Missoula County outlines public-safety facilities, growth planning and open-space purchases while flagging election and budget pressures

Missoula County Commissioner Jean Curtiss told a Chamber of Commerce audience in Feb. 2008 that the county is planning a new public-safety building and a regional operations and training center while continuing open-space acquisitions funded by a voter-approved bond.

Curtiss said those projects come as county leaders monitor an economic slowdown and prepare for tighter budgets and busy election seasons. "We maintain a 12% cash reserve for the general fund budget, 8% for the public safety ... and 5% in all of our other accounts," Curtiss said as she described the county's fiscal approach.

The plan for a new public-safety complex would use county-owned land between Broadway and the existing detention center and would house the sheriff's department, the 9-1-1 dispatch center and emergency operations, Curtiss said. She described the existing dispatch space as inadequate, with a need for more dispatch seats and room for regional training.

The county is also pursuing economic development work around the Bonner mill site. Curtiss said the county and partners submitted a regional economic development strategy (SEDS) to the U.S. Economic Development Administration and are preparing a grant application to study options for the portion of the Bonner site vacated after a plywood mill closure. "Stimson Lumber has indicated a willingness to work with us on this project," Curtiss said, noting the site's rail access, highway frontage and industrial zoning.

Curtiss reviewed the county's recent open-space work under an intergovernmental open-space bond voters approved in 2006. The $10,000,000 bond, she said, passed with roughly 70 percent of votes in favor and has funded several projects including Sunset Hill, Hayes Ranch, Cooney Creek, Iverson Ranch and the Beck Homestead; some properties permit limited public access while others protect agricultural and wildlife values.

On elections, Curtiss described successes and operational pressures tied to expanded mail-in balloting and upcoming overlapping contests. She credited elections staff and managers for a transparent process and noted additional security and handling procedures now required after ballots are tallied. Curtiss warned that overlapping mailings and same-day registration near primary and school ballots will strain staff and require public attention to correct envelope use and timing.

Curtiss also detailed county services and program risks: the Scribe Victim Advocate office served 829 victims of violent crime in the prior six months, she said, and that program faces funding shortfalls as federal grants shift. She described the county's new Reverse 9-1-1 automated calling system as operational and noted unbudgeted wildfire labor costs of about $335,000 with reimbursement expected (Curtiss cited an expected reimbursement figure of approximately $281,002.74). Curtiss encouraged residents to register early, follow ballot instructions and participate in local planning work on growth and infrastructure.

Discussion vs. decisions: Curtiss described completed and voter-approved actions (the $10 million open-space bond and the county's cash-reserve policy) and reported allocations already set aside (she said the county has set aside $4,000,000 toward a public-safety operations and training center). Other items remain active planning efforts or grant applications (the Bonner mill EDA grant application and the submission of the SEDS to Denver), and Curtiss outlined next steps for UFDA (Urban Fringe Development Area) public engagement and growth-allocation scenarios.

Curtiss opened the address by thanking the Chamber and volunteers and closed by urging public involvement in growth policy and emergency planning.