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10/06/2025
Pipinich, McKenney weigh in on development, growth
On Nov. 4, voters will decide who will fill two open seats on the Great Falls City Commission. Four candidates are running for the positions, and the top two vote recipients will win. Those candidates are Matt Pipinich, Casey Schreiner, Pete Anderson and incumbent Joe McKenney.
Montana Free Press interviewed all four candidates. This week’s newsletter features comments from Pipinich and McKenney. Next week, comments from Schreiner and Anderson will be featured.
‘Get to yes’ and find success, incumbent says
McKenney is closing in on the end of this first term as a city commissioner. He’s a former state legislator and currently works as a real estate agent. He said that the commission’s biggest accomplishment during his term was its work to create a more helpful atmosphere between the city and prospective developers — a mindset he calls “get to yes.”
“When someone comes in, it’s a welcoming environment,” McKenney told MTFP last week. “And that’s really hard to do in the government sector, because you’re the only game in town.”
Discussions about the city government’s role in the region’s growth have been front and center at some recent commission meetings. In June, McKenney joined other commissioners to pass a utility rate increase that aims to fund improvements to the city’s sewer and water infrastructure.
Going forward, he said he would consider funding mechanisms like special improvement districts for new developments. Those can incentivize developers, who traditionally have paid most of the up-front costs to bring new water and sewer lines to new construction.
But McKenney was less enthusiastic about incentives that might impact property tax revenue, the biggest contributor to the city’s general fund. An example of that is tax increment financing, which reinvests property tax revenue into a specific development rather than growing general fund revenue. At a Sept. 2 commission meeting, City Manager Greg Doyon said that the city might be “TIF’d out” due to the way the districts tie up new revenue for years.
The general fund also covers public safety departments, which city officials have prioritized for support following the failure of the 2023 levy and bond. All signs point to a new levy request sometime in the future. Given the statutory limits on how much cities can grow property tax levies each year, McKenney said there’s no more room to cut.
“We are going to have to consider another public safety levy, and I would encourage that,” McKenney said.
But it needs to be carefully planned, he added. Public outreach is a key challenge. In the past, campaigns could reach nearly everyone through newspapers, radio and local television news. Now, that attention has been split among apps, social media and other platforms as traditional media has waned.
“So instead of being able to reach 90% of the people in three ways, you reach 1% of the people in a hundred ways,” he said. “And that’s so hard.”
McKenney said that the path toward a future public safety levy should go through citizen input and the work of “advocates” who can help describe the need to the public.
Ultimately, discussions lead back to development. General fund growth will largely depend on new construction, and McKenney said that primary sector commercial activity should be a top priority. He commended groups like the Great Falls Development Alliance, which works to attract those kinds of businesses.
And in a city that might not have a vast financial reserve to provide incentives, McKenney said that the mindset shift toward “get to yes” still has value.
“We’re going to work with you. We’re going to get to yes,” he said. “And let me tell you something: That’s worth a lot of money to a business.”
Pipinich pushes for diverse commercial developments
Pipinich is seeking his first term on the city commission, but he has been involved in politics and municipal matters. He is the owner of Luna Coffee Bar in downtown Great Falls, chair of the Cascade County Democratic Central Committee and board member of the Montana Food Hub, a burgeoning co-op.
Years ago, while living in Billings, he served on a board that was part of the Downtown Billings Alliance that aimed to recruit and retain commercial activity. It required diplomacy, Pipinich told MTFP, to work among big corporate entities, small business owners and the city.
“Looking at these bigger corporations in the town and saying, ‘Hey, you’re part of this community, too. How are you contributing?'” he said. “And it can’t just be, ‘Oh, we’re providing employment.’ How are you contributing like a small business would?”
That’s a balance that Pipinich said Great Falls should seek in its growth plans. Each development brings certain benefits to the table. A large corporate development might be able to build out public infrastructure in an area, which could support a robust small business district around it.
“As far as developing goes, I do believe we should incentivize and support local and major corporations at the same time,” he said. “Very intentionally, so it’s like a one-to-one ratio.”
Pipinich said that he would consider development incentives on a case-by-case basis, depending on the type of project and the resources available. But he’s sensitive to any measure that increases property taxes, whether it’s for development incentives or a potential public safety levy.
“One of my biggest concerns for Great Falls is cost of living,” he said. “I think it’s outrageous. I think it shouldn’t cost as much as it does to live here. Not just for rent and owning a home, but groceries and all that is wildly expensive here.”
