Sign up for the free Great Falls This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Great Falls city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events.
5/18/2026
Great Falls rolls out red carpet for Janicki
It was all flattery and excitement last week as officials from both Great Falls and Cascade County approved tax breaks in hopes of luring a major manufacturer to town.
By the end of the month, Janicki Industries is expected to choose between Great Falls, Twin Falls, Idaho, and Jerome, Idaho, to build a 1.5-million-square-foot manufacturing campus that could bring hundreds of jobs to the area.
Janicki is a private company based in Washington state that manufactures metal tooling and parts for the marine, defense and aerospace industries. The company also has a facility in Utah and has more than doubled its workforce to 1,900 since 2022.
Local officials view Janicki as a tremendous opportunity for Great Falls, which has seen limited economic growth over the decades. The facility could generate millions of dollars in property tax revenue from land that’s currently vacant, bolster the local subcontractor market and bring a much-needed influx of families and their purchasing power to local businesses and real estate.
“What do we got to do to get you to come to Great Falls?” City Commissioner Rick Tryon said during a May 12 meeting.
The city commission approved its incentive, a tax break for new and expanding industries. It offers a 50% reduction in property taxes for five years. That reduction diminishes over the next five years, until the company pays the full amount by year 10 and beyond.
As part of the proposal, Janicki would be granted separate tax abatements for each of the four construction phases. The city has put in place occupancy guidelines to maintain eligibility for the tax benefits. The occupancy deadline for the first phase is May 31, 2029. The deadline for the fourth and final phase is May 31, 2035.
The city commission voted unanimously in favor, with Commissioner Shannon Wilson absent.
The Cascade County Board of Commissioners also met on May 12 and approved the same kind of tax incentive for its share of property taxes. The county also approved another tax break granted by state law on an estimated $2.7 million of industrial equipment. Both votes were unanimous in favor.
The total estimated tax benefit would reduce the company’s annual tax burden from $9.3 million to about $3.8 million. It would be one of the largest tax breaks given by the city and county, given the size and scope of the Janicki project.
A line of supporters spoke at both the county and city meetings last week about the perceived impact the project could have on the region. The supporters included Great Falls Chamber President Ed Brown, NeighborWorks Great Falls Executive Director Sherrie Arey and Great Falls Public Schools Superintendent Heather Hoyer. They also included major business sector representatives like Brad Talcott of James Talcott Construction, Shane Etzwiler of NorthWestern Energy, Scott Reasoner of Enbar, Inc., and Dwight Holman of Holman Aviation.
“The pressure’s on, but it’s worth it,” Talcott told city commissioners. “Because this is a company that could be great for Great Falls.”
There were no opposition comments at the county meeting and just two at the city meeting. Valynda Holland, a Democrat candidate for Senate District 11, said that the extension of tax benefits to large, profitable corporations is unfair to the rest of the business community.
“I think we need to ask one important question: Why are working families and small businesses expected to pay their full share while major corporations are offered tax breaks before they have contributed anything to our community?” Holland asked.
Multiple officials praised the Great Falls Development Authority, which has long worked to recruit manufacturing entities to the AgriTech Park, a rail-served industrial development that GFDA owns. Cascade County Commissioner Joe Briggs said this is the kind of opportunity stakeholders have been waiting for.
“Sometimes people have an issue with tax abatement,” Briggs said. “This one, I will tell you, is exactly what tax abatement is designed for. It is designed to get a facility moved to our area.”
Photo Op
Local officials and project partners broke ground on the Meadowview Village housing development May 12. The 27-acre development is slated to include 163 single-family homes aimed at first-time homebuyers and low- to middle-income buyers. It’s located along 46th Street, between Central Avenue and Third Avenue South.
Calling all photographers: Submit a photo for Great Falls This Week to [email protected].
Mansfield Theater operations under review
Great Falls city leaders are considering a management change for the Mansfield Theater and the convention center spaces in the Civic Center.
Earlier this month, the consulting firm TheatreDNA presented its findings after compiling a report on the performance of the facilities, which have lagged in event bookings, revenues and investments. A report summary showed that events occurred in just 30% of the year at both the convention center and the theater. Industry standards are closer to the range of 55% to 70%.
The facilities are currently booked by organizations and acts that request and rent them. It’s a more risk-averse model, officials said, because the city doesn’t proactively seek and book shows that often require guaranteed fees. That will likely need to change for the event centers to achieve a successful turnaround.
“In order for your two facilities to thrive, it has to go beyond just a rental facility,” said TheatreDNA’s Alex Hargis in a May 5 presentation to city commissioners, “which means taking on some risk to doing what we call presenting. Buying shows and bringing them in. Paying an artist fee and bringing them in.”
TheatreDNA has proposed two main management structures, both of which keep ownership of the venues with the city of Great Falls. The choice is whether the city manages the facilities itself or contracts with a third-party venue manager.
No matter the choice, TheatreDNA’s report highlighted the need for a much more proactive booking, marketing and presentation effort, which would likely require investments in personnel and facility upgrades.
