Colstrip council adopts growth-policy resolution, opens 30-day public comment period

The Colstrip City Council voted July 8 to adopt Resolution 2025R08, beginning a 30-day public comment period on an updated city growth policy and scheduling a public hearing for Aug. 26.

The resolution was presented as an intent to adopt the growth policy after the planning board and city staff finished drafting the document. Council members raised a handful of editorial and mapping concerns during discussion, including differences between two park map pages and a few typographical items that the planning board said could be addressed during the comment period.

Joan Verlani, a planning-board participant, said the maps on pages 22 and 23 contain different information that could be usefully combined and that suggestions should be submitted through the planning-board email address so the board can consolidate changes. "There's far less cookie cutter and far more meat and potatoes of what is actually Colstrip," Verlani said, praising the consultant for producing a clearer, more readable draft.

The council also discussed how the draft will be distributed. Staff confirmed printed copies will be available at city hall. The mayor noted that the growth policy "goes on record with the Department of Commerce" and called the document a necessary tool for pursuing funding opportunities.

During the vote, the clerk recorded Council member Dudley as voting "aye," Council member Kutser as voting "no," and Council member Rosander as voting "aye." The mayor declared Resolution 2025R08 approved and said the city will follow the timeline set out in the resolution: a 30-day public comment period followed by the scheduled public hearing on Aug. 26 and then a council decision on final adoption.

Councilors and planning-board members urged residents to review the draft and to submit suggested changes during the comment period so the board can address them ahead of the public hearing.