on the candidates to the commissioners by emailing bcc@missoulacounty.us or by calling 406-258-4877. Comments will be compiled online at missoula.co/publiccomment.  

County Parks and Trails seeks applicants for matching grants 

The Missoula County Parks and Trails Advisory Board wants to fund projects that improve recreation opportunities on public lands located within Missoula County. Each year, grant funds are made available to community groups interested in improving and maintaining public recreation sites and facilities outside the Missoula City limits. There is $40,000 available for capital improvement projects and $10,000 set aside for maintenance projects. Applications are due Monday, Nov. 1. Call Parks and Trails Project Specialist, Jackson Lee, at 406-258-4719 with any questions.  

Learn more and find the application. 

Commissioners seek applicants for Missoula Aging Services Governing Board 

The Missoula County commissioners are accepting applications for the Missoula Aging Services Governing Board to fill the remainder of two vacant terms through June 30, 2022, and June 30, 2023. The board is seeking candidates with backgrounds in public policy/advocacy, finance and non-profit leadership. Applications are available online. The application deadline is 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15. 

Read more. 

Missoula County Zoning Update 

Did you know? Missoula County has not comprehensively updated the zoning code and map since 1976. 

The update? The new zoning code and map will affect the Missoula Valley and will improve resource protections, increase housing options and protect public health and safety by aligning our zoning to our community’s values. 

Your involvement? View the proposed zoning map and help shape the code by attending public workshops, open houses or engaging online. Check your zoning online and provide feedback. 

Visit www.mczoningupdate.com to read more and find information on upcoming public outreach events. The online workshop this week will discuss what is in the new code, and will take place at 12 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26, via Microsoft Teams. 

Election Integrity Series: How does the Elections Office ensure security throughout the elections process? 

• Ballots are stored in a locked room within the Elections Office under video surveillance.  

• Ballots remain sealed once they have completed the first steps of the reconciliation process.  

• When counting by hand, in most all steps the election judges and staff work in teams of two and dually sign the accompanying form to ensure that there is additional accountability. 

The Missoula County Elections Office has many processes in place to ensure the integrity of all elections. We’ll walk through those processes in this series, and constituents are always welcome to visit the Elections Center for an in-person tour. 

Watch the slideshow below, and visit missoula.co/electionintegrity for more info on how your ballot is handled and processed. 

Visit our Missoula County Events Calendar to see what events and classes the County is hosting! 

Missoula County employees are working hard for you! 

Deputy County Attorney Lacey Lincoln 

“As a deputy county attorney, I’m currently assigned to the Special Victims Unit (SVU) and practice in both Missoula County Justice Court and Montana’s Fourth Judicial District Court for Missoula County. Being a part of SVU means that I handle cases that are either sexually-based offenses or offenses involving domestic violence. 

A large part of my job is to hold offenders accountable for the crimes they have committed. To accomplish this goal, I work with law enforcement officers, defense attorneys, judges and service providers. Accountability can be many things, including diversion, mediation, deferred sentences, Department of Corrections or prison sentences and restitution for crime victims.  

My interactions with the public happen when a community member is a victim or survivor of a crime, or if a jury trial occurs in a case. I appreciate the residents of Missoula County who show up and provide the necessary service of a juror. Our justice system would not be possible without them. Also, I often present about technical aspects of my job to various groups, including law enforcement, University of Montana students and community advocates. I am a member of our countywide multi-disciplinary team, Just Response, that brings together community members from a variety of resources who provide service or interact with survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.” 

Missoula County in the News: Aug. 14-20 

Missoula City-County Health Department Offers post-event covid precautions 
‘Smashing all the records:’ Western MT Fair wraps up 
Motor pool agreement to help Missoula County move into hybrid, electric vehicles 
Scheduling available for Missoula Co. Residents who qualify for COVID-19 booster shot 

Vaccines are available to everyone 12 and older!

Make an appointment at covid19.missoula.co, and share your experience on social media with the hashtags #endthepandemic, #vaccinatethe406 and #gotmyshot406. 

Stay up to date with Missoula County's COVID-19 vaccine distribution success! Visit covid19.missoula.co/vaccine-information and click on the Vaccination Distribution Map and Dashboard blue button. The data is updated every Monday. If you would like to track data across Montana, visit the Montana Response page. 

Upcoming Commissioners’ Meetings: Aug. 23-27 

To join commissioner department, administrative and public meetings via Microsoft Teams and view the agendas, visit the Missoula County Commissioners’ Meeting Minutes and Agenda Portal. Please note that agendas for department and administrative meetings are published two business days before the meeting, and public meeting agendas are published the Friday before the meeting. Administrative and public meeting video recordings are available on the Missoula County YouTube page after the meeting, and MCAT plays the public meetings live on their Spectrum Channel 190. Email bcc@missoulacounty.us or call 406-258-4877 if you have any questions or comments on an upcoming meeting. 

• Monday, Aug. 23 
  Public Works Update 
  Community and Planning Services Update 
  Zoning Code Update 

• Thursday, Aug. 26 
  Chief Administrative Officer Update 
  Commissioners’ Administrative Public Meeting 
  Health Department Update 
  Commissioners’ Public Meeting – Hearing on Final Budget 

• Friday, Aug. 27 
  No department, administrative or public meetings are scheduled on this day. 

This press release was produced by the Missoula County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.