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Fergus County opens CDBG public hearing; local groups urge county sponsorship for housing and services
Summary
At a public hearing Aug. 11, Snowy Mountain Development Corp. and Heart of Montana Farm urged Fergus County to sponsor CDBG applications for housing for seniors, people with disabilities and workforce housing; public input will inform which projects the county advances to the Montana Department of Commerce.
Fergus County commissioners opened a public hearing on the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program on Aug. 11, 2025, and heard testimony urging county sponsorship of local housing and community-development projects.
Sarah Hudson, executive director of Snowy Mountain Development Corporation, told commissioners the county lacks adequate housing for vulnerable residents and workforce essential to local businesses. “First and foremost, we are in need of adequate housing for our vulnerable populations for our low and moderate income seniors living on fixed incomes and lows in assisted living facilities,” Hudson said. She urged the county to consider sponsoring projects ready to apply, including Farm in the Vail and Strawberry Road, and flagged complaints about the local solid-waste market that she said is placing burdens on low- and moderate-income residents.
Thomas Peterson, executive director of Heart of Montana Farm in The Dell, asked the county to sponsor a CDBG housing application to build a duplex with eight bedrooms and an on-site workshop and day program for people with developmental disabilities. “If the grant is achieved, we'd pay for the construction of a duplex with 8 bedrooms for individuals with developmental disabilities,” Peterson said, adding the facility would help keep medically fragile individuals in the community.
The county’s CDBG process is competitive and limited: Fergus County may submit a single application in each statutory funding category (economic development, housing, community and public facilities, and planning). Commissioners and staff noted that projects funded with CDBG must principally benefit low- and moderate-income persons and that the county must hold two public hearings as part of its application process.
Next steps: commissioners will consider project proposals and prepare applications; the county will publish notice and hold a second required public hearing before submitting applications to the Montana Department of Commerce.
