FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

FY 22 Budget Requests

What Missoula County chooses to fund in its budget is a direct reflection of community values. New budget requests for FY22 are outlined below by values category.

The commissioners received dozens of requests from departments across the County, and they have already declined to fund $2.6 million in new spending. The requests listed here are those they are still considering approving.

One-time requests, such as requests for new equipment, would be funded with cash savings from previous years. On-going requests, such as requests for new staff, would be funded with new tax dollars or other source of on-going revenue, such as grant funding or program-related fees.

Some requests departments submitted qualify for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. Those requests are included here, but they do not represent the entirety of the County’s proposed ARPA funding, which the County will leverage to address pressing community needs in many of the categories outlined here.

One-time requests paid for with cash savings: $1.8 million On-going requests paid for with property taxes: $545,839 Requests paid for with grants, fees or other revenue: $3.7 million

If the commissioners adopt the proposed budget, including all the requests for new funding that require new property tax dollars, it would mean an approximate annual increase of $5.34 on a $350,000 home.

It’s important to note that the state Department of Revenue issued reappraised property values this year, and taxable values in Missoula County increased by an average of about 15%. This growth will help the County cover the increasing costs of services and requests for new funding by only levying one additional mill, but individual property owners likely see a larger increase on their next tax bill based on the increased value of their property.

Following their final budget hearing on at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 26, commissioners will vote on adopting the budget at an administrative public meeting the following week.

Commissioners can make better decisions based on community values when they hear from the public, especially when the feedback is specific. Tell them which requests they should or shouldn't fund by emailing [email protected] or leaving a voicemail at 406-258-4877.

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

Public Infrastructure

• Road projects Public Works is seeking additional funding to purchase supplies, materials and equipment needed to complete projects to maintain Missoula County roads. This is an ongoing request to address identified shortfalls in the Road Department. Projects that could possibly be funded in FY 21 include: • Remount Road asphalt overlay • Six Mile Road and Nine Mile Road asphalt road reconstruction • Big Flat Road slide areas (engineering design) • Increased funding for tech supplies and pavement markings • Tandem axle truck: maintenance on the department’s current fleet now exceeds what the equipment is worth. These trucks are used year-round for many purposes, from hauling materials during the spring and summer to plowing and sanding in the winter. • General asphalt maintenance: A countywide pavement assessment completed in 2019 showed that Public Works should be spending as much as $2 million per year just to maintain current asphalt conditions, not even improve them. Current local and state funding provides $700,000. In 2020, Missoula voters approved a 2-cent per gallon local option fuel tax that would have specifically generated revenue to fund these projects. The expected annual revenue from it was $550,000, but the 2021 Montana Legislature repealed the ability of local governments to collect local option fuel tax revenue. This property tax funding would partially supplant that revenue the County is now unable to collect. Department: Public Works Cost: $113,212 Funding source: Property taxes

• Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority economic analysis The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority is seeking operational funding from its member counties across southern Montana to help fund a study of the socioeconomic impact of restoring passenger rail in the region. Department: Financial Administration Cost: $24,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

Public Safety

• Radio tower infrastructure Missoula County/City Public Safety Radio System currently serves the police, sheriff, ambulance, multiple fire departments, public works, Forest Service law enforcement and other agencies. The system hardware is approaching 20 years old and no longer has factory support, resulting in poor coverage in the Missoula, Lolo, Seeley Lake and Potomac areas. This request would pay to replace outdated radio equipment. Department: Office of Emergency Management Cost: $100,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Cold case investigative aids Though the Sheriff’s Office cold case squad is staffed by volunteers, their work still incurs significant expenses, including needing to use private labs for some DNA extractions, which can cost more than $3,000 each, as well as the associated costs when the crew needs to travel out of area for interviews. Department: Sheriff’s Office Cost: $20,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Courthouse security enhancement This would cover the cost of one additional guard in the courthouse, bringing the total to three, to complete the coverage necessary to secure the building. The guards would also be armed. This increase will allow the County to have one guard stationed at the new security desk, one at the north entrance and one roving guard. Department: Facilities Management Cost: $50,000 Funding source: Property taxes

