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Missoula County approves extra TIF funds to add ambulance bay at Bonner Mill station
Summary
The Board approved an additional $163,856.27 in Bonner Mill TIF funds to reimburse construction costs for an ambulance bay at Missoula Rural Fire District Station 4 after bids exceeded estimates; staff said the district retains over $1 million for future projects and that the request meets state and local TIF rules.
The Missoula County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved an additional $163,856.27 from the Bonner Mill tax increment financing (TIF) district to reimburse Missoula Rural Fire District for construction of an ambulance bay at Station 4.
County staff told commissioners that bids for the project came in well above the earlier cost estimate, with the lowest construction bid at $399,359—$163,856 higher than estimated. Staff reported the Bonner Mill TIF district currently has roughly $1.63 million in cash on hand, estimated annual revenues just under $600,000, annual expenses around $427,000 and a required debt-service reserve of approximately $310,000, leaving roughly $1.4 million available after reserves. The total project cost was stated as $446,150.
Staff said the request complies with governing documents, the Bonner Mill comprehensive development plan and Missoula County growth policy, and cited "MCA 715.4288" in the staff report as authorization for the use of TIF funds. The county also said the Missoula Development Authority board had reviewed the proposal and asked questions about why the original estimate differed from construction bids; project partners attributed the discrepancy to volatile materials and labor pricing and pledged a follow-up report to the MDA.
Paul Findlay of Missoula Rural Fire and Mark Stelling of MMW Architects attended to answer questions about costs; Stelling described cost escalation in the construction market and said the firm will prepare additional documentation for the MDA.
Commissioner (speaker 6) moved to approve the reimbursement request, the motion was seconded and the board voted aye. The county indicated the Bonner Mill TIF fund would still retain funds for other projects after reimbursement.
The zoning compliance review for the same ambulance-bay addition was presented separately to the board by Patrick Swart of Planning, Development and Sustainability, who noted the property is zoned Industrial Center Heavy, that the proposed addition will encroach to a 19.29-foot setback where 25 feet is normally required, and that the project qualifies under state statute (identified in the staff presentation as "76 2 4 0 2 of Montana Code Annotated") to be processed through a public forum. Swart also noted notifications and agency comments, including a recommendation from Montana Department of Transportation for a turning-movement analysis. Staff said no public comments on zoning were received by the county before the meeting.
The board recorded approval of the TIF funding motion. No roll-call vote tally by name is recorded in the transcript.
