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08/07/2026
“Missoula This Week” is reported and written By Katie Fairbanks. Send your Missoula news and tips to [email protected].
High temperatures, wind increase fire danger
After another week of hot, dry weather heightening fire danger and as smoke from regional blazes continues to hang over the Missoula Valley, local governments and national forests have implemented restrictions to prevent human-caused wildfires.
The heat and low humidity are expected to continue through the weekend, said Travis Booth, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Missoula office.
“It’s a time to be very careful as far as fire is concerned over the next several days with afternoon breezes,” Booth said.
The National Weather Service Thursday issued a fire weather watch for Friday and Saturday in the Lolo, Bitterroot, Deer Lodge, Beaverhead areas and the Flathead Reservation.
The ongoing conditions prompted Missoula County to issue a wildland fire emergency proclamation Tuesday and implement Stage II fire restrictions Friday. Ravalli County, the city of Missoula and the Lolo and Bitterroot national forests have also adopted the restrictions, which prohibit campfires; most outdoor smoking; operating motorized vehicles off designated roads and trails; operating any internal combustion engine; and wielding a torch with open flame or using explosives.
These activities are normally prohibited on designated open spaces in the city and conservation lands. Depending on conditions, the city may consider closures of properties owned or managed by the city, Fire Chief Lonnie Rash said in a press release.
“With recent vegetative fire starts in and around the Missoula Valley, coupled with regional weather patterns, the move to Stage II restrictions is warranted,” Rash said in a statement. “Fire conditions are deteriorating daily, and we feel that it is in the best interest of public safety to act accordingly with the move to these restrictions.”
The only active wildfire in Missoula County, the Elder 1 fire southwest of Frenchtown, has been 100% contained as of Thursday, according to the Lolo National Forest. The lightning-sparked fire burned 1,235 acres in the Rock Creek area. Fire crews will continue to patrol the area and mop up hot spots, the agency said in its Thursday update. There are a handful of smaller wildfires in the Bitterroot National Forest.
Those fires are contributing to the haze in Missoula, but most of the smoke hanging over the valley is from fires in Eastern Washington, said meteorologist Booth. Several wildfires have burned more than 443,000 acres in the nearby state, including three around Spokane that have destroyed more than 800 buildings and forced thousands to evacuate.
Booth said smoke gets trapped in the Missoula Valley at night, degrading the air quality. Rising daytime temperatures help “mix out” the smoke but also increase fire activity, leading to more smoke, he said.
Residents and visitors should take the usual precautions during degraded air quality, including limiting outdoor activities, especially strenuous exercise, Booth said. People planning to attend the Western Montana Fair or otherwise get outside this weekend should also prepare for high temperatures reaching the mid-90s, he said.
While those conditions are expected to continue into the beginning of next week, temperatures may later drop closer to the seasonal average of the mid-to-high 80s, Booth said.
“We see some glimpses, a slight chance of precipitation creeping back into the forecast, but we’ll have to watch and see how it evolves,” he said.
In Case You Missed It
As Missoula County has more days with temperatures over 90 degrees each year, residents may notice that some neighborhoods seem hotter than others. A new heat map of Missoula County shows just how much those temperatures can vary throughout the area and why. Read Montana Free Press reporter Ellis Juhlin’s story on the heat map here.
By the Numbers
The tax increase Missoula County officials are estimating for the 2027 budget, though that number could change depending on the certified taxable values the county receives from the state Department of Revenue, Chris Lounsbury, the county’s chief administrative officer, said during the preliminary budget hearing July 30.
The effect on residents’ tax bills will depend largely on those values and the new tax rates set by the Montana Legislature in 2025, Lounsbury said.
Last year, the county commissioners approved an 8% tax increase to fund wage increases and detention center costs.
Personnel costs and medical costs are the main drivers of increases to the 2027 budget, Lounsbury said. For the last few years, the county has raised wages for certain positions that were difficult to recruit and retain staff members, including sheriff’s deputies, detention officers, 911 dispatchers and county attorneys, he said. This year, that effort includes wage increases for certain Justice Court employees, planners and health department employees, Lounsbury said.
The county also plans to levy additional permissive medical mills, which pay for health insurance for county employees, to help cover cost increases largely driven by specialty medications, Lounsbury said.
The commissioners will also consider a proposed increase in taxes that fund road improvements outside city limits to help pay for asphalt and other materials that have seen large price increases, Lounsbury said.
Commissioner Josh Slotnick emphasized that the proposed 3.25% tax increase doesn’t mean homeowners’ property taxes will go up by that amount. The new tax rates provide a “downward pressure” for many residential properties, he said.
“For some people, maybe their taxes might go down, for others, depending where they are on that scale, maybe they’ll go up,” Slotnick said. “This is an estimate, and please take it all with a grain of salt, and we will know more in a few weeks.”
The commissioners will review the certified taxable values from the state during their meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18. The final budget hearing is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3. More information on the proposed budget is available online.
This story was updated Aug. 7, 2026, to correct the type of taxes Missoula County is considering increasing to pay for road construction materials.
Following Up
Missoula County is moving closer to deciding how to manage dozens of horses roaming in the Miller Creek area on the south end of Missoula.
