Politics & Government

Missoula County Government: Missoula County Weekly: Jan. 31-Feb. 4

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Press Release Desk, News Partner
(Missoula County Government)

Press release from the Missoula County Government:

01/31/2022 4:17 PM

Find out what's happening in Missoulafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

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    COVID-19 testing and vaccine appointments with the Health Department are located at 3665 W. Broadway. Vaccines are available for anyone age 5+. Visit missoulainfo.com to schedule an appointment.

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    Find out what's happening in Missoulafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

    Free COVID-19 testing kits distributed in Missoula

    The Missoula County Office of Emergency Management hosted a drive-thru event over the weekend — along with partnering community members — to distribute part of the 650,000 at-home kits that Gov. Greg Gianforte ordered for the state.

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    Following a nationwide search, the Missoula City-County Library Board will consider three finalists for executive library director to replace outgoing Library Director Honore Bray when she retires later this year.

    Each of the finalists will participate in a public forum this week from 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2, Thursday, Feb. 3 and Friday, Feb. 4. The interviews will be conducted via Teams and will be open to the public. The board will take public comment following the final interview, and residents can also submit comment ahead of time be emailing Karen Harrison, Missoula County Human Resources Director, at kharrison@missoulacounty.us.

    A schedule of the public meetings and information on how to join via Teams will be available online at www.missoulapubliclibrary.org/library-director-transition/

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    Human trafficking is a challenging topic to bring up with your friends and family, but for the sake of victims and survivors, it is necessary for prevention and community awareness. Our local law enforcement proactively respond to commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking. The long-term vision within local and state government is fully committed to this fight.

    Partnering with non-governmental organizations and statewide task forces has been a proven necessity. We've witnessed this in the 1-833-406-STOP number created by the Lifeguard Group to the invaluable, culturally-relevant healing Missoula Project Beacon provides to Indigenous survivors. Additional local services include the YWCA Missoula 24-hour crisis line: (406) 542-1944 or 1-800-483-7858, First Step Resource Center, the Student Advocacy Resource Center at the University of Montana and the Crime Victim Advocate Program through Missoula City-County Relationship Violence Services.

    Through awareness and preventive measures, we find strength for protection and victims services as well as prosecution and law enforcement. Please take the time to listen to some of these local voices and task yourself with visiting www.missoulahumantrafficking.com to learn more about the depth of our team. Missoula County is strong, and with your help we just get better.

    Tip of the Spear: Missoula Project Beacon empowering people beyond human trafficking
    Tip of the Spear: Human trafficking can happen to anyone

    Listen to the full episode online or on Spotify, Stitcher or Apple Podcasts. 

    The Missoula County Commissioners are the regulatory authority who often make the final decision on public and private land-use proposals, and many factors weigh in on their final action.

    Addressing the housing crisis seen nationally and locally is not a one-size-fits-all solution but a recipe with multiple ingredients, which include careful thought, public input, consideration of both a community and broad perspective and, for Missoula County, a new zoning code update, a new housing plan and smart use of public land.

    Recently, the commissioners considered two land proposals related to housing. The public process of the proposals highlighted the importance and growing need for more affordable housing units in Missoula County. In this episode, the commissioners talk through some of the elements that go into their decision-making and factors they consider while talking with the communities their final action impacts. 

    Missoula County invites public input on the newly published zoning code draft. Community and Planning Services staff will present the updated draft virtually during the first public hearing at the Missoula Consolidated Planning Board meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 1. 

    To view the proposed draft, provide comments and to find additional meeting information, people can visit www.mczoningupdate.com. While staff have already incorporated many changes into the zoning code based on the hundreds of comments received this past year, additional feedback is encouraged prior to the public hearing.

    The newly adopted Housing Action Plan: Breaking Ground, is available online at  missoula.co/housing. The County developed the plan in response to the rapidly evolving housing market in the County and the growing population that has created an undersupply of housing at all price points.

    Missoula County employees are working hard for you! 

    Abbie Kalemba, vaccinator, Missoula City-County Health Department

    I’m a registered nurse working as a vaccinator for the Missoula City-County Health Department. I’ve been part of the vaccination response since March 2021. When I was hired for this positions, hundreds of people, even thousands during some weeks, were lining up to receive their first and second vaccines. I saw this as an opportunity to use my clinical nursing skills to make a difference for our community during a time when so many of us felt helpless. I wanted to help any way I could.

    My job is pretty straight-forward. I help educate people about COVID-19 vaccines, try to answer their questions and provide information about their concerns and administer shots. I work with an amazing team of medical professionals ranging from medical doctors, EMTs, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, pharmacists and physician assistants.

    Our team takes pride in making our community safer against the risks of COVID. I hope that by immunizing our community, we are supporting our exhausted, hard-working medical colleagues who are actively caring for people sick with COVID in the hospitals and clinics. I believe it takes a village to take on something as big as the COVID pandemic. I am happy to be a part of this dedicated community.

     Find more events this week on the County’s Event Calendar! 

    Missoula County taking aim at affordable housing 
    Missoula County pushes ahead with overhaul of zoning policy
    New overflow parking lot to be built near popular East Missoula river access site
    Missoula County to recruit more than 600 election judges

    To join commissioner department, administrative and public meetings via Microsoft Teams and view the agendas, visit the Missoula County Commissioners’ Meeting Minutes and Agenda Portal. Please note that agendas for department and administrative meetings are published two business days before the meeting, and public meeting agendas are published the Friday before the meeting. Administrative and public meeting video recordings are available on the Missoula County YouTube page after the meeting, and MCAT plays the public meetings live on their Spectrum Channel 190. Email bcc@missoulacounty.us or call 406-258-4877 if you have any questions or comments on an upcoming meeting. 

    This press release was produced by the Missoula County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.

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