Revenue and Taxes

I share the concern of many Missoulians who feel their property taxes have increased to the point where they fear they can no longer afford to live in Missoula. The City Council must remain mindful of this concern when considering changes to the budget that would impact property taxes. A balanced budget must also invest in basic services and institutions like the firefighters, police force, public safety, and infrastructure. 

 

You can read my article "We need tax reform now!" in the Missoulian where I talk about diversifying our tax base, and the need to update the tax code by clicking HERE. 

​

Housing
There is no denying that we are in the midst of an affordable housing crisis and we need to tackle this on all fronts, across all sectors of our community, both public and private. There is no single approach or silver bullet that will solve this complex situation. However, we are making great progress.
 

During my first term on Council, we adopted an affordable housing road map with our City-Wide housing policy “A Place to Call Home.”  This takes a comprehensive look at our current housing situation and begins to lay out steps we need to take to address the lack of affordable housing.  Many of those steps have already begun.  We created an Affordable Housing Trust Fund and the subsequent Citizen Oversight Committee, which aims to draw a broad coalition of individuals and community partners to advise on strategic investments.  This is a first of a kind program in Montana.  Find out more about our City Wide Housing Policy “A Place to Call Home” by clicking HERE. Find out more about our Affordable Housing Trust Fund HERE.

​

We partnered with Missoula County and Blue Line Development to build the Trinity Projects, which just broke ground.  The Trinity Project is two workforce housing projects with 170 affordable housing units.  It will be available to Missoulians making less than 60% of area median income. You can learn more about the Trinity Housing Project by clicking HERE.

​

The City partnered with Missoula Redevelopment Agency to purchase a parcel of land off Scott Street.  We then partnered with local investors to develop an innovative housing project that has a mix of permanently affordable housing and market rate housing. Find out more about the Scott Street Project HERE. 

​

Missoula is a welcoming and beautiful community and we must ensure that everyone can afford to live here. 

 

Homelessness

Similar to addressing affordable housing, we are working on a broad multi-sector approach to address homelessness.  The COVID pandemic has exacerbated many of the struggles our community was facing. 

 

We recently partnered with Missoula County to create an incident command team to find additional locations for Temporary Safe Outdoor Shelters.  These Safe Shelters are locations with more infrastructure and wrap-around services.  We are partnering with our local nonprofit community to provide an Emergency Winter Shelter for those most vulnerable members of the community during the winter months.  These are temporary solutions to get through this time where the Poverello Center is following CDC guidelines to operate at less than half capacity.

 

In addition to the Trinity Project’s 170 affordable housing units, they will also have another 30 units of  low barrier permanent supportive housing.  Additionally, their Navigation Center allows for our nonprofit community partners to co-locate and organize more streamlined services. 

 

We will soon have 400 affordable housing units with the Trinity Housing Project and the Villagio Housing Project. In the meantime, we are working hard to find immediate solutions for the unhoused in our community, while at the same time putting in place more suitable long term solutions. To find out more about the Safe Shelter Programs click HERE.

​

​

Balancing Increased Growth

Responsible growth in Missoula County is one of the most pressing issues.  Growth puts pressure on all sectors.  A key challenge is balancing long-term needs and immediate demands.  An example is continuing environmental stormwater regulations protecting our creeks and streams while also balancing demand for more subdivision permits.  Another important piece is investing in our transportation networks and encouraging higher density infill development.  That provides new opportunities for Missoulians to need individual car trips. 
 

I think the approach to managing growth should be a collaborative process with the larger community and developers.  We have zoning codes, our growth plans, and state law to guide that process.  We need to balance meeting current economic conditions, community expectations, and quality of life with public health and safety.  
 

In the coming month we will be working with the larger Missoula Community to update our growth policy.  Find out more about that process HERE. 

​

​

Environmental Policy

Montana’s Constitution is one of the most progressive in the country, and ensures we have the right to a clean and healthy environment. Due to the lack of leadership at the state level, it is now more important than ever for local leaders to address environmental concerns.  Missoula can be that leader for innovative climate solutions. 

Missoula has been a leader in the state on large scale climate initiatives. We have adopted a Zero Waste by 2050 policy, a Clean Energy by 2030 policy, and adopted an Energy Conservation & Climate Action Plan. We use TIFF to reimburse developers who deconstruct existing buildings instead of demolishing them.  We took the bold step to acquire our water utility, and are investing in infrastructure upgrades. We made strategic open space acquisitions for nature access, as well as preserving wildlife corridors to protect native flora and fauna.  

It is clear that the State Legislature is continuing to take steps in the wrong direction.  Missoula will continue to be a leader on conservation priorities.  

Find out more about our Zero Waste by 2050 policy HERE. Find out more about our clean energy initiative HERE. 
 

​

Diversity

Missoula was the first community in Montana to pass a Non-Discrimination Ordinance.  We are reviewing updates to bolster this local ordinance in light of the most recent State Legislative attacks on LGBTQ+ community rights. 

 

No matter who you are, Missoula should feel like a safe home to anyone who chooses to live here.  I will fight to keep Missoula as the leader in diversity and inclusion. 

 

Find out more about what the City of Missoula is doing around Justice, Equity, Diversity and inclusion HERE.