Politics & Government

Missoula County Government: Missoula County Weekly: March 14-18

This second hearing will give everyone plenty of time to comment and allow the board to thoroughly consider the proposed code. All are w ...

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Press Release Desk, News Partner
(Missoula County Government)

Press release from the Missoula County Government:

03/14/2022 4:00 PM

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

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    This second hearing will give everyone plenty of time to comment and allow the board to thoroughly consider the proposed code.

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

    All are welcome to review and comment on the draft online at www.mczoningupdate.com prior to the second public hearing with the Missoula County Planning Board at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 15.

    Join the meeting

    The Missoula County commissioners voted at their March 10 public meeting to place a to place a four-mill Missoula Aging Services levy on the June 7 primary election ballot. This will provide the voters a chance to consider a request for funding to meet a demand in services as the population of older adults continues to grow. The population of older adults has grown 40% from 2010 to 2019. The county commissioners established MAS in 1982. The proposed ballot language is:

    Shall Missoula County be authorized to replace the current flat annual funding of $350,000 with a permanent levy of four (4) mills to fund services for the county elderly population? The increased revenue will avoid a reduction of local services to older adults in the county provided by Missoula Aging Services. The fiscal impact on a home having a taxable value of $100,000 is estimated to be $3.69 each year of the levy and $7.38 on a home having a taxable value of $200,000.

    Watch the full meeting

    The Missoula Valley of Western Montana will once again come alive with timber sports events from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 30. Come watch and celebrate the skill of those who work in the time-honored tradition of logging with the only pro/amateur event in the nation. Events include cross-cut sawing, wood chopping, pole climbing, axe throwing, log rolling and Hot Saws.

    Read more

    Listen to the full episode at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1846183/10213347.

    Partnership Health Center’s Executive Director Laurie Francis joins the commissioners to share how PHC addresses systemic barriers to good health and well-being by partnering with people most impacted by health inequalities, connecting with community organizations and incubating new programs grounded in emerging, evidence-based best practices.

    She shares how PHC builds teams around patient priorities, recognizing that the patient is the expert about their needs, and the medical team is there to support and help guide them on their wellness journey.

    She also highlights the new mobile Community Care Team and how everyone is welcome at PHC regardless of their ability to pay. Missoula County’s community health center provides services at seven sites offering medical, dental, integrated behavioral health, pharmacy, specialty services, housing support, legal support and social work.

    With over 20 years of experience working in community health, Laurie shares how she stays positive, areas of healthcare she believes America could improve and why her team loves the work they do.

    PHC won the 2021 Best of Missoula: Best Health Care Provider award and serves approximately 16,000 Missoula County residents. Learn more at  https://www.partnershiphealthcenter.com/.

    Missoula County employees are working hard for you!  

    Todd Seib, Water Quality Specialist, Missoula Valley Water Quality District

    “I’m a water quality specialist with the Missoula Valley Water Quality District. I’ve been with the district since 2017, and before that served as a city-county health inspector for seven years. I feel lucky to be on a team that works to prevent water pollution in Missoula. Prevention efforts can mean visiting schools and events to talk about our aquifer, answering questions from the public about proper household hazardous waste disposal and inspecting businesses that store hazardous materials. I like to think of myself as a water quality consultant when assessing the storage and handling practices at our local businesses. It’s very rewarding to help facility operators identify and implement solutions to keep spills from reaching our water sources.

    Of course, accidents and mistakes do happen, and I also respond to complaints from the public about spills and environmental releases of fuel, motor oil, paint, sediment, animal waste and others that have or could have the potential to impact our groundwater or rivers. Sometimes these releases are large and require an emergency response and our assistance is requested through the 9-1-1 dispatch center.

    Our community has seen adverse environmental impacts, and I enjoy acting as a resource to the community and state on various state and federal superfund sites (like Burlington Northern and Smurfit-Stone). Advocating for thorough assessment and clean-up to protect our water resources for future generations is both important and rewarding. This is also why reviewing state and local regulations, writing regulations and advocating for more protective water quality requirements is a very enjoyable part of the work we do. Prevention is so much more effective than reacting to an environmental release, and establishing standards that set the community up for success is time well spent for me.

    We work to prevent future water quality problems and react to past problems, but we also conduct research to investigate our local water quality trends. We test for suspected contributors of pollution, be it microplastic, chlorides or potential septic leaks. I also assist the County by monitoring the storm water system for pollutants that can be generated when it rains.

    I’m honored to collaborate with so many hard-working county and city staff committed to making Missoula the great place it is! When I am not working, I enjoy cooking and eating good food, making things out of wood, sitting around campfires and making to-do lists!”

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

    Missoula Co Fairgrounds officials propose rental availability
    Missoula officials discuss future of Smurfit-Stone cleanup
    Missoula Aging Services to ask voters for mill levy amid surge in demand

    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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