Politics & Government

Missoula County Government: Missoula County Weekly July 19-23

See the latest announcement from the Missoula County Government .

Press Release Desk's profile picture
Press Release Desk, News Partner

Press release from the Missoula County Government:

07/19/2021 7:00 AM

Missoula County Commissioners take a few minutes to discuss current issues happening in Missoula County and share insights on local government process. If you have a topic you'd like them to discuss, send them an email at bcc@missoulacounty.us.

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

The Missoula County commissioners voted Thursday morning to implement Stage II fire restrictions, which are in effect now. 

Find out what's happening in Missoulafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The restrictions, which apply to all private land in Missoula County outside the Missoula city limits until lifted, prohibit:

  • Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire or campfire
  • Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is cleared of flammable materials
  • Operating lawn mowers, weed trimmers, chainsaws and other internal combustion engines from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m.
  • Welding or operating acetylene or other torch devices with an open flame between 1 p.m. and 1 a.m.
  • Using an explosive between 1 p.m. and 1 a.m.
  • Operating motor vehicles off designated roads and trails, with exceptions for those carrying out official business related to the function of governmental agencies and public utilities

Missoula County zoning revision focuses on housing, ag, water quality

Missoula County Community and Planning Services staff are seeking public review and input on a proposed update to the zoning code that prioritizes affordable housing, preservation of agricultural land, and protection of water quality and wildlife habitat in the growing Missoula Valley.

Find out what's happening in Missoulafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The public can find the proposed zoning code and map, information on events and ways to comment on the proposal at www.mczoningupdate.com. The proposed code is the culmination of a years-long public process that began with updating the Missoula Area Land Use Element, followed by a zoning audit that informed County staff how to best update the code to meet community needs and goals.

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.

Residents can learn about and comment on the proposed update both online and in person. Ways to participate online include a map viewer that allows users to look up the zoning on their property, a tool that allows people to leave comments directly in the code and online workshops. To engage in person, people have the option to attend one of the four scheduled open houses. Public hearings on the proposal will be scheduled in the fall.

Online workshops (all will take place from noon to 1 p.m.)

  • Thursday, July 29: Housing Workshop
  • Thursday, Aug. 5: Riparian Resources Workshop
  • Thursday, Aug. 10: Agricultural Lands Workshop
  • Thursday, Aug. 12: Topic to be determined based on public response

In-person open houses (members of the public are welcome to stop by any time between 4 and 7 p.m.):

  • Wednesday, July 28: Hellgate Lions Memorial Park, 1305 Haaglund Drive, West Riverside
  • Wednesday, Aug. 4: The Barn on Mullan, 8500 Mullan Road, Missoula
  • Wednesday, Aug. 11: Orchard Homes Country Life Club, 2537 S. Third St. W., Missoula
  • Wednesday, Aug. 18: East Missoula Lions Park, 766 Michigan Ave., East Missoula

Learn more at www.mczoningupdate.com.

The Missoula Valley Water Quality District and Missoula Conservation District recently received findings from a Channel Migration Zone study that highlight potential river channel migration hazards in developing areas along the Clark Fork and Bitterroot rivers.  

During the floods of 2018, the Clark Fork River channel moved in many locations in the county, taking out several mobile homes and eroding levees and berms. This prompted the districts to come together to look at how the river channels have changed overtime, and how they are predicted to move in the future. The study used aerial photos and annual maps of the riverbanks and found that in some areas of the county, the Clark Fork and Bitterroot rivers have migrated between 1,000 to 2,000 feet.

Read more

Commissioners vote to hold special election on 3% local marijuana tax  

The Missoula County commissioners voted Thursday to adopt a resolution to hold a special election for voters to consider a 3% local-option tax on marijuana sales.

The commissioners opted to place two ballot questions before voters: one will ask whether the 3% tax should be placed on all non-medical marijuana and non-medical marijuana products, and one asking whether to place a 3% tax on medical marijuana and marijuana products.

Current projections estimate the tax would generate around $716,000 annually if both recreational and medical marijuana were taxed. Missoula County would retain 50% of the revenue, 45% would go to the City of Missoula and the remaining 5% would go to the Montana Department of Revenue to defray costs associated with administering the tax. Read the public hearing report.

