Missoula City Council adopts updated housing strategy, rejects amendment to remove ballot option

The Missoula City Council on March 3 adopted an updated housing strategy, "A Place to Call Home 2025," by a 10–1 roll-call vote after rejecting an amendment that would have removed consideration of a ballot initiative as a funding tool.

Councilor Campbell, who cast the lone vote in favor of the amendment, said he supported much of the strategy but opposed elevating a possible citywide bond to a top-ranked action. "I move that we amend action item 1 a under the action paragraph," Campbell said, later adding that the amendment would strike the ballot-initiative language and instead elevate exploration of a voluntary-fee program.

Councilors who opposed the amendment and supported the final strategy emphasized that the document is a staff-facing policy toolbox rather than a directive to immediately seek voter approval for bonding. Councilor Jones said the strategy "keeps our options open and gives direction to staff to look at different tools," and noted that the community would decide whether to pursue any ballot measure.

Housing policy specialist Parker Webb told the council that options considered previously are summarized in the plan's appendix and that state law limits many capitalization tools, leaving the city primarily with a voluntary fee and a possible ballot initiative.

During debate Campbell reiterated concerns that relying on public funding selects private developers as ‘‘winners and losers’’ and urged the council to allow the market opportunities created by recent land-use code changes. Supporters of the strategy said it is a multi-pronged approach and stressed that any bond would require a separate council vote and public approval.

The council voted on the Campbell amendment first; the roll call recorded Campbell as "yes" and ten members (Becerra, Fraske, Jones, Jordan, McCoy, Nelson, Nugent, Ponton, Savage and Cheryl) as "no," and the amendment failed 10–1. On the main motion to adopt the strategy the council again voted 10 in favor and 1 opposed (Campbell), and the president announced the motion carried.

Next steps identified in the strategy include tracking expiring affordable units and beginning work on a voluntary-fee program; staff will use the strategy to prioritize future work and return to council with implementation details as needed.