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County extends one-year contract with Missoula Downtown Foundation to fund museum staff hours
Summary
Missoula County approved a one-year contract extension with the Missoula Downtown Foundation to cover roughly 10 hours per week of wages for a museum education assistant, funded at $2,500 per quarter to maintain a 40-hour county position (Austin Haney).
The Missoula County Board approved a one-year contract extension with the Missoula Downtown Foundation to pay for 10 hours per week of a county museum education assistant’s time, allowing the position to remain a 40-hour county job.
A county staff member who presented the request said the museum hired the education assistant in April 2024 as a 30-hour position; the Downtown Foundation agreed to contribute funds so the county could expand the position to 40 hours per week. The foundation’s payment covers the additional 10 hours and is billed quarterly at $2,500.
The staff presenter said the arrangement benefits employee retention and supports the foundation’s Unseen tours program: the education assistant, Austin Haney, conducts tours, refines tour scripts, performs research and did inventory work for the Hammond Arcade space while it was available. The county described the contract as a year-by-year agreement; the first year “went pretty well,” and the extension covers the coming year.
A commissioner moved to approve the contract; the motion was seconded and the board voted in favor.
The contract, as described in the meeting, is a pass-through of wages: the county employs the education assistant as a full-time county employee and invoices the Downtown Foundation quarterly. The county presenter said the arrangement may be re-evaluated annually depending on the Downtown Foundation’s needs.
No amendments to the contract terms or disagreements were recorded in the meeting discussion.
