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06/19/2026
“Missoula This Week” is reported and written By Katie Fairbanks. Send your Missoula news and tips to [email protected].
County proposing plan to handle herd near Miller Creek
What should be done to help manage dozens of horses roaming the Miller Creek area on the south end of Missoula? That’s the question Missoula County is contemplating, along with plenty of public opinions about the animals.
On June 11, the Missoula County commissioners opened a public hearing on a proposal outlining a process for capturing and placing horses in the event of conflicts. Most residents who commented during the meeting said the horses should be left alone.
“The goal is not for the removal of horses,” said Chris Lounsbury, the county’s chief administrative officer, during the meeting. “No one is suggesting that 60 to 100 horses from this area be taken out of the area, but it is to make sure private property rights are respected, public safety is respected and the horses’ safety is also respected.”
The horses have been in the area since the early 1900s, with about 60 to 100 horses living south of Miller Creek along the Sapphire Mountains, Lounsbury said. A group of horses has repeatedly entered the Miller Creek neighborhood, which has become more densely developed over the years, he said. The horses are mostly roaming on private property, Lounsbury said.
The horses are considered “feral” rather than “wild” because they are descended from domesticated horses that were turned loose and grew naturally in the area, Lounsbury said. State law puts the board of county commissioners largely in charge of dealing with feral or abandoned horses, along with the state Department of Livestock, he said.
Last fall, some community members requested the county help manage the herd after a vehicle accident led to one horse being put down, as well as other incidents, Lounsbury said. Horses can weigh up to 1,500 pounds and create significant hazards on roads, he said. The feral horses can potentially bite or kick people or animals, transmit diseases to domestic horses and damage private property, Lounsbury said.
The proposed resolution would clarify the herd’s legal status as “abandoned horses,” establish a process for capture by private landowners that includes a state Department of Livestock inspection and allow placement through nonprofits, private landowners or the state. Lounsbury said the resolution is a first draft that will change based on public comment, but must stay within the bounds of state law.
“We want this plan to look like Missoula County, not something that is cookie-cutter or came from someplace else and to address the real issues that have been brought forward by the public,” he said.
For months, the topic of the horses and potential county action has generated dozens of comments on the county’s webpage and social media. During the June 11 meeting, more than 20 people provided often emotional comments about the horses and the proposal. Many neighborhood residents advocated for leaving the horses alone. Some said humans are to blame for conflicts and safety issues and suggested putting up signs and educating neighbors.
Darren Brady said he encounters the horses on average once a week while walking his dog, and they have never acted aggressively or threatened him.
“I love their presence and think they make just a magical addition to our neighborhood,” he said.
Resident Nan Condit said she witnessed a car accident involving a horse in September 2025 and is concerned about horses getting onto Highway 93.
“This is tough,” she said. “I think these horses need a place up there, but we also need to figure out a process because this will happen again, and a person will get killed or another horse will die.”
The county will continue to take public comment on the proposal online or via email for at least four weeks and will hold another hearing July 23. A group of area residents is holding a community meeting about the horses at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 30, in the Cooper Room in the Missoula Public Library.
City departments request budget increases
The Missoula City Council Wednesday heard the first round of budget presentations from several city departments seeking about $2.7 million in new requests and increases to their annual baseline budgets.
The department requests are the first step in the city’s budget process, which will continue through August. The council did not discuss the requests Wednesday, and there’s no guarantee they will be approved. Last year’s budget included fewer new requests than past years, with $8.4 million of the $15 million in requests funded.
Among the requests:
- The Missoula Fire Department requested about $883,000, including costs for a new assistant chief, station alert system and firefighter gear. In 2024, the department hired 20 new firefighters using funding from the levy passed that June. The levy is also paying for the design of the sixth fire station currently underway, Fire Chief Lonnie Rash said.
The department is requesting a new assistant fire chief of planning and logistics to help balance the workload among administrators and better support its larger staff, Rash said. That position would cost about $300,000, including a $165,000 salary and benefits, he said.
Rash said the department is also requesting $350,000 for a new fire station alert system with less harsh tones to promote faster response times, increase firefighter safety and reduce fatigue. After the first year, the annual cost would be about $4,000, he said.
The department is also requesting $148,400 for new gear so firefighters don’t have to wear equipment treated with PFAS as often, Rash said. Prolonged exposure to the “forever chemicals” has been linked to various health risks, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The alternative would also extend the life of the more expensive gear, Rash said.
Other requests include $30,000 for a strategic plan, a $29,000 cost-of-living increase for Partnership Health Center clinicians on the mobile support team, and $25,600 for building maintenance. - The Missoula Police Department requested about $469,000, including funding for one new police officer, training, overtime costs and the expansion of its drone program.
The department is requesting $57,000 to increase the budget for its special teams, including SWAT, negotiations and explosives handling. The teams have been deployed more often in recent years, and the budget has not kept up with inflation, Chief Michael Colyer said. Missoula’s budget for the teams is about $12,000 compared to $55,000 or more in Billings, Flathead and Lewis and Clark counties, he said.
Colyer said the department wants to expand its drone program to purchase five new drones, which would allow three more officers to become pilots, bringing the total to eight. The drones help collect evidence, search for people, avoid using force and improve efficiency, he said. The cost would be $67,850 in the first year, with $18,587 annually thereafter, according to the presentation.
