Staff reports: Big Mountain annexation work underway; city wins cybersecurity and wildfire planning grants

City staff provided updates on planning work for a potential annexation of the Big Mountain Resort Area District and reported several grant awards during the Jan. 6 meeting.

Dana said staff and consultants are working on agreements to determine which properties would be included in the annexation and that the city's GIS technician and planning staff are identifying parcels. She said staff will develop a plan for how the annexation would proceed, including extension-of-service plans and coordination with local entities. Dana noted the annexation involves existing sewer and fire districts that the city would need to address and that some properties may be exempt from annexation; she said staff expects to provide the council an update in the spring.

Dana said staff are considering a temporary working group of elected officials to help with discussions involving the fire and sewer districts and coordination with other boards, but she did not commit to a standing committee.

Dana also reported grant activity from the IT department: staff applied for four grants and received two, one to help cover the city's "know before" software subscription (employee cybersecurity training) and another to support cybersecurity training for IT staff. Separately, the Montana Department of Commerce has authorized $25,000 in funding to assist the city with the community wildfire protection plan in relation to Senate Bill 382; Dana said the department has consultants they could provide to help accelerate that work.

Councilors and staff discussed how annexation work will interact with the growth-policy update and that additional detail and mapping are required before integration into the policy process. Dana said she expects the council to see more detailed plans in the spring once property boundaries and service-extension details are better defined.