In June, the Missoula County commissioners opened a public hearing on a proposal outlining a process for capturing and placing horses in the event of conflicts with people. Most residents who commented during the meeting said the horses should be left alone.
The county has received more than 300 comments on the proposal, including requests to add signs along the roads to discourage petting or feeding the horses, and for the county to manage the herd’s population and limit disease and human conflict, Chris Lounsbury, the county’s chief administrative officer, said Thursday. The proposal has been updated based on that feedback, and includes authorization for the county to install caution signs and to employ fertility-control measures, he said.
The county commissioners Thursday took additional comments on the updated resolution and closed the public hearing. A handful of residents expressed support for the proposal and asked some questions.
Commissioner Josh Slotnick said the comments will be incorporated into the final resolution, which the board is expected to vote on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
5 Things to Know in Missoula
Missoula Public Health and the Missoula Fire Department are launching a Naloxone Leave-Behind Program to expand access to overdose prevention resources and reduce the number of overdose deaths. Missoula Public Health’s Missoula Drug Safety Coalition provided kits containing naloxone nasal spray and educational and treatment resource materials for all of the fire department’s engines, ambulances and ladder trucks, according to a press release. First responders will hand out kits to individuals who have previously experienced an opioid overdose, as well as family members, friends or bystanders who may witness a future overdose. Naloxone is legal to carry and is a safe, easy-to-use medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and restore normal breathing when emergency medical care is on the way, according to Missoula Public Health.
The U.S. Forest Service this week approved plans for a replacement wastewater treatment system serving Holland Lake Lodge and the nearby Holland Lake Campground. The previous wastewater system was shut down in the fall of 2023. Flathead National Forest Supervisor Anthony Botello wrote in the decision document that he modified the March 2026 proposal to reduce the size of the modernized wastewater treatment system. The reconstructed system will be a lagoon facility similar to the old system, but with improved flow tracking and adequate separation between the lagoon bottoms and groundwater, according to the agency. The two septic tanks at Holland Lake Lodge will be removed. In February, Eric Jacobson, the lodge’s owner, received a variance from the Missoula Board of Health to temporarily use a wastewater holding tank to potentially open the lodge with limited capacity. Jacobson did not move forward with those plans, and a message on the Holland Lake Lodge website says the lodge plans to upgrade its portion of the wastewater system and open “in some small way” in the summer of 2027.
The Missoula City Council will open its 2027 budget hearing Monday. Members of the public can comment on the proposed budget, which includes an estimated 3.8% tax increase, largely to cover wages and other cost increases. Mayor Andrea Davis presented the proposed budget to the council last week. The council is set to discuss any proposed amendments to the budget Wednesday and could vote Aug. 17. Budget documents detailing new requests from departments, capital improvement projects and other details are available on the city’s website. Residents can attend the meeting at 6 p.m. Monday at 140 W. Pine St., or virtually via Microsoft Teams.
Missoula County is seeking input on the future of the West Riverside Park Barn, which closed in December 2025 due to structural issues. The Hellgate Lions Club established the park in 1977, and the county took over ownership and management in 2017. The rental barn, located at 1305 Haaglund Dr., was closed because of structural deficiencies in the floor and joist system, according to the county. The estimated cost of the floor repairs alone is about $230,000, and the 1940s barn needs numerous other repairs and improvements, according to the county. County staff are exploring private fundraising opportunities and grant programs that could help support the project. Residents can complete a short online survey to help determine the barn’s future. Missoula County Parks, Trails and Recreation staff members will attend the Bonner Milltown Community Council meeting Monday, Sept. 14, to provide project updates and gather input.
Missoula voters have a chance to hear from Missoula Justice of the Peace candidates Landee Holloway and Kelli Sather during the City Club Missoula meeting Monday. The Justice of the Peace Department 2 position is the only contested county seat up for election this fall. The Missoula County Justice Court handles misdemeanors and traffic violations from outside city limits, small claims and civil matters. The candidates will discuss their backgrounds, their vision for the court and what they believe the role demands. Those interested in attending can register online. The meeting will also be recorded and posted on Missoula Community Access Television’s YouTube channel.
Might be Fun
Ever want to watch cat videos on the big screen? This weekend is your chance during the CatVideoFest at the Roxy Theater. The nationwide event, presented by Oscilloscope Laboratories, takes place at local theaters, which donate a portion of ticket proceeds to nearby cat charities and shelters. This year’s proceeds from the Roxy tickets will benefit Heidi’s Kittens, a Stevensville-based organization that manages a network of volunteers who foster and transport cats to help healthy animals avoid euthanasia and get adopted. Showtimes and tickets for CatVideoFest are available online.
Programming Note
The first edition of Missoula This Week was published nearly two years ago. Now it’s time for a refresh. Updated editions of this newsletter will start hitting inboxes next week.
With the update, MTFP hopes to give readers a more direct, useful and personable news digest each Friday morning that brings relevant information while also celebrating our shared community. It will continue to be written and reported by MTFP local reporter Katie Fairbanks. Thank you to everyone who responded to our survey with their thoughts on the newsletter’s direction.
One feature of the updated newsletter is already available. MTFP hopes to answer more reader questions through a recurring segment, Glad You Asked, Missoula. Readers can submit their inquiries via this online form. The survey is also available on the Missoula This Week archive page and will appear in future editions of the newsletter.