• Building access control pilot This would pay to pilot a more modern door access control system in the Administrative Building and would allow the County to assess the capabilities before fully embracing a new system for buildings Countywide. Department: Facilities Management Cost: $8,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

Responsible Growth and Development

• Zoning update community outreach This summer, planning staff will begin the public engagement phase of the Missoula County Zoning Update. This project is the most significant land use planning or land use code project the county has undertaken in over 40 years. The project includes the creation of an entirely new zoning code and the proactive rezoning of the majority of the Missoula Valley. This project will reshape land use and development trends in the Missoula Valley for generations. Changes to land use regulations stimulate substantial public attention and debate. A project of this magnitude will at times be controversial, generating significant interest from the media, special interest groups and individuals. The contracted services will add capacity and expertise to the team that will focus on messaging the benefits of the project to the greater public. This outreach will include two mass postcard mailings to the properties impacted by the new zoning code. Department: Community and Planning Services Cost: $20,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Planner II Missoula County is experiencing an unprecedented demand for housing and, therefore, development review services. As a result, current Planning and Permitting staff is below capacity for addressing development inquiries, reviewing projects and amending codes and regulations to adjust to changing times. Adding one Planner II position would increase capacity for fulfilling development and permit reviews, improving forms and processes and addressing code maintenance needs Department: Community and Planning Services Cost: $58,503 Funding source: $1,965 from cash savings from previous years; $56,538 from property taxes

• Development tracking intern Tracking development activity has historically been a manual exercise. CAPS staff are now working with the Clerk and Recorders office and others to take advantage of digital platforms, including Power BI. The effort requires significant time to build databases, backfill historical data and interact across county departments. With current staff largely focused on responding to inquiries and completing reviews of development projects, this an intern would focus solely on development tracking efforts, both backfilling data and expanding the tracking system. Department: Community and Planning Services Cost: $13,422 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

Election Integrity

• Ballot return prepaid postage This request would fund prepaid return postage on mail ballots for the primary election in September and general election in November. This would increase participation and make the process easier for all voters. The Election Office uses a Qualified Business Reply Mail return address, so the county qualifies for reduced mailing rates and would only pay for ballots returned through USPS, instead of all ballots mailed out. Department: Elections Cost: $53,265 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• On-site election security personnel for elections With heightened concerns around election security and recent changes to state election laws, this request would fund afterhours security personnel at the Elections Center for the federal primary election next June. Legislation passed this year eliminated Election Day registration and otherwise limits voting access, and the Election Office plans to offer as much additional access for voters as allowed by law. This includes adding an afterhours drop-box at the Election Center that will need to be manned to ensure ballot security. Department: Elections Cost: $25,000 Funding source: Property taxes

• Election education videos This would cover the cost to produce videos to help voters understand complex election processes in a short, easy to understand format. The videos would cover laws, processes and other important information about elections in Missoula County. Most concerns about elections come from a lack of understanding in the process. If we take these complex processes and laws and produce professional quality videos, we can help voters in Missoula, the state and the nation understand these processes and how they protect the integrity of elections. Department: Elections Cost: $20,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Local option marijuana tax special election This would cover the cost to hold an all-mail countywide election on Nov. 2 for voters to decide whether to impose a 3% local option tax on sales of marijuana and marijuana products in the county. Department: Financial Administration Cost: $30,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Upgrade Records Center security This request would upgrade the large overhead door and repair the damaged concrete pad at the Records Center warehouse to provide more secure access to the storage space. It also would cover the cost to install cameras in the building. Not having video and controlled access to the building where election records and equipment are stored presents security concerns.

