Public Works Officer Shane Stack started working for the Montana Department of Transportation as a teenager and came to Missoula County in 2019. As Shane prepares to retire this summer, he reflected on the challenges facing public infrastructure, the ill-fated 2020 gas tax and how his department has gotten creative with funding solutions. 

Related links:

• Snow plow routes map (works best on desktop)
• Report a road maintenance concern
• Bridge maintenance updates

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

Transportation planner Aaron Wilson is back on The Agenda this week to talk about how the Missoula Metropolitan Planning Organization leverages federal funding for critical upgrades to roads and bridges. Aaron and the commissioners discuss traffic congestion, bypasses and how detailed planning gives Missoula an advantage during the federal grant process.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Reserve Street Safety Action Plan
• Missoula Long-Range Transportation Plan Update

Listen to Aaron's previous episodes:

• The Infamous Reserve Street, 2024
• Reserve Street: The Sequel, 2024

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

We probably know what comes to mind when you hear "health department." But there is much more to Missoula Public Health than infectious disease monitoring. From air quality to restaurant inspections to the WIC program, the work of MPH undoubtedly affects your life and your health.

This week the commissioners spoke with Jeanna Miller, Chief Health Officer at MPH, about how your city-county health department works to ensure healthy conditions for all residents.

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The Clark Fork and its headwaters represent a duality of incredible fish habitat and miles of former mines and industrial sites. More than 20 years after it began, the restoration of Ninemile Creek west of Missoula has delivered promising results, and not just for the trout.  

This week, the commissioners met with Paul Parson, Montana restoration director at Trout Unlimited, to talk mining history, environmental stewardship and how TU is facilitating the clean up former mine sites across the West. 

• Clark Fork River projects
• Ninemile Valley abandoned mine restoration

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This week the commissioners welcome Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis back to the podcast to talk about a topic that affects all city and county residents: housing. What role does local government play in addressing this complex and difficult issue? What is the City of Missoula doing right now to help more residents continue to call Missoula their home?  Tune in for a thoughtful discussion about current and future solutions.

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Every two years, the Montana Legislature meets for 90 days to pass bills and the statewide budget. Bills become laws and dictate policy on everything from taxes to healthcare access and more.

Starting in January, 100 representatives and 50 senators will meet in Helena to work together in committees and hearings to address issues that matter to all Montanans. This week, the commissioners spoke with Missoula Rep. Mark Thane about his predictions for the session, his insights on school funding and what types of tax relief are on the table.

This is a longer episode with lots of tax talk. Click here for a refresher on tax vocabulary.

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The commissioners recently approved the creation of a new targeted economic development district, at the site of an old gravel pit between Reserve St. and I-90. These districts, often referred to as TEDDs, use tax increment financing to invest in necessary improvements to infrastructure.

Have we lost you already? There’s a lot of confusion around what increment financing does or does not do. This week, the commissioners sat down with Andrew Hagemeier, director of Community and Economic Development, to get to the bottom of TEDDs and TIF.

Related links:

• Grant Creek Crossing TEDD
• Wye 2 TEDD

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Missoula County residents are lucky to live in proximity to multiple rivers and creeks, but this also means increase risks of flooding. Missoula County is currently working with both state and federal agencies to update floodplain maps for the Clark Fork River, the Bitterroot River and Rock Creek. But what exactly is the floodplain, and why are updated maps needed? 

Recently, the Missoula County commissioners spoke with Matt Heimel, floodplain administrator for Missoula County, and Adriane Beck, director of the Missoula County Office of Emergency Management. Adriane and Matt answer these questions and help decode the many acronyms around the floodplain mapping process.

Visit missoulacountyvoice.com to learn more about this process.

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"Selling Marshall Mountain could reduce property taxes." "Any town in the county can incorporate if they want to." "County residents subsidize the City of Missoula." Have you heard these statements before? Are they true or false? 

This week the commissioners spoke with Chris Lounsbury, chief administrative officer for Missoula County, to get to the bottom of these myths and others.

Have you heard a rumor about county government? Visit missoulacountyvoice.com to submit it and see if it's true!

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

You’ve heard (and maybe even experienced) how difficult it is to find accessible and affordable childcare. While this is certainly a problem across the nation, what can be done right here in Montana, or even in Missoula County, to address this vital need?

This week, the commissioners sat down with Grace Decker, educator and coordinator for the Montana Advocates for Children, to discuss the importance of investing in early childhood services and what creative solutions are happening in our community and across the state.

 Links mentioned in this episode:

• Montana Advocates for Children
• Missoula Childcare Advantage
• Zero to Five Missoula
• Hidden Cost of Child Care calculator
• Report | Lost Possibilities: The Impacts of Inadequate Childcare on Montana's Families, Employers and Economy

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