“I’m really thankful they are looking at it,” Hillary Shepherd, executive director of Great Falls Symphony, told MTFP. “This is something that, all of us who utilize the theater, we’ve been requesting they look at it for many years.”
The symphony is one of the most frequent users of the Mansfield Theater, not just for live performances but also for youth rehearsals, which Shepherd participated in while growing up in Great Falls. She said the Mansfield has the qualities for symphonic performances that aren’t found in other nearby facilities.
Shepherd said she was concerned about how a more proactive theater manager might affect the symphony’s costs and stage time, but she was happy to see the city look seriously at improving its management.
City officials are motivated to seek change, in part, due to the theater and convention center’s poor financial performance. The fund has been in deficit for years and has received subsidies, including $234,000 in the current budget year to cover expenses. Similar city-run venues in other locations often require public subsidies, noted TheatreDNA in its report.
And while commissioners said they felt positive about turning around operations at the facilities, they acknowledged the up-front costs that might be necessary to kick the turnaround into gear.
“Third party or not, we front the bill,” Commissioner Casey Schreiner said. “So where does that money come from?”
The city commission hasn’t yet decided how the facilities will be managed. Many who attended the presentation May 5 noted the history and cultural significance of the Mansfield Theater. Built in the 1930s as part of a New Deal project, the venue has been an arts institution tied to Great Falls’ identity.
Great Falls Symphony Music Director Gordon Johnson estimated that he’s stood on stage 1,440 times in his professional capacity over 35 years. He told commissioners that he’d heard comments that the city has no business funding entertainment — language similar to that used by Mayor Cory Reeves in a recent Facebook post. In Johnson’s view, the Mansfield Theater is much more than that.
“Entertainment is what a banjo player offers and then walks away,” Johnson said. “What we are endeavoring to describe is something far deeper in content that leaves a lasting impression and leaves our city a better place to live.”
A summary of TheatreDNA’s report can be found here.
5 Things to Know in Great Falls
Touro University Montana announced the appointment of new leadership. Michael Carr is the college’s first campus provost and previously served as provost at North Park University in Chicago, as well as a professor. Thomas Miller was named interim associate dean for the medical school after serving as its chair of primary care. Carr’s role will have a scope beyond the medical school as Touro continues to plan for a law school and “additional allied health programs,” according to a press release.
On May 14, Malmstrom Air Force Base held an award ceremony to receive the 2025 Omaha Trophy, presented by a Department of Defense committee to recognize the top nuclear defense units. Malmstrom has received the honor in four of the past five years. Other honorees in 2025 include the USS Maryland ballistic missile submarine, the 509th Bomb Wing based in Missouri and the Strategic Communications Wing One/Task Group 114.2 out of Oklahoma.
The city of Great Falls announced June 6 as opening day for neighborhood pools and the Electric City Water Park. The Flow Rider and Lazy River at the water park will remain closed this summer, however, due to “mechanical and structural issues,” the city said in a press release. The city expects Jaycee Pool and Water Tower Pool to be fully operational this year.
Froid mechanic Roberto Orozco-Ramirez was released from the Cascade County Detention Center last week after more than three months in custody. The ruling from a federal judge in Great Falls ordered the release May 14. Orozco-Ramirez, an undocumented immigrant, has no criminal history and has lived in Froid for a decade, running an automotive repair shop. Federal agents arrested him in January based on his immigration status. Read the full Montana Free Press coverage here.
The 2026 Election Guide is live on Montana Free Press’ website. Users can search for candidates by name, browse candidates by district with the help of maps and find candidates based on their address.
Public Notice
The Great Falls City Commission will consider a plan to issue $3.2 million in bonds to pay for infrastructure improvements at the AgriTech Park. This was previously proposed by the Great Falls Development Alliance, which owns the AgriTech Park.
The AgriTech Park is within a tax increment financing district, and the bond debt would be repaid from growth in tax revenue in that district. The TIF is set to expire in 2028, and commission documents note that issuing debt at this time would extend debt repayment past that 2028 date. The plan is to pay down the debt quickly, according to the city’s report, to keep the 2028 TIF expiration.
“The city’s intent is not to extend the District longer than necessary,” commission documents said. “Rather, the intent is to use future tax increment revenues to pay down the debt as quickly as possible and allow the district to expire upon the debt’s retirement.”
A portion of the funds will also go toward paying GFDA for its own debt, which accumulated through past investments in the AgriTech Park.
The AgriTech Park includes the proposed site of Janicki Industries. If the company chooses to build in Great Falls, the project would significantly help repay these bonds. However, the company hasn’t yet made its decision on site selection.
Commissioners will also discuss and schedule a public hearing for the city’s proposed growth plan and future land-use map. Specifically, staff is asking commissioners to consider future land-use designations for the Little Shell’s proposed resort and gaming campus and existing city parks. The future of the 22-year-old Missouri River Urban Corridor Plan is also up for discussion.
Information about the growth plan discussions is on page 62 of the commission agenda. Previous coverage of the draft growth plan is available here.
