Missoula Business Weekly

The City of Missoula is proposing one of the largest tax increases in recent memory while the county has agreed to place other cost-raising initiatives on the November ballot, including a levy to support crisis services and more to fund improvements at the fairgrounds.

The $4.3 million budget request includes an estimated 16% in inflationary costs and a $1 million down payment. But in the end, the projects would be paid back within 20 years and bring the city closer to its carbon neutrality goals.

An industrial and housing development planned on 160 acres south of the Wye was cleared for development last week after Missoula County commissioners approved the proposal with a number of conditions.

While funding further improvements to the fairgrounds will be up to voters in November, Missoula County plans to explore the possibility of powering the facility with solar, with or without passage of the bond.

Shattering expectations as recession fears grow, the U.S. economy added a whopping 528,000 jobs in July while the unemployment rate dropped to 3.5%.

Montana continues to have one of the highest rates in the U.S. of people moving in from other states. That’s had benefits for the economy, but it’s continued to put pressure on the housing market.

The Missoula Redevelopment Agency this week said it remains committed to funding priority projects in a key redevelopment district that's scheduled to sunset in nine years, including housing and infrastructure.

A year after acquiring a low-income housing complex, members of the Missoula City Council this week approved an agreement with BlueLine Development to manage the property while exploring potential redevelopment opportunities.

Housing officials added details Wednesday to the recent study conducted on short-term rentals in Missoula, and further explained the rationale behind their recommendations that City Council increase the registration fee but refrain from placing a moratorium on the practice.

In the eight months that have passed since the Larchmont decision, county officials said the work hasn't revealed any silver bullets that could be set aside for redevelopment into housing and other uses.