The Agenda with the Missoula County Commissioners

For decades, communities have relied on emergency services like law enforcement and first responders to handle people experiencing a crisis. Often these interactions led to a revolving door between a jail and emergency rooms, which left service providers, taxpayers and individuals without effective resolutions. The Mobile Support Team in Missoula was created in 2020 as a new approach to both divert people from hospitals and detention facilities while setting them on a path to stability by addressing the root cause of the crisis and connecting them to appropriate resources.

This week, the Missoula County commissioners sat down with three people who play an integral role in the on-the-ground operation of the Mobile Support Team: Becca Goe, director of innovation at Partnership Health Center (PHC); John Petroff, firefighter and operations manager for the MST; and Kiki Radermacher, behavior health manager at PHC. They discuss what it means when a person is in crisis, what resources are available, and the success stories they've experienced in the field.

Learn more:

• Mobile Support Team website
• Crisis Services Levy 
• MST Pilot Evaluation Report, 2021

Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for podcast recording support!

Text us your thoughts and comments on this episode!

 
Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for podcast recording support!

In this week's episode, Juanita and Josh bust some myths around what the County is (or is not) doing. 

Topics include:

• Legal enforcement of covenants and HOAs
• Property taxes and the re-appraisal process
• Services for people experiencing homelessness
• Regulations, permits and affordable housing
• Larchmont Golf Course 

Have you heard something through the grapevine about the County? Submit your myth online https://missoulacountyvoice.com/myth-busters and we’ll answer it on-air!

Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for podcast recording support!

Text us your thoughts and comments on this episode!

 
Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for podcast recording support!

Budget season is underway at Missoula County, and the commissioners have spent countless hours delving into what funding will be needed to keep up with current services and programs. They’ve also reviewed dozens of budget requests from departments that would enhance these services or pay for new initiatives. They’ve already declined to fund $2.4 million of those requests, and now they’re hoping the community will chime in on the proposed budget for fiscal year 2023. 

In this episode, the commissioners speak with Chief Administrative Officer Chris Lounsbury and Chief Financial Officer Andrew Czorny to provide an overview of the budget and the process that shapes it. They also discuss the top priority for this year’s budget: employee retention and recruitment. 

The increase to the base budget needed to sustain current services and operations is approximately $5.3 million. This includes increases to wages and personnel costs for County employees, who help keep our communities running by answering 9-1-1 calls, plowing roads and filling potholes, running elections, serving as law enforcement and detention officers, rescuing and sheltering stray pets, responding to public health emergencies and much more.

The commissioners opened the budget hearing on Aug. 25 and invite community members to review and provide feedback on the budget.  The more specific feedback you have, the more constructive and helpful it is to them. Review the FY23 budget requests and shareyour comments or questions at https://missoulacountyvoice.com/fiscal-year-2023-missoula-county-budget. They will make a final decision at their public meeting at 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8.

Learn more about your specific property taxes at itax.missoulacounty.us

Text us your thoughts and comments on this episode!

 
Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for podcast recording support!

Jerry Marks has worked in the Missoula County Extension Office for more than 50 years, and he knows a thing or two about collaboration. Years ago, he extended an offer to the Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium when he heard they were outgrowing their downtown location, and the offer was generous: a coveted spot in the middle of Missoula to create a unique science and discovery center.

In this week's episode, the commissioners talk with Jerry and Glenn about the Rocky Mountain Gardens & Exploration Center, which will open at the Missoula County Fairgrounds in 2023. Jerry also gives some history on how the Extension Office came to be and how the office is always adapting to the needs of the public.

Learn more about the projects mentioned in this episode:  

• Rocky Mountain Gardens & Exploration Center
• Missoula County Weed & Extension Office
• Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium

Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for  podcast recording support!

Text us your thoughts and comments on this episode!

 
Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for podcast recording support!

Jamie Jonkel, a bear manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, has nearly 30 years of experience working with black bears, grizzly bears and mountain lions. His phone rings off the hook each day with reports of bears in both Missoula County and the city.

In this week's episode, the commissioners sit down with Jamie to discuss what other areas in Montana are doing to address the bear issue and how Missoula is taking steps to become a safer place for both animals and people. Jamie gives insight on who to call when you see a bear (hint: it’s not 911) and where to find resources about how to manage attractants around your home.

Links mentioned in this episode:

1. Bear Smart Missoula 
2. Missoula Bears Website & Facebook Page
3. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Bear Managers
4. "Virginia City: The model Bear Smart Community," Missoulian, Jan. 9, 2022

Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for  podcast recording support!

