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Committee hears $5 million bill to help communities repair public pools
Summary
Rep. Paul Tuss told lawmakers his bill would create a $5 million swimming‑pool rehabilitation grant program administered by the Department of Commerce; Commerce testified it lacks sufficient staff and opposed the bill unless more administrative funding is provided.
Representative Paul Tuss, sponsor of House Bill 313, told the House Appropriations Committee the bill would create a $5,000,000 swimming pool rehabilitation program to be administered by the Montana Department of Commerce.
"This is a $5,000,000 bill," Rep. Paul Tuss said, and he described the program as one‑time funding spread over the next two biennia. The bill sets a maximum grant of $500,000, a likely average award of about $100,000, and requires a 1‑to‑5 local match for grants of $25,000 or more. The sponsor said up to 3 percent of the appropriation could be used for administrative costs; he proposed an amendment to remove that 3 percent and put the funds back into grants.
Mandy Rambo, Deputy Director (acting) at the Department of Commerce, testified as an opponent on the fiscal note. She said Commerce hires one‑time staff for one‑time projects, those positions have end dates, and reallocating existing staff would harm the agency’s other programs. "We would ask, that this bill does not move forward, because we do think that it would have a negative impact on the other programs that commerce already has to run with the FTE that we currently have," Rambo said.
Proponents included an attorney representing the City of Billings, who said the city would likely seek funding for South Park Pool, and Jennifer Olson, government affairs director for the Montana League of Cities and Towns, who supported the bill’s match requirement and the sponsor’s proposed amendment to maximize dollars going to pools.
Committee members questioned Commerce on how it would prioritize grants; Commerce said guidelines (not formal rulemaking) would likely evaluate local capacity to maintain infrastructure, required matches, and geographic distribution to reach communities across the state. The sponsor emphasized the bill targets brick‑and‑mortar repairs rather than operating costs.
The hearing closed with the sponsor recommending approval; no executive action occurred during this session.
