09/09/2024
“Great Falls This Week” is reported and written by Matt Hudson. Send your news and tips to [email protected].
Salary information wasn’t available prior to meeting
The Cascade County Board of Commissioners held public hearings on Sept. 5 on elected officials’ salaries, the mill levy and the 2025 budget. The commission passed all items on the agenda.
But it was difficult for followers to know what they’d be commenting on, as agenda documents didn’t appear on the county website until the evening before. When the documents did appear, they erroneously included last year’s resolution for salaries.
That error sent staff scrambling to update documents just before the meeting, which began without the public having seen the current salary resolution. Updated information was added to the agenda packet during the meeting.
Ultimately, county commissioners approved on Thursday a 4.1% cost-of-living raise for elected officials. The county attorney wasn’t included in the increase because his salary of $148,872 is at the statutory maximum. Non-union county staff received the same raise.
County commissioners, clerk of court, and justices of the peace are set to make $80,164 for the current fiscal year. The county treasurer is set at $83,196 and the clerk and recorder’s salary is set at $81,196. The sheriff’s salary is set at $108,221.
Elsewhere in the budget, a second adjustment was made to account for another $1 million in overstated taxable value. The county already adjusted for $1.9 million, and this update means that the county drew down the budget by a total of $2.9 million to account for the Montana Department of Revenue’s overestimate of newly taxable values in the county.
The resident assessments for solid waste services could shoot up by 50%. Solid waste assessments brought in $1,149,998 for the previous fiscal year, and with the added assessments, the county expects to bring in $1,725,000 to support the services. That fund had a substantial deficit in 2024 of $245,189.
One public commenter, Mark Winters, said that he wanted to see more explanation of these increases in a public setting.
“I think the county commissioners owed it to the taxpayers to make that very public,” he said.
A discussion of solid waste price increases exists on the county’s calendar for July 26, but no minutes or recordings are available. Commissioners approved the budget on Thursday with the 50% increase for solid waste assessments. Commissioner Joe Briggs said that assessment could change once a contract is settled with Republic Services, which owns the landfills. A meeting should be scheduled soon to take that action, he said.
“From a statutory requirement, I think we’re better off putting 50% in the budget and reducing it later if we don’t need the 50%,” Briggs said.
Photo Op
Birds patrol the Missouri River during a recent sunset in Great Falls.
Calling all photographers: Submit a photo for Great Falls This Week to [email protected].
Comings and Goings
The Fresh Rescue Community Kitchen will hold a grand opening on Thursday, Sept. 12, at 4 p.m. Operated by St. Vincent de Paul of Northcentral Montana, the kitchen will provide food for the organization’s Angel Room to help feed unhoused people. It will also be a place to serve food to those in need, and the kitchen will use donated food from local restaurants.
The kitchen is located at 513 2nd Ave. S., and the event page is here.
The Gist
Great Falls International Airport Director John Faulkner gave an update on operations during a work session of the Great Falls City Commission on Sept. 3. Visitors have likely noticed the upgrades to the airport’s facade. Metal roofing will replace the original tar-paper covering. New signs are already up to show entryways. Thanks to funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, more updates are still to come on the building. The welcome area outside of gate security will get a facelift, including a fireplace and chimney.
“We wanted to warm that area up and make it a little more inviting,” Faulkner said.
A west concourse expansion is also in the planning stages. The expansion will add restaurant space and bathrooms and widen the hallway and waiting areas.
While the airport receives no funds from airline ticket sales, Faulkner said that the airport benefits when it helps to attract lower ticket prices. That leads to more passengers who pay for ancillary services that do make money for the airport.
“We do better when we have affordable airfares and attract more passengers,” he told commissioners. “Food, gifts, all those things do better when we have more passengers. So we want the lowest supportable airfares that will maintain our air service and help generate revenue for us.”
One way to get lower ticket prices is through larger planes. Delta has already transitioned from a 50-seat plane to a 76-seat model. Larger planes can put stress on smaller airports like Great Falls, which averages 500 to 600 daily passengers. Without ridership growth, that activity equates to fewer daily flights on larger planes.
“When you get up to a 130-seat plane, that’s very few flights,” Faulkner said.
That’s a risk for Great Falls, which has seen little population growth. But under the right conditions, it can be an opportunity to grow ridership as bigger planes often have lower fares. The key is to grow ridership to take advantage, and Faulkner promoted a “fly local” mantra as the airport looks toward new markets and regional routes.
“Demand growth is very important to help all the retail businesses,” Faulkner said.
View the full presentation at the city’s website.
3 Questions For
Last week, the Montana Supreme Court reversed a prior ruling on a challenge to two housing development laws that passed in the 2023 session of the Montana Legislature. The laws, SB 323 and SB 526, require cities with more than 5,000 residents to allow duplex housing on any home lot and require cities to allow accessory dwelling units, which are second homes on a single parcel. The decision allows the laws to take effect.
These laws, which Gov. Greg Gianforte supports, were aimed at encouraging affordable housing construction for infill lots, which are existing lots within cities and towns.
Some reviews need to be done at the local level, but the change could be immediate, as Great Falls Planning and Community Development Director Brock Cherry explains below.
Are there immediate changes to city housing laws as a result of this ruling?
Yes, in compliance with Montana State code, the city of Great Falls will now allow the following land uses by right:
1. One accessory dwelling unit is permitted on a lot or parcel with a single-family dwelling.
2. Duplex housing is allowed in any zoning district where single-family residences are permitted.
The new legislation will take effect immediately, and city staff will work on amending relevant codes and drafting processes and making any other necessary changes in the coming months to further reflect compliance with state requirements.
What impact could this have on the housing shortage in Great Falls?
The implementation of SB 323 and SB 528 will remove public hearings and zoning steps by making specific land uses, such as duplexes and accessory dwelling units, a matter of right for residential property owners.
Whether or not these ordinances will contribute to a significant increase in housing production and opportunities remains to be seen. Though housing reforms allowing increased residential density have taken place throughout the country, each locality and community is unique, with its own markets, demands and resources. Time will ultimately tell if these reforms result in increased housing.
In a broader sense, is this a big deal? Why?
The current situation regarding Montana’s land-use policy and law is significant. The issue of housing shortage is not unique to Great Falls or Montana. Like other state legislatures nationwide, the Montana Legislature has chosen a state-driven, centralized approach to community development and housing policy.
While my professional background in urban planning and community development leads me to appreciate these strategies in theory, it’s important to note that local decision-making and public input have long been crucial in land-use decision-making. While these strategies are valuable in addressing housing needs, it is essential to emphasize the importance of local decision-making and public input in land-use planning.
Effective community development relies on the active participation of residents, ensuring that changes not only meet state goals but also reflect the unique needs and desires of the local community.