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Lands department seeks new Open Lands specialist FTE to manage bond funds, stewardship and a small-ag conservation pilot
Summary
Missoula County Lands, Culture and Recreation staff requested a $99,532 FY26 budget enhancement to add one Open Lands specialist FTE, doubling the Open Lands team from one to two and supporting bond-fund administration, the Open Land Citizen Advisory Committee, grant coordination and a proposed small agricultural land-conservation pilot.
Missoula County Lands, Culture and Recreation staff asked commissioners to fund an Open Lands specialist FTE at a proposed FY26 cost of $99,532 to expand the county's capacity to administer open-space bond funds, coordinate stewardship and take initial steps on a small agricultural land-conservation pilot.
Staff described the Open Lands program's core duties: administration of 2006 and 2018 Open Space Bond funds including pre-application consultation, post-approval management and reimbursement coordination; support for the Open Lands Citizen Advisory Committee and its site tours and awards; and assistance on land acquisitions and easements, including recent work on the Marshall Mountain Park acquisition. The presenter said the division currently has one staff member (Jenny) and that adding a second FTE would provide sustainable coverage for routine work and enable program growth.
Planned program growth includes a small-ag land protection pilot, county-wide open-space planning tied to the county comprehensive plan, and continued grant-seeking and grant administration for natural-resource projects (staff cited prior work with Trout Unlimited and Nine Mile Creek reclamation as examples). Staff said the small-ag pilot is at a stage where partner outreach and sequencing can begin but emphasized it may become resource intensive and recommended piloting with partners and external stewardship contractors as needed.
Discussion versus formal action: the $99,532 figure was presented as the cost for the requested single FTE; commissioners did not vote on the request and it will be considered during the FY26 budget process.
Ending: staff asked the board to consider the capacity-building request during budget deliberations and said an additional specialist would reduce the risk that multiple time-sensitive projects would bottleneck on a single employee.
