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8/1/2025
“Missoula This Week” is reported and written By Katie Fairbanks. Send your Missoula news and tips to [email protected].
State numbers will solidify proposals, clarify effect on taxpayers
Missoula city and county officials last week presented proposed budgets for fiscal year 2026, both recommending a property tax increase to pay for wage increases and other rising costs.
It’s uncertain exactly how these proposals may affect residents’ property taxes, as local governments await certified taxable values from the state, expected next week. Those numbers will reflect new properties on the tax rolls and the Legislature’s changes to tax rates, Chris Lounsbury, the county’s chief administrative officer, told Montana Free Press.
“These two things together will allow the county to refine its ask of property taxpayers, both because new properties coming on the tax rolls helps to lessen the impacts of growing services on existing taxpayers and because we will be able to evaluate what impacts legislative changes had on the property tax shift that has occurred these last few years,” he wrote in an email.
On July 21, Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis proposed a 2026 budget with a 3.5% property tax increase over last year. The final increase will depend on the city’s certified taxable values, and the effect on each property owner will vary, she said.
The proposed increase is less than last year’s 17% jump, 11% of which was from the voter-approved fire levy. City staff have worked hard to “right the ship” amid a structural deficit, Davis said during the council meeting. The proposed budget decreases the gap between the city’s expenditures and revenues from $3.1 million to $2.4 million, she said.
“This budget reflects our commitment to financial stability, responsible investment and responsive public service,” Davis said. “We’ve made steady, meaningful progress while maintaining essential services, and we’re doing it with the aim of a minimal impact to taxpayers.”
Estimated costs for the general fund, road and park districts and fire levy total $121.5 million. The proposed tax increase will raise an estimated $4.4 million, with 79% of that going toward wage increases, Davis said.
The proposal includes increases to some fees to bring in an additional estimated $250,000, along with inflationary increases to parks and utility fees. The council in October approved utility rate increases for 2025, 2026 and 2027.
The mayor’s budget includes $3 million from the Missoula Redevelopment Agency, $1 million of which is a direct contribution to the city, according to the MRA. The remaining funding comes from a tax remittance. If approved, the agency, which receives tax increment financing from Missoula’s urban renewal districts, will send a total of $6.75 million in proportionate amounts back to the city and other taxing districts.
The city also expects to bring in about $200,000 in annual revenue from short-term rental registrations, Davis said. The council significantly increased the registration fee in 2023, but hundreds of rentals remained unregistered with the city through 2024. A rule requiring a city registration number to be listed on hosting sites like Airbnb and Vrbo went into effect in December, boosting the number of licensed rentals.
Savings in the 2026 budget include the $1.8 million cost to run the Johnson Street temporary homeless shelter, which is set to close at the end of August. Missoula County paid half of the shelter’s cost. The city is also saving money from contract negotiations and increasing its property insurance deductible, Davis said.
For 2025, the city is projected to spend $2.4 million less than originally budgeted, Davis said. Those savings, combined with stronger-than-expected revenue, mean the city will end the year with $3.1 million in cash reserves, about $1 million more than expected, Davis said. The city is $1.9 million short of its cash reserve equaling 7% of the city’s budget, a goal outlined in its financial policy, she said.
The city council will consider amendments to the budget during its Wednesday meetings on Aug. 6 and 13 ahead of the final vote on Monday, Aug. 18. Budget documents are available to view on the city’s website.
Missoula County officials proposed a roughly 7% property tax increase over last year to raise the additional $5.7 million needed to fund the base budget. That doesn’t include capital projects or any new requests from departments, which the commissioners will consider throughout August.
Last year, the commissioners approved a 4.2% property tax increase. The effect on property taxes will vary depending on whether a resident is within city limits.
The base budget includes about $196 million in expenditures, including wage increases, medical insurance costs and requests paid for by non-property tax revenue. That’s up from $182.7 million in 2025. Lounsbury, the county’s chief administrative officer, said the county is working to address recruitment and retention challenges in the 911 center, jail and county attorney’s office. Missoula County also faces infrastructure challenges, such as aging bridges and necessary repairs to the almost 26-year-old jail, he said.
