Commissioners press Department of Commerce over tourism and emergency grant awards

Commissioners raised formal complaints about how a recent tourism/emergency grant round was administered after several eastern Montana communities received significant awards while Treasure County’s application was rejected.

Jim Atkinson of Southeastern Montana Development reviewed regional grant impacts and noted the county’s frustration that the statewide grant pot was reported as $750,000 but ultimately produced $1.4 million in awards, with eastern Montana communities receiving several large grants. Multiple commissioners said they were told to remain “respectful” when contacting the Department of Commerce but nonetheless pressed for clearer justification about how awards were prioritized.

The board organized its approach for an upcoming coal‑board/cohort meeting: they will present short, targeted remarks and submit written letters from the volunteer fire department and other local partners documenting public‑safety impacts, traffic counts, and the urgency for a combined fire-hall and infrastructure project. Julie (Southeastern Montana Development) and county staff agreed to keep presentations concise (about six minutes) and to emphasize the public-safety and transport impacts in the application narrative rather than recreational benefits.

Commissioners asked staff to continue coordinating with their regional development partner to press for feedback from Commerce on rejected applications and to use the January cohort meeting as an opportunity to show local need and readiness to proceed with projects if awarded funding.