Good morning, Helena! This week, the city commission will again consider a Department of Homeland Security grant that has sparked considerable confusion and concern about what the agreement would mean for the city. We also take a look at total voter turnout for last week’s general elections, and the city is hosting an open house for its Montana Avenue railroad crossing project. Oh, and bring your old pumpkins downtown this weekend for the city’s pumpkin smash.
But first, a weather preview ☀️
This week, the Helena area will have mild temperatures, with a Monday high near 50 degrees and a low near 40 degrees, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Austin McDowell. Tuesday will look similar, with highs around 50 degrees and lows hovering in the low 40s. Wednesday will warm up to a high of 60, with an overnight low of 35 degrees.
Helena Commission’s DHS confusion
Credit: Lauren Miller / Montana Free Press/CatchLight/RFA
The Helena City Commission will again consider accepting a Department of Homeland Security grant this week, despite public criticism of the grant’s language
A Montana Disaster and Emergency Services DHS grant of $53,326 first went before the commission during a September meeting. The funds would pay for new security cameras and other equipment improvements in both the City-County Building and the Law and Justice Center, according to city documents.
The commission voted to table the grant at the time, after a lengthy public comment period in which residents spoke against the grant’s confusing language and terms and conditions, following a turbulent summer of Immigration detainments and a Helena-based holding center.
During an Oct. 28 meeting, the commission received a brief update regarding the grant from City Manager Alana Lake. Lake specified that the grant’s terms and conditions have not changed, and the city attorney’s office provided an analysis of the grant, including a list of other municipalities that accepted similar DHS funds.
Among the municipalities that accepted funding were Missoula County ($15,000); Billings ($80,000); Beaverhead County ($32,000); and Lewis and Clark County ($30,000).
However, the city of Bozeman also voted to table its $80,000 grant award after receiving questions and concerns from the community, Bozeman Mayor Joey Morrison told Montana Free Press.
Helena Commissioner Melinda Reed said that if nothing has changed from the original September grant agreement, she wouldn’t support accepting the money.
“It was pretty clear that we didn’t understand the terms, nor would we be able to comply with them as written, so I do not support,” Reed said during the October meeting.
When the grant was first introduced in September, City Attorney Rebecca Dockter said that accepting the grant would not require the city to cooperate with DHS and immigration officials.
However, Dockter then went on to say that another part of the agreement regarding presidential executive orders does apply to the grant, stating the recipients must comply with the requirements.
The confusing language is primarily the reason for Commissioner Reed’s hesitation.
“I don’t know what we were agreeing to,” Reed told MTFP last week.
The list of other agencies that accepted the federal funding also raises a pause, she said, and she doesn’t know what those municipalities discussed or what those conversations and questions were about.
“The first time we heard this contract, as written, [was] unclear and inconsistent and raises real concerns for me as a commissioner about what risks we’re taking as a city, what risks we’re prepared to take on,” said Reed. “There are a lot of assumptions being made that I feel very uncomfortable with. But I will consider all new information presented at the meeting and will be prepared to vote.”
The grant will be presented to the commission during the meeting Monday at 6 p.m. at the City-County Building. The grant is attached to the meeting agenda here.
By The Numbers 🔢
The voter turnout percentage in Lewis and Clark County during last week’s general elections, according to the county elections office’s unofficial results.
The office had 34,643 ballots cast and 54,178 registered voters. In 2024, a presidential election year, the county’s turnout was 79.5%.
Public Notice 🧐
City Closure
ℹ️ Some city offices will close in observance of Veterans Day. Garbage collection will not be affected, and Capital Transit will operate as usual.
🗓️ Wednesday, Nov. 11
⏰ All day
📍 Closures include city administrative offices, municipal court and the transfer station
Carroll College receives $1.7 million grant
ℹ️ The E. L. Wiegand Foundation awarded Carroll College $1,695,679 to aid in the college’s physical assistance program development, according to a press release last week. Funds will pay for technology and medical equipment for incoming students. The PA program will enroll its first cohort of 34 students next May.
🔗 Read more of the grant details here
Montana Avenue railroad separation project open house
ℹ️ Last week, the city of Helena announced it will move forward with the Montana Avenue Grade Separation Project and five-point intersection improvements. Primarily, the project aims to change how the BNSF railway intersects Montana Avenue and to identify an alternative to the adjacent five-way intersection. The open house will give the public an opportunity to learn more about the project’s development.
🗓️ Tuesday, Nov. 17
⏰ 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
📍 Helena Civic Center
🔗 The city also provided a virtual open house.
Helena Happenings 📅
Holiday Specials: Want a fun way to dispose of your old Halloween pumpkins? The city of Helena will hold a pumpkin smash on the walking mall Friday, Nov. 13, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The gourd remains will be taken to the county landfill to be turned into garden-grade compost.
Test Your Knowledge: Ten Mile Creek Brewery will host a trivia night with a Montana history theme, starting at 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15. The event will feature three rounds: Helena trivia, Montana place-name game and general Montana trivia.
On The Menu: Canyon Creek is hosting its annual Chili Feed Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Canyon Creek Elementary, about 20 miles northwest of Helena. The event runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will feature chili and chicken noodle soup, along with a pie auction and raffle. Admission is $7 per person or $20 for a family. All funds will go to the school.
