The Butte-Silver Bow Council on Dec. 23 opened a public hearing on a $200,000 grant awarded by the Montana Main Street program to support redevelopment of the Phoenix Building and voted to place the related council communication on file.

Karen Burns, community development director, told the council the state program selected the Phoenix Building for funds to support redevelopment and reuse of historic downtown properties and that the county has entered into a contract on the building's behalf. Burns said staff needs to create budget authority in the 2025–26 fiscal-year budget so the county can make expenditures as needed.

The hearing drew a proponent who identified only his address as 2000 Roberts Avenue. The commenter praised the contractor working on the Phoenix Building — identified in the record as Custom Construction — for quality work and noted the crew includes local apprentices: “They're all local guys as well, and a lot of them are apprentices,” the commenter said. Chairman Morgan called for opponents three times and, hearing none, closed the public hearing.

After Burns’ report, Commissioner Thatcher moved to place communication 2025-591 on file. The motion was seconded; the clerk recorded the vote as eight yeas and zero nays. The vote was recorded without an individual roll-call of names in the transcript.

The agenda also included several routine communications held for committee follow-up: a request from Patty and Chris Solomonson to purchase a portion of county-owned land adjacent to 17 Tullamore Street (held for the land-sales committee), a similar parcel request from Bill Kelly, a scheduled bid opening for chemicals to serve Butte Silver Bow water and wastewater plants (the transcript lists the bid date as 01/07/1926; council staff and other agenda items indicate this is intended for Jan. 7, 2026), and a request to schedule a public hearing on Jan. 7, 2026, for sole-sourcing Huber materials for the wastewater treatment plant.

The council then took general public comment (a brief holiday greeting from the same 2000 Roberts Avenue commenter) and adjourned.

What happens next: Placing the communication on file does not, by itself, appropriate or expend funds. Burns told the council staff must create budget authority in the 2025–26 budget to allow spending of the Main Street grant; the transcript does not record formal adoption of that budget authority or a final acceptance vote on the grant during this meeting.