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Council hears downtown (Higgins) safety concerns and approves consent agenda including hearings on tree fees and housing grants
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Summary
Business owners and residents raised concerns about the Downtown Safety, Access and Mobility (Higgins) project and potential shifts of federally funded elements to local MRA/TIF spending; the council approved the consent agenda (voice vote) including accounts payable, two May 11 public hearings and an appointment to the Historic Preservation Commission.
Residents and business owners pressed Missoula city leaders on April 27 for clarity about the Downtown Safety, Access and Mobility project and the role of the Missoula Redevelopment Agency in covering shortfalls, while the City Council unanimously approved a short consent agenda.
"Anytime the safety access and mobility for cyclists project comes up, I feel this deep sense of grief," said Danielle Petri, who identified herself as a downtown business owner. Petri told council members she has reviewed prior council recordings and said some elements originally described as funded by the federal grant—lighting, intersection treatments and accessible sidewalks—had been reassigned and might now be paid for with local tax dollars administered through the MRA. "The public works openly admitted they're vastly underfunded for this project and that they will be asking the MRA to provide additional funding on top of the $1,000,000 the MRA has already contributed," Petri said.
Councilor Chris Jones emphasized that the project team has engaged widely and invited the public to an open house the next day at the Florence Building from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. "So many, many hours have gone into this," Jones said, urging residents to attend and review designs.
Carrie Schreiber raised broader questions about MRA expenditures and presented a slide she said was from the Local Government Academy, arguing the MRA's share appeared large relative to some municipal departments. Council President Nugent and other councilors responded that MRA revenues and expenditures function differently from annual department budgets because tax‑increment revenues are banked for multi‑year projects and may involve bonding for infrastructure.
On the consent agenda, Miss Trimble presented the items that the council considered. The council took a voice vote; multiple council members said "Aye," and the consent agenda passed unanimously. Items listed included approval of accounts payable claims totaling $4,217,690.46; setting public hearings for May 11 on a $1,025 per-tree right‑of‑way mitigation fee and on the City's 2026 Unified Application awarding HOME‑ARP, HOME and CDBG funds and authorizing staff to negotiate contracts; and appointment of Sophia Etier as an at‑large regular member of the Historic Preservation Commission through Dec. 31, 2028.
Councilors did not debate or amend those items on the floor; public comment on the tree fee elicited a brief clarification from Mayor Andrea Davis that the fee is designed to cover planting and two years of aftercare. The council adjourned at 6:52 p.m.