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

Department: Elections Cost: $11,000 Funding source: Remaining Help America Vote Act grant funds

• Reporting hardware The Elections Office upgraded the ADA voting equipment to a newer version last year, which required them to have two sets of programming and duplicate charges for each election to program for the old reporting software and to program for the new software This request would eliminate that duplication. Upgrading to the new reporting software and hardware would also impact ballot layout, as many ballots that were two pages before would become one-page ballots. This decreases costs for printing, mailing, storage and sorting, and improves accuracy. Department: Elections Cost: $5,722 Funding source: Remaining Help America Vote Act grant funds

• Democracy fellow The Elections Office is working to establish a mutually beneficial relationship with their office and the Master of Public Administration program at the University of Montana. This MPA student would assist with critical election functions when there are gaps between current staffing and election needs, develop a unique and innovative outreach campaign for the upcoming federal election cycle, and become a leader in the state on election laws and policies. Department: Elections Cost: $10,000 Funding source: Cash saving from previous years

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

Customer Service

• Title by email software The Treasurer’s Office implemented a title-by-email program to title and register vehicles online in November 2019. To ensure continuity of operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, title-by - email became the only method to title and register a vehicle in Missoula County. The increased workload exposed critical deficiencies in the systems used to run the program, and this request would address those by streamlining the four software programs required to operate the program into one uniform platform. Without this software, title-by-email would not be possible and all customers would have to visit the office to complete a title and registration transaction. Department: Treasurer – Motor Vehicle Division Cost: $9,600 Funding source: Property taxes

• Telephone system upgrades Upgrading the County’s telephone system would provide exceedingly better reporting capabilities, real time dashboards for call center staff and wall boards, call recording, the ability to collect more robust call information and advanced backend programming capabilities. It would be especially beneficial to our call centers, Partnership Health Center, Office of Emergency Management, Treasurer’s Office and the general public. Department: Technology – Telephone Services Cost: $133,178 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

Sustainability and Climate Action

• 100% clean electricity initiative Missoula County and the City of Missoula have jointly established a goal of 100% clean electricity for the Missoula urban area by 2030. While there are some actions we can take at the local level to advance this goal, it will also require continuing active engagement at the state level. In 2021, Missoula City and County joined the cities of Bozeman and Helena to hire a consultant to support development of a renewable rate option with NorthWestern Energy. In addition, the City and County filed to intervene at the Public Service Commission in NorthWestern Energy’s application for preapproval of capacity resources that are non- renewable. The proposed contracted services will allow for a continuation of these projects and related efforts to advance the goal of 100% clean electricity. Department: Community and Planning Services Cost: $60,000 Funding source: Property taxes

• Climate action and resiliency capacity Contract with Climate Smart Missoula to support two initiatives: implementation of the Climate Ready Missoula Plan and implementation of the joint city/county 100% clean electricity resolution. It will help continue implementation of the 77 strategies in the Climate Ready Missoula Plan to prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change across eight sectors: public health, business/recreation/tourism, buildings/land use/transportation, emergency preparedness and response, agriculture, ecosystems, water infrastructure and energy. The contract also will support the 100% clean electricity effort by continuing to lead the Building(s) for the Future initiative; assisting with the development of a Roadmap to 100% Clean Electricity; and continuing to conduct community outreach and engagement to support these efforts. Department: Community and Planning Services Cost: $35,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

Justice Services and Reform

• Mobile support team Last fiscal year, Missoula County, Partnership Health Center, the Missoula Fire Department and the City of Missoula launched a pilot project to create the Mobile Support Team consisting of a licensed clinical social worker and an EMT to assess and assist a person in crisis. A case facilitator follows up with individuals to ensure they are connected to appropriate community resources. Mobile crisis teams have been proven to reduce jail bookings and emergency room visits, decrease arrests and prosecutors, and allow for more appropriate use of law enforcement and first responder time. Research shows that every dollar spent on mobile crisis saves $5 to $7 elsewhere in the mental health and criminal justice systems. This pilot project is showing great promise in making positive impacts in the lives of people who are in crisis. This request is for expanded service for 16 hour/day coverage, with overlap of two response vans being available during peak call time. The expanded service would provide 154 hours of response coverage per week, as opposed to the current 80 hours per week, and would allow for additional outreach, follow up and more ability to respond farther out into the county as needed/available. The program staff is also hoping to build sustainability by establishing private insurance and Medicaid billing as well as longer-term local government support over the next several years. Department: Financial Administration Cost: $594,696 Funding source: ARPA

