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4/7/2025
Utility, sanitation rates could see modest increases
Representatives for Great Falls water, sewer and trash pickup services said that proposed increases for the next two years will maintain operations but won’t do much to fund longer-term capital projects.
City Sanitation Manager Ross Bartell said that the department will propose an 8% increase for residential trash service and a 10% increase for commercial customers. That equates to an additional $1.38 monthly for a single-family home and $5 monthly for the basic 1.5-yard commercial service.
If approved by the city commission, the rate changes would take effect on July 1. The sanitation department is also asking city commissioners to set a two-year rate schedule to help with budget planning. The same rate increases are proposed for the following fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2026, and would bring the single-family monthly rate to $20.20.
Finally, the department proposed that the city phase out the residential senior rate for trash pickup, which Bartell said is too low to cover operational costs. Instead, the department wants to add a low-to-moderate income rate, for which many seniors will qualify. This new rate tier would be lower than the single-family rate but higher than the senior rate, which would be eliminated by summer 2026.
City water and sewer officials say that a 36% rate increase is needed to keep up with expenses, but the department is proposing a 10% rate increase at this time. That amounts to an additional $6.04 monthly for water, sewer and storm fees combined for average residential customers.
Routine repair costs have increased in recent years, according to city officials. The costs to repair water mains, for example, have more than doubled since 2020. The expense side of the budget is also affected by federally mandated lead service line replacements and tariffs that affect the prices for equipment and supplies.
And with the potential for large, new developments, Great Falls will likely negotiate with developers about financing the expansion of utility lines into new territory. The biggest proposed development is The Falls, which is planned for the east side of town.
City Manager Greg Doyon cautioned city commissioners to consider the potential for those negotiations while discussing the public works budget.
“I would just kind of brace the commission for that future conversation because I think there’s an expectation coming our way from developers that the city would pony up and add a contribution toward a large-scale development,” he said.
During a regular city commission meeting on April 1, Mayor Cory Reeves pulled an item from the agenda that would have set a public hearing for the proposed new water and sewer rates. He said the funding needs warrant further discussion before moving ahead with commission action.
You can find the proposed sanitation and utility rates in this public works presentation.
Sheriff calls judge’s comments ‘misleading’
Great Falls Municipal Judge Steve Bolstad took to the podium during an April 1 city commission meeting to criticize intake policies at the Cascade County Detention Center. He claimed that the jail wasn’t accepting people arrested for DUIs and nonviolent misdemeanors.
“What I’m about to say, I’ve heard second-hand mostly,” he said. “But it’s been put into action. I have asked the sheriff for a written policy. I have not gotten one.”
In response, Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said that this is not a current policy. He issued a press statement calling Bolstad’s comments misleading. Slaughter wrote in the statement that the upcoming jail booking renovation project will require “temporary inmate reductions” at periods during construction.
Speaking with Montana Free Press, Slaughter said that this policy is not currently in effect. Shortly before spring construction, the jail won’t take nonviolent misdemeanors in an effort to lower the prisoner population at times during the renovation. The policy is temporary, and Slaughter added that local law enforcement will have the ability to make exemptions.
Bolstad said the situation erodes the threat of jail from law enforcement. He lamented the inability to “remove” unhoused people who are cited for trespassing or harassing others.
“There won’t be any recourse, basically. Because these are people who also cannot pay fines. Nor will they show up to court,” Bolstad said. “So the only way we see them is if they’re at the jail.”
In his statement, Slaughter said that Bolstad’s public comments harmed law enforcement. He said Bolstad’s decision to raise his concerns at a commission meeting “unnecessarily heightened safety concerns in the community by suggesting certain misdemeanors may not result in arrests.”
Photo op
Great Falls Public Works staff shared some photos from inside the 33rd Street water tank, which was drained last fall for maintenance work. The tank holds 4.75 million gallons of water.
Calling all photographers: Submit a photo for Great Falls This Week to [email protected].
Dealership says car show a drag on sales
Great Falls car show Cruisin’ the Drag will take over Central Avenue from the 100 block up to Ninth Street, despite protests from the owner of Great Falls Subaru.
The dealership, event stakeholders and city officials hashed out the issue during an administrative hearing on April 1. Great Falls Subaru appealed the event permit, which was approved with road closures up to Ninth Street. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the show with around 1,000 cars expected to participate. Event President Darrin Schreder said that after two years of growth, his goal is to show 10,000 cars in 10 years.
Great Falls Subaru owner Jeremy Day said that the road closures from the car show hurt sales at the dealership in 2024, and he requested the 800 block of Central Avenue remain open to traffic during the 2025 show.
Day lives in Sandy, Utah, and joined the meeting via Zoom. He opined on the relative importance of his dealership and Cruisin’ the Drag.
“I do this 24/7 versus Darrin, who’s holding a cool event, but he has paid a few hundred bucks for a permit and he’s going to have some cool cars and drink with his buddies,” Day said.
According to Day’s LinkedIn profile, he runs four real estate investment companies in the greater Salt Lake City area. He purchased Great Falls Subaru in 2022 after selling his Utah Ford dealership in 2018.
The Great Falls City Commission denied the dealership’s appeal of the event permit. A city staff review, presented by City Manager Greg Doyon, determined that reducing the show space from Ninth Street to Eighth Street would create logistical and safety issues for the one-day show.
With the Central Avenue entrance to Great Falls Subaru closed, customers will still have four access points to the dealership from Eighth Street, Ninth Street and First Avenue South.
Great Falls Subaru offered the use of its parking lot on the north side of Central in exchange for the entryway to remain open. City staff said this would make the event more difficult to navigate with the 800 block of Central open to road traffic. Schreder said that those 132 to 150 parking spots on that block are needed for the amount of car show entries, and he doesn’t want to lose the momentum in growth.
”If we have to turn cars away, the first time we do that will be the demise of our show,” Schreder said.
Cruisin’ the Drag is May 3 and will run up Central Avenue from Park Drive to Ninth Street.
5 things to know in Great Falls
Time is almost up to nominate somebody for the 2025 Historic Preservation Awards. The award recognizes people, projects or organizations that have helped preserve the stories and spaces that are historically important in Cascade County. The Great Falls-Cascade Historic Preservation Office is hosting the award. The deadline to nominate is Tuesday, and nomination forms can be found here.
Visit Great Falls has produced a 40-minute documentary about the feisty women of Great Falls. Created during Feisty Women Week in March, the documentary previously premiered at The History Museum but is now available to watch on YouTube. You can watch the documentary here.
The C.M. Russell Museum has announced the Russell Book Club, which will meet monthly. The first club selection is “American Buffalo” by Steve Rinella, and the first meeting is scheduled for April 29 at the museum.
Summer hours take effect April 14 at the First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park. Through September 14, the visitor center and gates will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Gates close, but hiking is still allowed until sunset if visitors park outside of the gates. The park website is here.
The city of Great Falls has started spring street sweeping on about 300 miles of streets. This week’s schedule alternates between streets and avenues in the central areas of the city. A detailed schedule and maps can be found here.
