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Uptown Butte BID presents $238,000 assessment and $135,000 in grants for 2026 projects
Summary
Shanna Adams presented the Uptown Butte Business Improvement District’s 2026 work plan to commissioners on Feb. 25, citing about $238,000 in assessments and $135,000 in awarded grants for wayfinding, website, snow removal, garbage‑can program and facade work; commissioners asked procurement and funding questions.
Shanna Adams, chair of the Uptown Butte Business Improvement District, presented the BID’s history, master‑plan origins and its 2026 budget to the Butte‑Silver Bow commission on Feb. 25.
Adams told commissioners the BID assessment total for 2026 is about $238,000 and the board has already secured about $135,000 in grants and other funds. "We're working really hard to make sure we use those tax dollars efficiently and effectively, but also leverage them into other dollars," Adams said. She described ongoing projects including a redesigned website and event calendar, wayfinding signs, an RFP‑driven snow‑removal contract for sidewalks (trigger: one inch), 10 new garbage cans equipped with QR codes to report full cans, and facade improvement planning.
Adams outlined the district’s formation: a master‑plan process beginning in 2020, adoption into the comprehensive plan in 2022, and a 2024 petition in which 60 percent of property owners agreed to form the BID. She said the district was authorized by county resolution and ordinance and that a board of property owners plus a Northwest Energy representative was established.
Commissioners asked follow‑up questions about matching funds and procurement. Commissioner Callahan asked whether the BID had leveraged assessments for matching grants; Adams said $135,000 was already raised and more was in progress. Commissioner Thatcher asked where RFPs are posted; Adams said the snow‑removal RFP was posted through the county’s website and BID procurement follows county rules. Commissioner O'Leary asked about maintenance and who empties garbage cans; Chief Executive Gallagher said the URA placed some cans and county staff, supplemented by a contractor (McGree), perform pickups and that Parks and Rec can assist during busy events.
Adams said larger streetscaping projects (bulb‑outs, lane reconfiguration) will require coordination and funding with the URA, the county and Montana Department of Transportation.
Next steps: Adams invited property owners and residents to a BID community meeting at 5:30 p.m. April 9 at the Elks to review plans and collect feedback. Communication 2026‑85 was placed on file by a unanimous commission vote; further coordination between the BID, Public Works, the URA and county procurement staff was indicated in discussion.