“In previous years, we’ve tried to stay at or below the inflationary rate, and we’ve done a fairly successful job at that,” Lounsbury said during the July 24 commission meeting. “But the continued pressures coming out of the pandemic and out of the last few years has meant we’re looking at a more substantial request to the board this year in order to maintain that just continued level of service we provide today without enhancements.”
The proposed increase includes $1.1 million for the general fund personnel costs and about $2.4 million for the detention center to cover lost revenue and wage increases, said Andrew Czorny, the county’s chief financial officer. Missoula County lost nearly $1.7 million in annual revenue when it ended its contract with the state for the Missoula Assessment and Sanction Center, he said. The county and state Department of Corrections ended their contract for the 144-bed facility last summer because the state would not pay the actual cost per day to house inmates, county officials previously told MTFP.
The proposed tax increase would help pay debt service on a new gravel crusher, HVAC repairs for the health department and the county’s share for renovations to the animal control shelter. The county and city are each spending $2 million on the project, Czorny said.
The county is also increasing taxes to pay for its contribution to the sheriff retirement system as required by the state and for wage disputes with sheriff’s deputies and detention officers and health department employees.
Residents can review the list of ongoing and one-time requests and comment online or during upcoming meetings. The commissioners will make decisions about the requests at their 10 a.m. administrative meetings on Aug. 12, 14, 19 and 21. The board will hold a public hearing and vote on the budget during its public meeting at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 4.
UM, RMEF launch Center for Hunting and Conservation
The University of Montana and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation recently established the Center for Hunting and Conservation, aiming to advance science, research, education and outreach to shape the future of land and wildlife management in the United States.
RMEF, a conservation and hunting advocacy organization based in Missoula, made a “significant long-term financial commitment” to UM to establish and support the research center, according to a press release.
“UM and RMEF have a shared goal to ensure the long-term sustainability of America’s hunting-conservation culture and the economic opportunities it creates — not only across our state, but across our great nation,” UM President Seth Bodnar said in a statement. “The pressure on our wildlife and natural resources has never been greater, and now is the time to rapidly advance the sound science, education and stakeholder engagement that is needed to protect our hunting culture and outdoor way of life.”
The center’s goals include advancing effective wildlife management supported by research, engaging in public outreach promoting the best-available science and data on wildlife management and conservation, and providing an expanded platform for UM’s Wild Sustenance program, a course available to students who are novice hunters, according to the university.
As the foundation expands its investment in wildlife research, it made sense to build on the existing partnership with UM’s wildlife biology program, said Adam Heggenstaller, RMEF’s director of digital and print communications.
Heggenstaller said the foundation will help determine, approve and support the center’s programs. Heggenstaller did not provide a specific dollar amount, but he said funding for the center will be provided as a multi-year grant.
“We hope that funding continues indefinitely, and therefore it is not possible to cap RMEF’s commitment with a number,” he said.
The university is searching for a center director, and operations will begin after that person is hired, said Dave Kuntz, UM’s director of strategic communications. Staffing levels will be determined by the director and by research grants the center will pursue, Kuntz said.
The Montana Board of Regents approved the center in May. According to a proposal presented to the regents in March, RMEF’s donation will help fund the center’s programming, staffing and space. The center is designed to be part of the new forestry building.
The center will be based in the current Forestry Building or the Clapp Building until the new facility is built, Kuntz said. The Legislature provided funding for a new forestry building in 2021 and money for Clapp Building renovations in 2023. Last year, an architect and engineering firm concluded that the renovations would cost significantly more than appropriated, Kuntz said. This session, lawmakers scrapped previous plans and appropriated $72 million for a new structure to replace the Clapp Building. UM is working to fundraise $20 million for the new building.
Kuntz said design and engineering will take more than a year before construction can begin.
“The university’s goal is to get that project moving forward as soon as possible, which should be within the next couple of years,” he said.
