Helena Habitat for Humanity presses Gianforte on housing solutions
Citing MTFP reporting on tension between Gov. Greg Gianforte’s “Come Home Montana” campaign and Montana’s housing crunch, Helena Area Habitat for Humanity has taken out a newspaper ad advocating affordability fixes.
Exploring Montana’s economic future
Montana, as the saying goes, is one big small town with really long streets. The Long Streets Project aims to cover it like that, focusing on the economic trends and issues that shape the opportunity Montanans have — or don’t have — to make a decent living.
Funding for Long Streets is provided by The Greater Montana Foundation — encouraging communication on issues, trends and values of importance to Montanans.
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Montana’s fastest-growing city last year? It wasn’t Bozeman.
New Census Bureau estimates chart Montana’s population shifts during the first full year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kalispell led the pack for new residents.
Tax data says California and Washington were the top origin states for new Montana residents in 2020
Data culled from state tax filings by legislative fiscal analysts provides one of the first hard-number looks at how pandemic-era migration is bringing new residents — and their money — to Montana.
Study argues pro-duplex zoning would ease Montana housing crunch
A new report by the conservative Frontier Institute says Montana cities should roll back development restrictions to allow more mid-density housing in existing neighborhoods. It also calls for the state Legislature to step in if they don’t.
The initiative that could upend Montana’s tax system
CI-121, inspired by California’s Prop 13 tax revolt, would cap residential property tax growth in the name of keeping Montanans from being priced out of their homes. The fiscal consequences could ripple across the state for generations.
State unveils broadband access map, solicits grant applications
Data presented by the state broadband office indicates two-thirds of Montana addresses have current or pending 100 mbps service. Private internet providers who want to reach underserved areas can apply for help from a $266 million fund.
¾ of Montana’s return-to-work bonus funds went unclaimed
Gov. Greg Gianforte’s Return to Work bonus program, announced last year as he scaled back expanded pandemic unemployment benefits, ultimately paid about one-fourth as many bonuses as the state had initially funded, according to a new post-program report from the state Department of Labor and Industry.
Growing home in Ekalaka
Eastern Montana’s Carter County is bucking longtime trends toward population declines in rural plains communities, adding 255 residents according to the 2020 census. How? Oil money, dinosaurs and family.
Stimulus infrastructure funds headed to water and sewer projects
The awards, totalling nearly $127 million, were formally announced Thursday by Gov. Greg Gianforte. They follow an allocation process that was outlined by the Montana Legislature this spring in which project applications were submitted by local government entities, ranked by staff at the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and reviewed by an advisory committee…
Labor Department touts economic rebound
Montana’s economy is rebounding quickly from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Department of Labor & Industry economists write in a report released Wednesday.
The town that turned its stimulus money down
Montana towns and cities have been allocated a total of $86.4 million in local COVID-19 relief from the American Rescue Plan Act. The mayor of Ismay, the 17-person town that once renamed itself Joe, says his community doesn’t need it.
Census releases detailed 2020 counts — with an asterisk
The U.S. Census Bureau released detailed statistics Thursday on the 2020 populations and racial compositions of Montana counties, cities, towns and neighborhoods, providing a once-in-a-decade look at demographic change across the state, and also handing the Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission the block-by-block data it will use to define the state’s two U.S. House Districts.
‘Economic transformation’ commission adopts priorities, seeks public input
Lawmakers and Gianforte administration officials tasked with allocating $150 million to bolster Montana’s post-COVID economy name business innovation, value-added ag, worker training and affordable housing as priorities.
Sharing the love of the Lower Yellowstone
Residents of eastern Montana say it’s about time the Lower Yellowstone River is recognized for its recreational opportunities and untapped economic potential. The Legislature has allocated $4 million to start bringing that vision to life.
Gianforte wants 10,000 more jobs paying $50,000-plus this year
Gov. Greg Gianforte says he wants at least 10,000 jobs paying more than $50,000 a year added to the state economy this year, putting a firm metric to the Republican governor’s widely publicized pledge to lead a Montana “comeback.”
Reporter’s notebook: Oil town
A group of young professionals in Sidney, Montana put on a conference aiming to show off their town to peers across the state. The weather had other plans.
Bitcoin fracking turns waste gas to digital gold in Bakken oil field
Natural gas produced as a byproduct of Bakken oil production is often flared as a waste product, frustrating regulators, environmentalists, and conservation-minded energy producers. MTFP’s Long Streets Project turns up an alternative in operation near Sidney: Using it to mine cryptocurrency.
Reporter’s notebook: Getting back to Montana’s Long Streets
MTFP journalist Eric Dietrich on what’s next for the Long Streets economic reporting project — and how you can help with your own two cents.
Multibillion stimulus bill aims to spur Montana into post-COVID prosperity. Here’s what lawmakers want to spend.
House Bill 632 directs a massive influx of cash, equivalent to about $2,800 per Montana resident, toward spending on infrastructure, business support, social services and education — investments that proponents say will help carry Montana into post-COVID prosperity.
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