Text us your thoughts and comments on this episode!

 
Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for podcast recording support!

Charged with overseeing growth and community development in a county with more than 117,000 residents spread across 1.6 million acres, the Office of Lands and Communities is responsible for a lot of moving parts.

In this episode, the commissioners sit down with Chet Crowser, head of the Office of Lands and Communities. This newly reorganized office helps our community address environmental issues, implement zoning policies, manage trails and parks, oversee grants that fund important programs and initiatives, and a lot more. Chet and the commissioners discuss pressing issues like affordable housing, climate change and resource protection as the county grows.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Climate Ready Missoula Project
• Electrify Missoula
• Climate Smart Missoula Nonprofit

Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for your podcast recording support.  

Text us your thoughts and comments on this episode!

 
Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for podcast recording support!

With wildfire seasons starting earlier and lasting longer over the past few decades, Missoula County residents need to learn how to protect themselves from prolonged smoke exposure.  

In this episode, the commissioners speak with Air Quality Specialist Sarah Coefield and Climate Action Program Manager Caroline Bean to learn more about the history of wildfire smoke, populations that are most at risk in smoke, and what practical steps people can take to limit the impacts of wildfire smoke on their health. Visit the following sites to learn more about how you can prepare for wildfire smoke: 

• MontanaWildfireSmoke.org  
• ClimateReadyMissoula.org 
• Missoula.Co/CurrentAirQuality 
• DEQ’s Air Data Map 
• MissoulaClimate.org 

Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for your podcast recording support.  

Text us your thoughts and comments on this episode!

 
Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for podcast recording support!

Wildfire has been a natural phenomenon in Missoula County forever; however, with climate change and a growing population leading to more houses in fire-prone areas, our community needs to prepare itself in the event of a fire.  

In this episode, the commissioners speak with Max Rebholz, the Office of Emergency Management’s wildfire preparedness coordinator, to learn which areas of Missoula County have the potential to be impacted by wildfire, how people can prepare their homes ahead of wildfire season, where and how a person can obtain burn permits and financial reimbursement for wildfire mitigation efforts, and more.  

Visit the following sites to learn more about how you can prepare for a wildfire: 

• WildfireRisk.org 
• Fire Adapted Missoula County 
• Missoula County Fire Protection Association 
• United Way Wildfire Preparedness and Cost-Share Program 
• Office of Emergency Management 
• Department of Natural Resources and Conservation  

Text us your thoughts and comments on this episode!

 
Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for podcast recording support!

Since 2020, Missoula County – along with the rest of the world – has been living through a major historical event. There has not been another pandemic like COVID-19 since the 1918 flu, but this time around, we have the technology to document this piece of history while it happens.  

In this episode, the commissioners talk with Leif Fredrickson, adjunct assistant professor and Director of the Public History Program at the University of Montana, about a project the County and University jointly launched to document the COVID-19 pandemic. This project seeks to create a rich collection of sources to help us understand the pandemic: how people responded to it and how decisions shaped people’s experience of the pandemic. The collection is being cataloged and made available to scholars and the public through a digital portal administered by the Archives & Special Collections Department of the Mansfield Library: http://missoula.co/coviddocumentation  

Anyone – individuals and organizations alike – can submit materials to this archive online at https://www.lib.umt.edu/asc/covid-project/default.php  

Leif has also been collecting a series of oral history interviews from officials, business leaders, non-profit administrators and community leaders around Missoula County and their experience of the pandemic. Take a listen to sections of interviews with COVID-19 Incident Commander Cindy Farr, Senator Diane Sands and Harvest Home Care CEO Kavan Peterson at http://missoula.co/oralhistoryclips  

Text us your thoughts and comments on this episode!

 
Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for podcast recording support!

Counties in Montana are diverse, ranging from urban ones such as Yellowstone (pop. 160,000) to rural ones like Petroleum (pop. 490), and each county has its own unique needs and issues. 

In this episode, Missoula County commissioners talk to Dan Clark, director of the MSU Local Government Center, to learn more about the inner workings of local government. They discuss how counties are funded and the struggles that arise with property taxes being one of the only revenue sources. They ponder the reason for the tension between state and local governments, and Clark explains the different forms a local government can take – such as a commission system – to best represent their constituency and provide services for the specific needs of their communities. 

Text us your thoughts and comments on this episode!

 
Thank you to Missoula's Community Media Resource for podcast recording support!