5 Things to Know in Missoula
On Tuesday, the Missoula County commissioners approved a $60,000 agreement with KLJ Engineering to provide communications about forthcoming updated floodplain maps. The maps may be available in early August, but outreach won’t begin until the fall, said Karen Hughes, the county’s planning, development and sustainability director. The draft data shows a number of properties removed from or added to the special flood hazard area, she said. The new mapping is based on more accurate data than the original information from the 1970s, Hughes said. The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation will likely hold an open house about the new maps with the county and city in late fall, she said. KLJ will help plan open houses outside of Missoula and assist in messaging about the changes, Hughes said. FEMA won’t adopt the maps for another year or two, but the county may adopt them sooner, she said.
The Missoula Redevelopment Agency board on July 17 reviewed draft redevelopment plans for the property north of Montana Rail Link Park, which call for 150 to 300 housing units. Design firm GGLO held multiple workshops and surveys to get feedback on what residents would like to see at the city-owned property, which includes the Johnson Street homeless shelter. A lower-density option includes up to 150 apartments and townhomes, as well as commercial space, a central greenspace, a park and trails. The second option includes up to 300 apartments and townhomes along with a smaller central greenspace and commercial space within an apartment building. Board members were generally supportive of a plan with a housing density between the two options. The MRA will hold an open house in early September ahead of a joint meeting with the city council to review the final draft.
The University of Montana’s Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training program recently received a $2.4 million federal grant to support its work for the next four years. The program, initially awarded the Federal Health Resources Services Administration grant in 2017, places graduate students in sites across western Montana for clinical experience. Students earn training stipends to help them concentrate more time on their education and clinical internships, according to a university press release. Last year’s cohort included 21 counseling, psychology, social work and nursing practice students.
Missoula in Motion received a $12,000 grant from the AARP to fund two street mural projects on the Northside and Westside. The murals will be installed in the soon-to-be-installed traffic calming circle at Cooley and Holmes streets and at the intersection of Phillips and Hawthorne streets bordering Lowell Elementary School, according to the city program, which encourages sustainable transportation. Missoula In Motion is seeking submissions from local artists for the Northside installation, and the second call for art will open in the coming weeks. Both projects pay $5,000, which includes the cost of all project supplies.
The Clark Fork Coalition is holding an open house on Friday, Aug. 8, to discuss its watershed restoration plan. The nonprofit began working on the plan in 2020 and is restarting the planning process ahead of receiving funding for the work this fall, according to a press release. The public is invited to attend and learn about how the project aims to improve the watershed’s water quality and ecological health and how to get more involved. The event is from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at the Confluence Center, 119 W. Main St., in Missoula or online via Zoom. Those interested can register online.
Photo Op
Artist Madison Perrins completed the new mural, “Alive with the Land,” on the side of Worden’s Market on Higgins Avenue in June. The Missoula Downtown Foundation is holding a celebration of the mural at 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1, and the public is invited to meet Perrins and learn about the project.
The mural includes a mountain landscape and starry night sky drifting up from a wine bottle held high by a Greek-inspired Maenad, a female follower of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and wine making. The depiction is viewed as a homage to the world-class wine selection within Worden’s Market, according to a press release. The mural was funded by the downtown foundation’s annual grant program and the property owner, Tim France.
Might be Fun
The Western Montana Fair kicks off on Tuesday, Aug. 5, and runs through Sunday, Aug. 10, at the Missoula County Fairgrounds. Admission is free, and visitors can view the 4-H exhibits, demonstrations, performances, the Horse Connection Zone and live music at no cost. The schedule is available on the fairgrounds’ website.
Tickets for arena shows, including the rodeo, are discounted until Monday. Reserved covered seats cost $45 for adults, $40 for seniors or military members and $35 for youth, with $5 off each ticket purchased before Aug. 4. General admission tickets are $10 cheaper than reserved seats. More information is available online.
The carnival will run from noon until 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from noon until 8 p.m. on Sunday. A $90 weekly unlimited ride pass is only available at the fair office until Aug. 4. A daily unlimited ride pass, available at the fair office or Jacksons Convenience Stores, costs $35 until Aug. 4 and $45 after. During the fair, visitors can get 24 ride coupons for $25 or a single ride coupon for $2. Each ride takes three to seven coupons.