Museum staff presented the department’s FY2026 budget and two capital improvement project requests to the commission on June 12, and described a pending state grant that could provide significant funding for building improvements.

Mark, the museum presenter, said the museum protects county collections and that donated items ‘‘become county property, with certain restrictions’’ and therefore require long‑term care. He described two CIP requests the museum submitted: plumbing and hot‑water system upgrades to remove lead and improve reliability, and replacement of the back lot asphalt, which staff said had degraded to mud and limited outdoor programming.

Grant opportunity: Mark and county staff told the commission the museum applied (through the Gateway Museum Foundation) for a Montana Historic Preservation grant worth $500,000; the county pledged about $50,000 as a local match and is listed as a finalist. The museum’s presenter said that if the state award is approved through the legislative process, the county pledge and the foundation’s fundraising would leverage a substantially larger project. The grant outcome remains contingent on the state budget process.

Operating notes and donation: museum staff reported the department has built modest cash reserves through conservative spending and fundraising; the Gateway Museum Foundation covers roughly two‑thirds of one staff salary, pays interns and underwrites programs. A local donor has offered to fund replacement of eight end‑of‑life computers for the museum through the foundation; if the donated machines become county property the county will record an offsetting revenue and expenditure.

Next steps: staff asked the commission to retain the museum’s CIP requests in the draft budget pending the grant outcome; commissioners discussed whether to keep $48,000 in CIP authorization available as a flexible match for grant opportunities.