Commissioners concur with city to spend $112,700 on Tip Clark Fork River open‑space purchase

Missoula County commissioners on Oct. 5 voted to concur with the City of Missoula’s approval to expend up to $112,700 from the 2006 and 2018 open‑space bond funds toward a fee‑simple acquisition of roughly 16.5 acres along the Tip Clark Fork River.

City staff member Jenny Zaso told commissioners the request covers only the city’s portion of funding; the county’s open‑space bond funds are not being used. “This is a city open space bond project coming from a combined, for a combined total from both 2006 and 2018 bonds,” Zaso said. She said the funds would apply to the fee‑simple acquisition and associated due diligence costs for the property.

Zaso and other speakers described the parcel as adjacent to the city and consistent with the ballot language for both bonds and with the interlocal agreement that defines which projects are city, county or joint responsibilities. Commissioners discussed that the interlocal, not city limits, determines which open‑space projects qualify for the city’s bond funds; one commissioner said that the parcel is “squarely a 100% within the city's area.”

During discussion, a councilmember’s earlier remarks about future recreational uses were referenced: the city may develop river‑access recreation such as onshore programming and beginner mountain‑biking features that would be reachable from the river but not by road. The meeting record shows the city council had adopted a city approval resolution and open‑space act designation for the parcel; the county vote was to concur with the city’s action.

A motion to concur with the city’s expenditure was made, seconded and approved by voice vote.