The department also requested a $50,000 increase to its training budget, which was cut in fiscal year 2025; funding to replace aging portable defibrillators; and increases to its fuel and overtime budgets. - The city attorney’s office is requesting $288,230 for two new prosecutor positions to help keep up with a large case load, said Keithi Worthington, the city attorney for prosecution. Missoula prosecutors handle an average of more than 700 total cases, she said. That’s compared to about 600 per attorney in Bozeman. The number of municipal court hearings prosecutors attended in 2025 was the highest number in four years, Worthington said.
“What we risk at this point is burnout and prosecutors leaving,” she said. “I recognize in the grand scheme of our budget this is a significant ask and a significant amount of money, but I deem it to be critical.”
The department also requested $7,415 for a 3% cost-of-living increase as part of its contract with Missoula County’s community justice department, which supports the crime victim advocate’s office. The civil division of the city attorney’s office requested $4,000 for litigation management software. - The city’s Community Planning, Development and Innovation department requested an additional $48,135 for homeless encampment response to account for the increased cost of garbage collection, towing and security. The base budget for the city’s urban camping program is $1.1 million, which includes clean-ups, code compliance and its vehicle permitting program, said Eran Pehan, the department’s director. The department also requested the typical annual allocation of $100,000 for the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
Other city departments will present their budget requests next Wednesday. The council will hear a presentation on proposed changes to city fees on July 15.
5 Things to Know in Missoula
The Missoula City Council Monday delayed a vote on purchasing new security cameras for several parks after citizens raised concerns about potential use of AI tools like facial recognition and license plate reading. The council is considering a $366,390 contract with Pine Cove Consulting to upgrade security cameras at Currents Aquatics Center, Splash Montana, Mobash skate park and Fort Missoula Regional Park. The existing cameras are outdated, low quality and tough to get footage from if needed, Ryan Applegate, parks and recreation deputy director, told the council June 10. The council preliminarily approved the contract for the cameras, contingent on the approval of a budget amendment up for vote June 22. On Monday, several council members requested that the vote be delayed to obtain more information about the camera’s AI capabilities and, potentially, to amend the contract to prevent those functions from being enabled without council approval. The council will consider the budget amendment and the contract during its meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, June 22.
On Thursday, the Missoula County commissioners approved a $20,000 agreement with Uda Law Firm to represent the county in NorthWestern Energy’s large-load tariff application case with the Montana Public Service Commission. As part of the proceeding, the PSC will determine how to handle NorthWestern Energy potentially supplying electricity to data centers, said Svein Newman, the county’s climate action program manager. The large-load tariff could include provisions to prevent existing customers from subsidizing costs of new power plants or transmission lines needed for data centers, as well as protect customers from being on the hook for stranded costs if a facility defaults, Newman said. Intervening would give the county a chance to ask questions, request data, provide evidence or testimony and participate in the hearing, he said. The county is not required to take action or a position on the proposal.
The Missoula County commissioners June 11 approved an 80% tax reduction for equipment in Montana Knife Company’s new manufacturing facility at the Wye west of Missoula. The company requested the abatement on about $3.45 million of manufacturing equipment. Under state law, the county commissioners can set an 80%, 90% or 100% abatement on improvements over $1 million, said Sam Scott, the county’s assistant recording director. The first $1 million is tax-exempt. The county’s tax abatement policy, passed in 2024, calls for an 80% abatement on equipment with a market value of $20,000 or more beyond the first exempt $1 million. The reduction would begin in 2026 and continue for five years. It would then be phased out at 20% per year. The equipment is often devalued to the point that it would be taxed very little, or not at all, at the end of the abatement period, Scott said. The tax break is contingent on the state Department of Revenue finding the equipment eligible. Commissioner Josh Slotnick said while the applicant is not doing anything wrong, the abatement means that other taxpayers will cover the costs of the tax break.
Downtown street closures for the Missoula Pride parade and celebration begin Friday afternoon and continue through Saturday night. Starting at 3 p.m. on Friday, Main Street from Ryman Street to Orange Street will be closed. Starting at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Main Street from Higgins Avenue to Orange, Ryman from Front Street to Broadway and Woody from Main to Broadway will be closed. Vehicles not moved in time will be towed to the West Front parking lot. The parade route, including the Beartracks Bridge, Higgins Avenue and Main Street, will be closed to all traffic from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The parade starts at noon Saturday, and the downtown block party runs from 12:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. A full schedule of events is available online.
The University of Montana’s free seasonal river shuttle will begin service Thursday, June 25. The shuttle will run Thursdays through Saturdays, leaving from Campus Drive near the UM Outdoor Program Building and stopping at the Sha-Ron river access point and Milltown State Park. Thursday and Friday departures are from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the hour. Saturday and Sunday departures begin at noon and run hourly until 4 p.m. Passengers should arrive at the bus stop 15 minutes before departure. UDASH staff will distribute parking passes before boarding on Thursdays and Fridays for free parking on campus. Passengers must deflate flotation devices, and stand-up paddle boards are not permitted on the bus. River recreators 12 and older are required to have a valid conservation license.
Might be Fun
The Montana Black Collective – Missoula is holding a Juneteenth celebration Friday at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula. Anyone is welcome at the event, which will include speakers, reenactments, art activities and free food. The celebration runs from 10:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. More information about the schedule and a link to donate are available online.
The Missoula Summer MADE Fair Sunday will feature more than 190 local and regional artists, as well as local food vendors and nonprofits. The market runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Caras Park.