07/15/2024
“Great Falls This Week” is reported and written by Matt Hudson. Send your news and tips to mhudson@montanafreepress.org.
City proposes modest levy increases for 2025
Great Falls city commissioners are reviewing a $40 million general fund budget for 2025, which will get a public hearing on Tuesday.
City staff anticipate revenues to be about $444,000 less than expenditures next year, and the difference would be made up from the existing general fund balance. Much of the spending increase will be in public safety departments — fire, police, legal, and courts. These departments make up 80% of general fund spending.
Health care and wage increases are two main cost drivers, and the city expects to miss out on more than $1 million in property tax revenue from the Calumet refinery’s tax protest.
To help cover its spending, the city is proposing a property tax levy increase of 4.38%. This is made up of the allowable inflationary increase of 2.8% and a permissive medical levy of 1.58%, which can only be used toward health insurance premiums. If passed, these levies would add $880,064 to the general fund.
The annual total impact on a $300,000 home would be $27.03 for the levy increases.
Property tax is a tough subject for Great Falls voters, who rejected a public safety levy last year. As in the rest of the state, local property values have jumped in recent years. From 2022 to 2023, the total market value of real estate in Great Falls increased by 50%.
Calumet’s property tax protest could become another multi-million-dollar question mark for the city’s budget. City Manager Greg Doyon called the impact significant in a presentation to city commissioners in June.
Until the multi-year tax protest is settled, property tax money from Calumet and its biodiesel spinoff, Montana Renewables, can’t be accessed except through a special process. The city budget isn’t accounting for those funds until the case is settled.
City Finance Director Melissa Kinzler told Montana Free Press that the tax protest creates a lot of uncertainty in the budget. Calumet and Montana Renewables are among the largest property taxpayers in Great Falls.
“It just makes it harder to look forward and see what the future holds,” Kinzler said.
The Scheels Aim High Big Sky Aquatic and Recreation Center held a grand opening last week. The new facility will add the equivalent of 25 full-time employees to the city payroll, a figure that Commissioner Rick Tryon said stuck out like a sore thumb in the budget. He worried about the center’s ability to generate enough income over time.
Doyon said engagement from residents will determine the center’s success.
“I’m hoping that when people have an opportunity to walk through Aim High Big Sky, they’ll be proud of it and they’ll want to go use it,” Doyon said.
Public hearings on the proposed budget and plans to work toward the suggested levy amounts are set for the July 16 city commission meeting. Final levy amounts are expected to be set in August.
By The Numbers
Largest fee for a headlining act at the upcoming Montana State Fair. Trace Adkins and Jeff Dunham are each guaranteed this amount. Last week, Cascade County commissioners approved a $609,500 contract with Neste Event Marketing, which will book the acts.
Photo Op
Great Falls City Commissioner Susan Wolff cuts the ribbon at the Scheels Aim High Big Sky Aquatic and Recreation Center grand opening on Tuesday, July 9. She was joined by city employees, fellow commissioners and local military officials. Four years in the making, the center includes two pools, a gym, fitness equipment, and more. Information is on the city’s website.
Calling all photographers: Submit a photo for Great Falls This Week to mhudson@montanafreepress.org.
Might Be Fun
Downtown Great Falls is hosting the second of three summer night markets on Friday, July 19. The event features food vendors, craft booths, and live music on a blocked-off section of Central Avenue. This edition takes place on the 400 and 500 blocks of Central and starts at 5 p.m. Here’s the event page on Facebook.
5 Things to Know in Great Falls
- The federal government recently approved the continuation of the Sentinel missile project, despite an 81% increase in projected costs. A review from the Office of the Secretary of Defense concluded that the costs were justified because upgrading the Minuteman III nuclear arsenal is essential to national security and “there are no alternatives to the program,” according to a press release. The new cost estimate for the Sentinel program, which includes operations at Malmstrom Air Force Base, is $140.9 billion.
- Berkshire Hathaway Energy says it will open a Great Falls office that includes a control room that operates 24/7. The office will support two large energy projects in north-central Montana, which were announced in June. They include a solar energy array that would produce up to 100 megawatts, which would be the largest solar project in the state. BHE also has plans for a battery storage facility. The system will eventually link to the Montana-Alberta Tie Line, which BHE acquired in 2020.
- Over the July 4 holiday, Great Falls Fire Rescue responded to six dumpster fires, two car fires, two grass fires, and one fire caused by the city’s fireworks display.
- The Albertsons on Third Street Northwest is among hundreds of locations that could be sold to C&S Wholesale Grocers to satisfy regulators for a merger. The Federal Trade Commission sued to block the Albertsons merger with fellow supermarket giant Kroger over concerns about product price hikes. The plan to sell stores is an attempt by Albertsons to avoid closures and appease regulators, according to Supermarket News.
- Cascade County Elections Administrator Terry Thompson told MTFP that elections staff have been working to verify “active” voter signatures for three constitutional initiatives. The rejection of so-called inactive voter signatures is the subject of a lawsuit against Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen.