Read the resolution.
Watch the meeting.

The Missoula City-County Health Department’s (MCCHD) COVID-19 testing clinic located at 4025 Flynn Lane now offers free COVID-19 testing for residents who plan to travel outside of Montana. MCCHD has seen incredible demand for this service from our community and is excited to offer this to Missoula County residents.

Read more.

Check out the 2021 Western Montana Fair exhibit and show schedule at missoulafairgrounds.com. The Western Montana Fair operates from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, Aug. 11-15. Public parking opens at 7:30 a.m. The fair is free to all, and no gate fees are charged to enter the fairgrounds. Fees only apply to parking, concessions, carnival and grandstand events. Each day will include a variety of events, including live music, 4-H events, barn dances and much more! Also, don’t miss the opening ceremonies at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 11 where Montana’s tribal nations will present the flags completing the Fairground’s new Historic Plaza.

Dive into the specifics of each event offered!

The Missoula County Parks, Trails and Open Lands teamed up with the Weed District’s Youth in Restoration program recently, where they tackled Ravenwood Park in the Miller Creek area and thinned out 10 pickup-loads of overly dense ponderosa pine saplings to improve forest health.

Find out more about the Youth in Restoration program

The Office of Civil Rights within the Montana Department of Transportation will present information about the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program to the Missoula Board of County Commissioners.

The presentation is open to the public and local businesses are encouraged to attend. Topics covered will include: 

  • An overview of the program
  • What businesses are allowed to be registered as a DBE
  • The advantages of being registered as a DBE
  • How to register as a DBE
  • Business income and personal wealth limits

The MDT Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program encourages and supports the participation of companies owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals in transportation and other contracts. More information about the program is available at https://www.mdt.mt.gov/business/contracting/civil/dbe.shtml

The meeting will take place 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 27, via Microsoft Teams. Missoula County Auditor Dave Wall is available to answer additional questions at dwall@missoulacounty.us.

Join the meeting

This is where the “reconciliation process” begins. Staff print a report listing each ballot contained in a bundle of 25 that have been received and signature verified. This is called a “BP-34” report, and they attach this report to the bundle of 25 ballots. At this time, ballots are still in their secrecy and affirmation envelopes. Then, a team of two people compare the report information to each physical envelope to verify that all ballots listed on the report are accounted for.

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.


Missoula County employees are working hard for you!

 

Andrew Stickney, Senior GIS specialist, Community and Planning Services

“I joined Community and Planning Services as the senior GIS specialist in 2016. My role is to create, maintain, use and share geographic information in a variety of forms (most commonly maps) to ask and answer questions, and tell stories about the people and places of Missoula County and help other County staff, both in my department and others, do the same.  

My job is always changing because I work on projects in a variety of areas. In a single week, I could update the County’s zoning map to reflect a City annexation, generate a demographic profile of people living within a half-mile of a county park, help a new resident find a county reference map, calculate the amount of privately-owned land in Missoula County to include in a land ownership report, or create a map to accompany a legal notice in the Missoulian for a public hearing. 

Though I often work behind the scenes, my passion is helping Missoula County tell stories about the hard work that their staff does to create a better life for the residents who work, live and play here.   

You can learn more about the proposed zoning map update, find a County park, trail or open space bond project, read about some amazing land stewards honored by the County’s award program, and see the incredible impact of the County’s hard-working grant staff in their most recent annual fiscal summary.

If you have any questions or want to learn more about what I do, please don’t hesitate to reach out!” 

Missoula County looks to ‘missing middle,’ fewer barriers to address housing shortage
Fire danger raised to ‘extreme’ in Missoula County
How to protect yourself from wildfire smoke
Hundreds turn out for official opening of Missoula Library
Missoula County adopts Stage 2 fire restrictions as conditions worsen
‘Real human lives:’ County to tackle homeless recommendations despite 2-1 opposition

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

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 leave a voicemail at 406-258-4877 if you have any questions or comments on an upcoming meeting.

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

More from Missoula