Among the seven biggest Montana counties, Cascade County is second from the lowest in average salary (Butte-Silver Bow is last). Pipinich said that the cost-of-living concern is due in part to rising costs, but a significant cause is stagnant wages in the area.
With that in mind, Pipinich said he’s a “maybe” on a future public safety levy. He said that the city should do what it can to collect property tax revenue from corporate entities, including the Calumet refinery. And he said Great Falls should take a look at creative investments that may yield bigger returns.
“Why is our first go-to taxpayers’ dollars when we could be creating committees that can help bring in revenue from other sources?” he said.
He also said that public safety support should encompass more than funding and that crime prevention initiatives could help alleviate some pressure on officers.
“What are we doing to help prevent crime, or are we just relying on the police department to handle it all?” he said. “Because that seems like a lot of work for an understaffed police department.”
And while Pipinich chairs the county Democratic Party committee, he said he’s committed to the city commission being a nonpartisan role.
“There has to be that firewall,” he said. “Making decisions in the best interest of constituents and the community, not the party line. This has to stay truly nonpartisan.”
Federal shutdown impacts local institutions
The federal government began the new budget year without Congress passing an appropriations bill, leading to a shutdown of funding and services.
MTFP reported some early impacts to key federal entities and services like student loans, social security, food assistance and the U.S. Postal Service. MTFP also shared news from the gates of Yellowstone National Park, where visitors continued to arrive as park staff faced potential furloughs.
In Great Falls, the biggest federal entity is Malmstrom Air Force Base. On Wednesday, military social media pages, including Malmstrom’s, began posting that updates would cease during the shutdown.
For the most part, active-duty service members will continue working while their pay is delayed during the shutdown, according to information shared by Malmstrom’s public affairs department. But, Malmstrom is also where hundreds of civilians go to work, and the base is a major area employer. In an email to MTFP, Malmstrom spokesperson John Turner said that the base had 532 civilian personnel working there in the 2024 fiscal year.
According to Air Force guidance shared by Malmstrom public affairs, most civilian workers will be furloughed without pay during the shutdown. There are exceptions for certain civilian roles that are “essential to national security and safety,” but it is unclear how many people these involve.
Another institution heavily reliant on a federal workforce is the Great Falls International Airport. Airport Director John Faulkner told MTFP last week that the airport shouldn’t see any disruptions at this time. While the Federal Aviation Administration plans to furlough workers, air traffic controllers are expected to remain on duty with delayed pay. Faulkner said that TSA agents will also remain on staff as usual.
KRTV reported last week that the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, which is operated by the U.S. Forest Service, has closed during the shutdown.
This report was compiled on Oct. 2.
5 Things to Know in Great Falls
The Great Falls International Airport Authority has approved a plan to utilize tax increment financing funds to develop utility infrastructure and expand development opportunities. The plan is to use $300,000 in TIF funds to extend water and sewer utilities that could serve 25 acres of developable land along the Frontage Road. The Terminal 360 sports venture is planned to be one of the early developments in that zone. The Great Falls City Commission needs to sign off on the plan and is expected to hear the proposal Oct. 7.
Air Force Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere has announced his retirement. As the leader of Air Force Global Strike Command, Bussiere oversaw the military’s ICBM program, which includes operations at Malmstrom Air Force Base. Bussiere was at Malmstrom in April to activate a detachment that will organize the base’s Sentinel missile transition, a major project for the nuclear missile program. Lt. Gen. Stephen Davis has been confirmed to take over command, reports Air and Space Forces.
Montana State University is set to cut the ribbon Monday for the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing in Great Falls. The highly anticipated nursing school will add to the growing medical higher education sector in the city, which already includes the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. The MSU nursing school is the first to open following a $101 million donation from the Joneses made in 2021. Other schools are expected to open in Billings, Kalispell, Missoula and Bozeman. The grand opening is 4 p.m. on Oct. 6 at 1704 29th St. S.
Author Catharine Moser will discuss her newest book, “When Montana Outraced the East: The Reign of Western Thoroughbreds, 1886-1900” at the Great Falls Public Library Oct. 7. The historical book covers the Montana Gilded Age characters that made waves in the national horse racing scene. The event is 6:30 p.m. in the library’s Cordingley Room.
Water main replacement work will close 13th Street Northwest for up to two months. Closures began Oct. 1 between Fifth Avenue Northwest and Third Avenue Northwest, according to the city. Central Plumbing, Heating and Excavation is the primary contractor. Access to homes, West Elementary and area businesses remains available.