• Maintain current crime victim advocate staffing The Community Justice Department is facing a critical funding shortfall due to a drastic reduction in grant funding. At the same time, the division is serving more crime victims than ever due to a COVID-related spike in violent crime as well as increased caseloads for partner agencies, including the Sheriff’s Office, County and City Attorney’s offices and Missoula Police Department. This request to fund three full-time crime victim advocates and one part-time grants and contracts administrator is crucial to serve the nearly 2,000 crime victims who need advocacy services each year. Department: Relationship Violence Services Cost: $280,101 Funding source: ARPA

• Trafficking survivor emergency support The Missoula Human Trafficking Task Force requests financial support for 20 to 25 hotel vouchers at a government rate of $96 to $131 to provide safe, supportive emergency housing for sex trafficking survivors as a one-year pilot project. The MHT Task Force supports efforts to combat trafficking within Missoula County through educational events and awareness raising; identifying and helping people who have been trafficked; and finding, investigating and prosecuting offenders. The Task Force Steering Committee includes representatives from Missoula law enforcement, the Lifeguard Group, Project Beacon at All Nations Health Center, YWCA Missoula, Crime Victim Advocate Program and St. Patrick Hospital’s First Step Resource Center. Department: Relationship Violence Services Cost: $3,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

• Mental health personnel pay increase This is a request to increase pay for a mental health jail diversion therapist in an effort to retain the current one and remain competitive with other therapists in Missoula. Department: Sheriff’s Office Cost: $25,500 Funding source: ARPA

• Calibrate program coordinator This would establish the Calibrate program coordinator as a permanent FTE within the County Attorney’s Office. The program is Montana’s first formal prosecution-led pre-trial diversion program and has received national recognition as an innovative criminal justice initiative. This position has been funded by a MacArthur Foundation grant for the past two years with the expectation that Missoula County would assume stewardship over the program this fiscal year. Department: County Attorney’s Office Cost: $75,972 Funding source: Property taxes

• Attorney promotion This request aims to retain one of the most seasoned attorneys in the County Attorney’s Office to help maintain current levels of experience and expertise in the department. Department: County Attorney’s Office Cost: $10,518 Funding source: Property taxes

• Changes to attorney on-call structure The County Attorney’s Office serves two distinct on-call functions for Missoula County: law enforcement on-call and mental health on call. Currently, criminal prosecutors have both law enforcement and mental health on-call duty using the same on-call phone after hours, including weekdays, weekends and holidays. In recent years there has been a significant increase in mental health calls in the middle of the night, resulting in the mental health on-call duty being significant and onerous. This request would help fund changes to this structure, such as having all attorneys, including civil and criminal deputies, participate in the on-call rotation and be paid a for a minimum of one hour when responding to on-call duties afterhours. It would also fund purchase of a separate phone and mobile service for mental health on-call duties. Department: County Attorney’s Office Cost: $21,090 Funding source: $300 from cash savings from previous years; $20,790 from property taxes

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

Housing and Homelessness

• Emergency Winter Shelter additional funding The City of Missoula is requesting $50,000 for FY22 to support the Poverello Center in operating an Emergency Winter Shelter between November and March during Missoula’s most inclement weather to help reduce the number of adults sleeping outside. The Poverello Center is also requesting an additional $50,000 above the $50,000 Missoula County has allocated in past years, for a total request of $100,000. Requested funds will cover staff salaries and training, building use fee and reserve, utilities, transportation, and materials and supplies. Department: Financial Administration Cost: $50,000 Funding source: ARPA

*The County plans to use additional APRA funds to address needs in this category. Those funding needs will be part of a separate public process for budgeting remaining ARPA funds.

