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Missoula County signs support letter for CSKT spending request; staff oppose TIF change and an elections consolidation bill
Summary
Missoula County attendees signed a letter supporting CSKT’s congressionally directed spending request for a recreation yard at a detention facility and discussed state legislation, including opposition messaging for Senate Bill 2 and concerns about an elections bill that would move municipal elections to even years.
Missoula County attendees signed a letter supporting the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ (CSKT) congressionally directed spending request to Senator Sheehy for creation of a recreation yard at a tribal detention facility, and county staff flagged two state bills they plan to oppose or monitor.
The letter of support for CSKT’s request was presented during the meeting and was signed by attendees; the amount requested was not specified. County staff said the measure is intended to ensure adequate recreation facilities at the tribal facility when it is housing inmates.
County staff then outlined two pieces of legislation the county is tracking. The first, Senate Bill 2, is described by staff as a tax increment financing (TIF) change sponsored by Senator Hertz that would prevent newly created taxable value inside a TIF or urban renewal district from becoming part of the general taxable base when the TIF expires. County staff said Missoula County is messaging opposition to that bill. Staff summarized proponents’ argument that the measure preserves service funding and an opposing argument that eliminating the post‑TIF taxable value would reduce the revenue that would otherwise flow to local taxing jurisdictions.
The second bill staff discussed — identified in the meeting transcript as “house bill 2 21” and described as an elections bill — would combine municipal elections with county elections by moving odd‑year municipal contests to even‑year ballots. County staff said they are primarily opposing the elections bill because it would create more ballot styles and longer ballots, which staff worry would extend counting times and increase the risk of human error. Staff cited the recent federal election as an example, noting election personnel worked continuous shifts and the count took more than 48 hours; they said adding pages to ballots could lengthen that process.
No formal vote was recorded on either state bill during the meeting; staff characterized the county’s role as monitoring and messaging positions to the state legislature. Staff also reported the county is tracking roughly 105 bills that are moving in a favorable direction and about 62–65 bills that are not; they said the legislature’s activity will increase in the coming days and that there was “one more on Thursday” to watch.
On routine business, the meeting approved the consent agenda, which contained two items, by voice vote. Attendees also confirmed they signed the CSKT support letter during the meeting. No dollar amounts for the CSKT request or the consent‑agenda items were specified during the discussion.
County staff said they will continue to monitor the bills and provide updates as the legislature moves them through committee and floor action. The county did not record any additional formal actions or votes on the state bills at this meeting.
