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6/01/2026
City gives industrial park more time to realize its potential
Great Falls city commissioners have approved a plan to extend the tax increment financing (TIF) district for an east-end industrial park to pay for infrastructure that didn’t materialize over the past 13 years.
The plan is a bit of a bargain and a bit of a gamble. The city hopes to invest in making the industrial sites marketable and ready for potential companies. But extending the TIF means that badly needed tax dollars bound for the city’s coffers will remain tied up in that district. That includes potential proceeds from the highly anticipated Janicki project.
The gamble is that officials have promised to retire the TIF early and pay off the debt as soon as possible, though it remains unknown how long exactly that will take.
“We have all these needs within the city, but it does feel to the citizens at times we’re pushing off the ability for us to recoup the tax from some of these businesses that we’re trying to recruit,” Commissioner Casey Schreiner said during a meeting May 19.
The plan concerns the East Industrial Park Tax Increment Financing District, which is commonly known as the AgriTech Park. The Great Falls Development Alliance developed the park and has invested in improvements there since 2013.
The growth of property tax value in the TIF district over the past decade was supposed to pay for GFDA’s developments. But slower-than-expected growth in the industrial park left the fund short, and GFDA expects to remain in the red when the TIF district expires in 2028.
“The TIF needs to serve its purpose and be done. But it hasn’t served its purpose,” said Jolene Schalper, GFDA’s executive vice president, in comments to the city commission.
TIF districts are set at 15-year terms. They capture growth in property taxes that result from developments in the district and reinvest the money in that same district. After 15 years, a revitalized district is supposed to then release all that new property tax revenue to local governments, including the city, county and school district.
The current plan is for the city to issue approximately $3.2 million in bonds for the TIF district to pay off debt GFDA has accumulated from previous developments in the district.
The money will also fund new infrastructure improvements on four remaining lots. Those improvements — road, sewer, water and railroad — will make the lots “shovel-ready” for prospective industrial companies.
Issuing bonds to raise $3.2 million means that the city will have to extend the term of the AgriTech Park TIF. The debt repayment term is 21 years and is backed by the money already being generated in the district — meaning that the debt can be repaid even if no more growth occurs.
But as long as the TIF remains active, the city and other local governments won’t realize any additional tax revenue from the growth in the district. This is at a time when city officials are scrutinizing funds that require subsidies and struggling to cover rising expenses with property tax revenue.
One notable development that may end up in the TIF district is Janicki, which is eyeing a site in the AgriTech Park for potential development. An extension of the TIF would mean that the added value from Janicki would remain tied to the district.
“This is deceptive, and we won’t realize any benefit on this for years,” Great Falls resident Jeni Dodd said in public comments to city commissioners May 19.
To ease these concerns, officials say they will aim to pay off this new debt and retire the TIF early. How early, though, isn’t known and will depend on how much growth occurs, making it possible to pay off the debt all at once.
Economic developers told city officials that a robust industrial park would have ripple effects across the local economy. Rebecca Engum, executive director of Great Falls Montana Tourism, said business visitors account for a significant share of visitor spending.
“Business travel is one of the most consistent and high-value categories in the hotel economy. And it is directly tied to what happens in this park,” said Engum, who is also a board member of GFDA.
While industrial and manufacturing are significant parts of the tax base, new maps released by the city planning department show that density is actually the biggest driver of property value per acre. Busy commercial districts like downtown Great Falls and dense residential developments like Wild Rose Lane off of Central Avenue generate more value per acre than large industrial sites.
On May 19, city commissioners unanimously approved the plan to issue debt and extend the AgriTech TIF.
Photo Op
Before construction vehicles can maneuver in and out of Malmstrom Air Force Base, there has to be a gate.
On May 28, officials broke ground on the first official construction project related to the Sentinel missile upgrade, a $140 billion effort to modernize the nation’s land-based nuclear arsenal. The first project will be a commercial gate, with secure inspection equipment, that will allow entry from U.S. Highway 89 rather than through Great Falls streets.
Lt. Col. John Mayer, the Sentinel task force commander at Malmstrom, told a crowd that this is the first major construction project at the base since the 1970s, when the Minuteman III missile was being introduced. That is the missile model still on continuous alert today.