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

• Public administration JEDI fellow Missoula County is partnering with the University of Montana’s MPA program to create semester long local government fellowships. The justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) Fellow will assist the Missoula County equity coordinator to advance Missoula County’s JEDI initiatives, which includes supporting the growth of Missoula County’s JEDI lens and work; assisting with JEDI projects, researching grant opportunities and assisting with submissions, assisting with projects of student interest and supporting inter-organizational JEDI work. Department: Commissioners’ Office Cost: $6,445 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• JEDI intern In our ongoing commitment to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, Missoula County recognizes the glaring lack of representation of communities of color within local government. To address this, Missoula County is creating a year-long local government internship. The intern will provide administrative and programmatic support to the equity coordinator and other Missoula County staff. The intern will work in specific, scheduled rotations within various county departments and deepen their understanding of Missoula County and local government. This position will be open to undergraduate students enrolled in an accredited higher education or continuing education program. Department: Commissioners’ Office Cost: $6,445 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

Efficient, Effective Government

• Full-time audit technician The auditor’s office ensures that county policy is followed and designs internal controls to safeguard against waste, fraud and abuse in county government. This includes ensuring all claims are legitimate county expenditures and that proper procurement procedures are followed to safeguard against favoritism. The office currently has a part-time audit technician but needs to add capacity to reach its long-term goal of adding an internal audit function, which would help find efficiencies and free up money for other uses. Department: Auditor’s Office Cost: $28,013 Funding source: Property taxes

• Strategic planning This request would fund department-level strategic planning sessions with the Local Government Center’s Dan Clark. Missoula County has worked with Dan Clark in the past to develop the mission, core values and goals for the organization and dive into the operations, challenges and opportunities for each department. These sessions will continue that work and help plan for high-impact, large-scale, complex cross-departmental initiatives through an equity lens. Department: Commissioners’ Office Cost: $20,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Missoula County resident and employee surveys Missoula County conducted its first resident survey in 2020, which provided valuable insight on how residents view County operations, policy and management, and it also served as an important tool for public engagement. This request would pay for conducting the surveys biannually, which would guide the County in its strategic planning and set goals and benchmarks going forward. It would also fund an annual employee survey, which helps inform management of employees’ job satisfaction and concerns. This allows the County to seek proactive solutions to common problems, ultimately increasing employee satisfaction and aiding in employee recruitment and retention. Department: Commissioners’ Office Cost: $20,000 Funding source: Property taxes

• Notary training and certification exam This request is to train and certify one additional Commissioners’ Office administrative staff member to become a notary. This will create time efficiencies within the office when notary services are needed. Documents frequently come through the office that need the commissioners’ notarized signatures, and some of them need to be signed, notarized and returned in a very short timeframe. Department: Commissioners’ Office Cost: $125 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

• Federal building planning and design This would fund Missoula County’s efforts to evaluate the opportunity to co-locate City and County services at the federal building programming, schematic design and potentially design development as Missoula County evaluates the opportunity to co-locate City and County services at the vacant federal building in downtown Missoula. Department: Financial Administration Cost: $100,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• SoftCode civil software The current civil software the Sheriff’s Office uses is outdated, crashes frequently and consistently has technical issues that require assistance from Missoula County Information Systems and the software company’s support team. Purchase of new civil software will increase daily productivity, decrease time spent fixing errors and reduce the likelihood of needing to hire additional staff to address the workload. Department: Sheriff’s Office Cost: $72,000 Funding source: $66,500 from cash savings from previous years; $5,500 from property taxes

• Claims administration application upgrade Missoula County Workers Compensation Group Authority serves as the workers compensation insurer for Missoula County and nine outside agencies. Currently, there is one licensed claims examiner dedicated to handling all claims submitted to the insurer. The program sees approximately 200 work comp claims annually, and the current risk management information system is outdated and will soon lose host support. Upgrading the system will improve efficiencies for both work comp and the Risk Department, as it also uses this claims system for its small volume of claims. There are added tools within the upgrades that will increase efficiency, including improved reporting functions, built-in letter and other form templates, and improved risk tracking and calendaring tools. This also will reduce the likelihood of needing to hire additional staff to handle office workloads. Department: Risk & Benefits Cost: $60,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Temporary employee to digitize personnel files This temporary employee would scan personnel files into NeoGov, the County’s web-based HR system. Digitizing these files would reduce paper and filing costs and allow staff to respond more easily to audits and records requests. Department: Human Resources Cost: $24,324 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Motor pool lease program This would cover the initial cost to move the County’s vehicle fleet to a lease program, replacing the oldest cars and assigning the cost of leases to the central motor pool and departments. The existing model does not work and does not reflect the initial expense of purchasing vehicles; the

