Columbia Falls council approves pursuing federal grant to fund full-time DUI officer

The Columbia Falls City Council voted to pursue federal and state grant funding to pay for a dedicated DUI enforcement officer, overtime for selective traffic enforcement and equipment and training for the department.

Council members approved a motion to pursue the grant after the police chief described 2024 enforcement activity and the proposed grant package. The chief said the Montana Department of Transportation administers NHTSA funding that fits the city’s highway-safety priorities and that Columbia Falls has participated in the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) since at least 2008.

The nut of the proposal is three parts: a recurring overtime grant (currently $16,000), a one-time equipment and training request of $15,000 and a personnel package the chief said totals $135,262 in wages and benefits for one officer. “We have a significant problem,” the police chief said, noting the department recorded 107 DUI arrests in 2024, investigated 233 collisions and issued about 1,950 traffic citations. The chief said many DUI arrests were from people passing through on U.S. Highway 2 rather than long-term residents.

The council heard that the grant would pay for advanced roadside impaired driving enforcement training for the whole department, equipment (listed by the chief as “PBTs and tent meters” in the discussion) and a drug-recognition expert. The chief said the position would be filled by an existing officer and the department would backfill that officer’s regular slot if the grant funded the specialized assignment.

Council members asked whether the grant is multi-year and about downstream impacts to the court system. The chief and city manager said the grant is awarded annually and must be reapplied for each year; they also said they had discussed caseload impacts with the prosecutor and court, who told them they could handle an increased number of DUI prosecutions. The city manager reiterated that the position is grant-funded and could not continue if the city lost funding in a future year.

Council members also asked when funding would begin; staff said federal fiscal-year award timing means funds would not be available until October if the application is successful. The chief said other Montana agencies — including Flathead County and several city police departments — have used similar grant-funded officers.

After discussion the council moved and seconded a request to pursue the grant. The mayor called for the vote and members signified approval; the motion passed.

The council did not adopt a hiring action at the meeting; staff said the department would only put a grant-funded assignment into effect if the award is received and that the city would follow normal hiring/backfill procedures if the grant is awarded.

Questions remaining in the record included conviction rates and longer-term sustainability if annual grants are not renewed; the chief and city manager said they would provide additional information to council members by email.

The council also discussed unrelated business later in the meeting, including planning and sewer infrastructure items.