The ceremony last week took place on an empty field along Malmstrom’s southeastern corner. In addition to the commercial gate, that area will soon gain roads and utilities to support what is expected to be a massive construction project over the coming decade — both on base and throughout the missile field of central and eastern Montana.
Calling all photographers: Submit a photo for Great Falls This Week to [email protected].
Little Shell pursues major housing development
The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana is pursuing a housing development on 18.4 acres of tribally owned property off of Stuckey Road. Plans include two apartment buildings, duplexes, single-family homes and recreation space to be built over several phases.
The project is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act and is intended to primarily serve tribal members. The site is notable as the former Hill 57 site, where Indigenous peoples were once pushed to the edge of Great Falls in impoverished conditions.
Today, the land is home to the Little Shell’s more modern developments, like a new cultural center that opened earlier this year.
“There is a significance to a lot of Little Shell citizens,” Little Shell Chairman Gerald Gray told MTFP last week. “Just being able to build homes out there, nice homes, affordable homes, is a really big step for us.”
The tribe is requesting that the city annex the property into Great Falls and approve a planned unit development (PUD) for the project. The Great Falls Planning Advisory Board and Zoning Commission unanimously approved both measures last week.
Development plans call for the homes to be taxed and zoned like any other residential area in Great Falls. The tribe isn’t seeking federal trust status for this development, which is in contrast to the proposed resort and gaming facilities.
Brett Doney, CEO of the Great Falls Development Alliance, spoke in favor of the project and noted that housing is the region’s top economic development priority.
“We think it’s a high-quality project,” Doney told planning board members. “You’ll get complaints in future years because it will boost property taxes.”
Over two planning board meetings, neighboring Valley View residents raised concerns typical of larger residential developments. Many talked about increased traffic, especially as plans call for Valley View Drive to extend through the new development and out to Stuckey Road.
Other comments took on a different tone, repeating stereotypes of tribal housing.
“This, in effect, is an 18-acre reservation,” said Keith Duncan, a financial planner who co-owns Happy Tails Lodge on the Northwest Bypass. “Great Falls is definitely in need of more housing, but we don’t need the blight that tribal housing becomes.”
In comments to commissioners, Gray said that the Little Shell’s completed projects, like the ceremonial center and tribal health clinic, should serve as examples of how the tribe manages property.
“We have improved empty properties, created jobs and invested in this community because this is our home, too,” Gray said during a May 26 meeting. “The Little Shell Tribe has a long history on and around Mount Royal that predates the existing neighborhoods.”
The annexation and PUD will need final approval by the Great Falls City Commission before moving forward. The first hearing is expected in late June.
Planning documents and information about the project can be found here.
5 Things to Know in Great Falls
The Great Falls Turf Club has said it won’t host horse racing in 2026 due to budget challenges. In a Facebook post, representative Chad Swift wrote that “management plans to spend the upcoming year restructuring its finances with the definitive goal of reestablishing the racing in Great Falls.” The planned schedule had been for three weekends of races.
The 21st Dusty Gliko Bull Riding Challenge is June 6 at Montana ExpoPark. Riders from the Pro Bull Riding circuit will compete, and tickets are available at Hoglunds Western Wear or at the ExpoPark box office. The event website is here.
NorthWestern Energy announced three natural gas projects starting this week that could affect traffic. Replacement of a steel pipeline in an alley between Second Avenue North and First Avenue North will last about six weeks. A new natural gas main pipe will be installed along 10th Street from Fourth Avenue South to Second Avenue North. Finally, crews will replace a natural gas pipeline in the alley between Third Avenue South and Fourth Avenue South.
The group Missouri River Open Lands is hoping to raise about $110,000 to help purchase land near the Fox Farm neighborhood for recreation conservation. The group had been raising money to cover the $640,000 price for the 48-acre plot, but recent appraisals increased that price. Read more about the origins of the effort here. The group’s website is here.
Tuesday is Election Day for primary races in Cascade County. Multiple legislative races have contested primaries, as well as races for Cascade County sheriff, county clerk and recorder and county commissioner. Late registration is available Monday, June 1, from 8 a.m. to noon and then again from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Voters can still drop off their ballots at the courthouse annex building (325 Second Ave. N.) or at Exhibition Hall at the ExpoPark. Poll voting is at Exhibition Hall until 8 p.m. Tuesday. County-level candidate information is here. The Montana Free Press election guide is here.
