Missoula County Government: Missoula County Weekly: Oct. 18-22

Press release from the Missoula County Government:

10/18/2021 4:00 PM

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Maclay Bridge repairs to begin; alternate route required

Maclay Bridge, the gateway between Target Range and Blue Mountain Road southwest of Missoula, closed for repairs Monday, Oct. 18. The bridge is expected to be closed for the majority of the week as Missoula County Public Works crews repair the asphalt surfacing at the west end of the bridge. If Public Works staff determine repairs are complete, the bridge will reopen for full access at 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22. Public Works staff ask that drivers adhere to this closure.

Advance notice closure signs will be in place at the intersection of North Avenue and Edward Court and at River Pines Road and Blue Mountain Road. Closure signs and barricades will be in place at each end of the bridge. Drivers will need to use Highway 93 or Kona Ranch Road to access the Blue Mountain and Big Flat areas.

For more information, call the Public Works Road Division at 406-258-4753.

General election ballots mailed

Ballots mailed Oct. 13, for the Nov. 2 general election. Ballots cannot be forwarded, so if you do not receive your ballot by Wednesday, Oct. 20, make sure to check your registration status at My Voter Page, https://app.mt.gov/voterinfo, to verify the address your ballot was sent to. As a reminder, all postage is prepaid for this election.

Other important dates to remember:

Tuesday, Oct. 26: If you haven’t mailed your ballot back by this day, make sure to drop it off in person at the Elections Office to ensure it makes it there before Nov. 2.
12 p.m. Monday, Nov. 1: Registration closes for all voters.

Tuesday, Oct. 26: If you haven’t mailed your ballot back by this day, make sure to drop it off in person at the Elections Office to ensure it makes it there before Nov. 2.

8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2: Election Day, all ballots are due back to the Elections Office.

Find out more

Missoula City-County Animal Control will be closed Wednesday, Oct. 20.

Animal Control will be closed Wednesday, Oct. 20, for an all staff training. The shelter will reopen at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 21 for regular business hours. Animal Control can be contacted during business hours at animalcontrol@missoulacounty.us or 406-541-7387.

Hours of operation:
Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Closed Sunday

Missoula County invites public to comment on Housing Action Plan

Missoula County is seeking public input on the new Housing Action Plan: Breaking Ground. The County developed the draft plan in response to the rapidly evolving housing market in the County and the growing population that has created an undersupply of housing at all price points. Missoula County has a shortage of about 2,400 housing units, with home prices rising much faster than incomes.

The public is invited to review the draft plan and provide feedback at http://missoula.co/housing or by leaving a message at 406-258-3444 through Friday, Nov. 12.

Assessment shows restoring Amtrak Service to Southern Tier would add $271 million to economies along route

A new assessment of the restored plan proposed by the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, which Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier chairs, shows that restoring the North Coast Hiawatha as a daily Amtrak service would generate some $271 million each year in economic benefits to the seven states served while costing Amtrak roughly $88 million per year to operate. As many as 426,000 passengers can be expected to take this train each year once it reaches a steady state of operation, including perhaps as many as 29,000 new passengers who would not otherwise travel at all using any travel mode if the train did not exist, according to a Rail Passengers Association Research Note published lastweek.

Commissioners to proclaim Oct. 21, 2021 as Victim Advocates Appreciation Day

At their Thursday, Oct. 21, administrative public meeting, the commissioners will proclaim Victim Advocates Appreciation Day to honor the dedicated victim advocates at the Missoula City-County Community
Justice Department, the Missoula YWCA, the University of Montana’s Student Advocacy Resource Center, St. Patrick Hospital’s First Step Resource Center and victim-witness coordinators at the Missoula County and City attorney’s offices.

Find the agenda link and read the full proclamation.

Missoula County Employees are working hard for you!

Emmie Bristow, Community Engagement Coordinator in Missoula County Communications

“Initially, I started at Missoula County as an administrative assistant for the commissioners. When shifts began to happen during the pandemic and the communications department needed to expand, I moved into the role of community engagement coordinator.

In this position, I manage the newsletter that goes out to Missoula County’s employees. I write the “Missoula County Weekly,” an e-notification newsletter published every Monday that’s sent to anyone who subscribes to receive it (you can sign up for these at https://www.missoulacounty.us/news/e-notification and choose “weekly newsletter” as your preference), and I update the Missoula County Events page, http://missoula.co/events.

I meet regularly with other departments to see how I can help them with their communications, and I route or answer questions that come through the Missoula County website’s feedback and customer service request pages. I help create social media posts or edit documents when needed, and I am constantly looking for new ways to expand the County’s outreach, because I know there’s a ton of room for improvement.

This job brings something different every day and reminds me just how important it is for a community to be able to engage easily with their government.”

Upcoming Events: Oct. 18-22

LGBTQ+ History Month Film
6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 18, at the Missoula Public Library

LGBTQ+ History Month Film
6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 18, at the Missoula Public Library

Carlo’s One Night Stand Halloween and Vintage Clothing Rummage Sale
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22, at the Missoula County Fairgrounds Floriculture Building
Missoula Community Flu Clinic
3 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22, at Imagine Nation Brewing Co.

Find more events this week on the County’s Event Calendar!

Missoula County in the News: Oct. 9-15

Missoula records seven COVID deaths since Monday, breaks single-day case record
Missoula County, City working on climate change issues
City, county consider changes to Missoula cannabis businesses; 3% tax on ballot
Missoula County taking public comment on new housing plan

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: Oct. 18-22

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, Oct. 18
No department, administrative or public meetings are scheduled on this day.

Tuesday, Oct. 19
No department, administrative or public meetings are scheduled on this day.

Wednesday, Oct. 20
Public Works Update
Human Resources Update
Chief Officers Update
County Attorneys Update
All Community Council Meeting

Thursday, Oct. 21
Chief Administrative Officer Update
Sheriff’s Office Update
Commissioners’ Administrative Public Meeting

Friday, Oct. 22
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.

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