2/17/2025
“Helena This Week” is reported and written By JoVonne Wagner. Send your Helena news and tips to [email protected].
Helena school officials express the need for technology funding, look to potential levy
During a school board meeting last week, the Helena Public School District Board of Trustees approved holding a general school election this May to potentially ask Helenans to approve an annual $4 million technology levy.
Although the board didn’t officially approve putting the tech levy on the ballot, school district staff informed the board they would need to call for an election at least 70 days in advance. The election is set for May 6.
School district communications officer Karen Ogden told Montana Free Press in an email that, while the board is still discussing details, trustees are expected to vote on the levy question during a board work session on Tuesday, March 25. If approved, residents would see the levy on the spring ballot.
If the levy passes, it would generate about $4 million each year for the next decade, costing the average resident about $9 a month, Ogden told MTFP, although tax details are still being finalized.
The request follows the school district’s failed attempt to pass five levies last year that, if approved, would have helped the district close its budget shortfall.
This year, school officials are trying a different strategy by only seeking one levy.
“We’ve moved through some messaging quite a bit. We listened to the community. We knew that last year our ask was heavy,” Superintendent Rez Weltz said at the meeting.
In addition, the district director of educational technology, Gary Myers, told the board that this levy would not be permanent but would last 10 years, which was an adjustment suggested by the community.
Myers said that the district must maintain its tech devices and services, especially in the classroom.
The last time the district approved a technology levy was in 2004. Those funds, hindered by rising inflation costs, can’t keep up with current device needs, Myers said.
Along with addressing the classroom devices, funds from the levy would also be allocated throughout the district to pay for cyber-security, internet services, security hardware and software systems, phone replacements, IT staff and state testing.
Public Notice
Community health plan: The Lewis and Clark Public Health’s Healthy Together Steering Committee will hold its second public meeting to develop a community health plan on Wednesday, Feb. 19. The meeting will address chronic disease, which was one of the top concerns identified in the 2024 community health assessment. The committee staff is seeking input about the plan and encourages public participation. The meeting will be held at St. Peter’s Health, 2475 E. Broadway St., from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Contact county public health communications specialist Amber Johnson at [email protected] for additional information.
City closure: The city of Helena’s administrative offices will be closed on Monday, Feb. 17, in observance of Presidents’ Day. The municipal court and transfer station will also be closed, impacting garbage collection. Residents are encouraged to place their garbage bins out by 7 a.m. the following Tuesday. The Capital Transit office will also be closed, but buses will remain in service.
5 Things to Know in Helena
RMDC returns housing grant funds: City grants coordinator Amanda Optiz told the city commission last week that the Rocky Mountain Development Council has withdrawn from an affordable housing project that had an attached $1.58 million grant. The grant, which initially came from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, will be directed to the city’s reserve. Optiz said that staff will seek the commission’s guidance on future plans for the money.
City adopts new solid waste plan: The city commission approved a new solid waste master plan last week. According to city staff, the plan will provide a long-term strategy to implement local waste management, collection and diversion upgrades that address Helena’s population growth and aging infrastructure. The plan also recommends several items, including the addition of more waste collection containers throughout the county, the improvement of the transfer station and providing more options for yard and food waste management, which will be evaluated by the city staff before the commission is asked for its approval.
City gives Helena Airport property: City commissioners officially approved a resolution to gift 12.78 acres of city land by Airport Road to the Helena Airport Authority. City Deputy Attorney Matthew Petesch told the commission during a meeting last week that the property is currently recognized as a gravel pit of no use to the city. Helena Airport Director Jeff Wadekamper said the authority has been working on securing property for future development.
“As the old adage goes, they’re not making any more property, so we’ve been cognizant of that,” Wadekamper said at the meeting. “[We’re] looking at the airport campus and wanting to protect it and make sure that we can continue to grow and do everything to make the airport the best possible airport it can be for all the different aviation uses.”
Connections on Cruse: The city’s Business Improvement District and the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce announced a new community forum, “Connections on Cruse.” The group will meet every third Wednesday of each month at the Chamber of Commerce, 225 N. Cruse Ave., from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. The monthly meeting will allow local business owners to network and promote economic growth in the downtown area, according to the chamber’s website. The first “Connection on Cruse” will be on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
School bond update: During last week’s school board meeting, superintendent Rex Weltz and the board of trustees continued the discussion about potentially asking taxpayers to fund a new Helena High School, a new Kessler Elementary School and the renovation of Capital High School. School officials said for a new HHS to be operational by the fall of 2028, the district would need to put the issue on the ballot this fall. Trustees have yet to take any official action on the bond request.
Comings and Goings
Coming: Teriyaki Madness, a national restaurant chain, will open in Helena in early May. The Asian restaurant, 319 N. Montana Ave., will offer different teriyaki bowls.
Going: After filing for bankruptcy, JoAnn Fabrics announced last week that it will close its Helena location, 3131 N. Montana Ave., along with its Butte store. Staff at the Helena store did not say when the business will officially close.
