A sharply worded letter from the Montana Association of Counties, issued in late March, accuses Gianforte of being naive to the benefits of infrastructure investments.
Residents across Missoula County want a wider housing stock, greater affordability and more investment in public infrastructure, according to a survey completed last month.
The U.S. Department of Transportation on Friday made $2.4 billion available to help local railroads modernize both freight and passenger rail infrastructure, and the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority may consider several projects.
Since its takeover of Mountain Water, the city has invested more than $45 million into the system, including $20 million to replace 8.7 miles of water main, some of which was originally installed in 1914.
Plans to reshape the downtown transportation network and another geared toward Brooks Street remain on the horizon, and the city is pursuing them both with diligence.
With one of the city's urban renewal districts set to expire in the coming years, the Missoula Redevelopment Agency is working to complete a number of priorities, including the completion of water mains and sidewalks.
Plans to improve the Highway 200 corridor through East Missoula have been long in the making but funding announced on Tuesday will move the project forward.
While construction of the east concourse at Missoula Montana Airport's passenger terminal advances, a federal grant will enable airport officials to include the third and final phase of the project sooner than anticipated.
Missoula County on Thursday approved a number of agreements directed at several ailing bridges and signed a letter to the federal government hoping to land up to $25 million in additional funding.