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

lease program would provide a more predictable annual budget and allow for more consistent realization of expenditures. Department: Central Services Cost: $180,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Debt management software Missoula County manages debt for Missoula County, schools within Missoula County and outside agencies such as RSIDs, East Missoula Sewer, Elk Meadows Water District and Sunny Meadows Water District. The existing process to manage debt is manual and uses multiple spreadsheets to determine and track debt payments and forecast for future years and budgeting, as well as County Annual Financial Report documentation and Official Statement analysis and preparation. The ability to perform this work using a software application rather than spreadsheets will create efficiency in Finance Department work efforts and reduce the potential for reporting errors as well as reduce the likelihood of needing to hire additional staff to handle office workloads. Department: Financial Services Cost: $25,000 Funding source: Property taxes

• Consultant for new financial system Missoula County’s current financial records software is outdated and still requires the use of spreadsheets and duplicative data entry, which is inefficient and increases the risk of errors. It also lacks financial reporting functionality and other seemingly basic capabilities. All County departments access the software, so using a consultant would be the most efficient way for Financial Services to understand, document and analyze all departmental needs for a financial software application. The consultant would use their industry experience to assist with gathering requirements, identifying gaps, drafting an RFI/RFP, reviewing and documenting the responses and ultimately assisting the County with development of a plan to acquire and implement a new financial application. Department: Financial Services Cost: $100,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Grant management software Implementing the Grant Lifecycle Manager software will be used as the platform for online application submission, application review, grantee report submission, data collection and analysis, impact evaluation and standardized email communication for all County funds granted to community partners. The software will provide a much-needed modernization of the County’s current method of grant-making and administration and will add necessary capacity for management of new funding sources, provide an intuitive, streamlined application and reporting process for community partners seeking County funding and will create efficiencies in the work process for grants administrators. Department: Community and Planning Services Cost: $18,750 Funding source: ARPA

• Courtroom workstation upgrades

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

This would pay for upgrades to the clerk workstations in the five district court courtrooms, including scanners, printers, printer stands that match the existing furniture and new chairs. During court proceedings, it is common for a judge to ask the clerk to print a document to give to a litigant. Currently, the court clerks print to a printer in the office, email all Clerk of Court staff to request the document be brought to the courtroom, and then one of the Clerk of Court staff runs the document to the courtroom. Likewise, attorneys submit pleadings during a hearing, which need to be filed and scanned. The clerk has to wait until returning to the office to scan the document. The addition of printers and scanners in all courtrooms will increase efficiency. This would also cover the cost to purchase of new chairs for the clerk desks. The existing chairs are "leftover" surplus chairs discarded by other offices. New chairs would provide a more comfortable, ergonomic option for staff during hours-long hearings. Department: Clerk of District Court Cost: $13,440 Funding source: $13,065 from cash savings from previous years; $375 from property taxes

• Clerk of Court office upgrades Workstation for e-filing clerk: Due space needs at the beginning of COVID, the e-filing workstation was relocated from the back office to the front customer service counter. The office processed nearly 40,000 e-filings in more than 6,000 cases in 2020, and that volume continues to increase. The e-filing clerk (a rotating position) is responsible for processing the vast majority of electronically filed documents and as such needs to be 100% focused on the timely processing of the filings, most of which are time sensitive. This proves to be quite difficult when the workspace is located on the customer service counter. This request includes a desk, pedestal, dual monitor arms, shelving and electrical/data costs. Security door: Due to recent security concerns with upset customers, the office would like to enhance security with the installation of a security door between the front customer service area and the back office. Clerk of Court and District Court staff will gain access via the use of a card reader and all others will need to be buzzed in. This request includes a security door, two buzzers and electrical/data costs. Wireless Bluetooth headsets: The purchase of wireless, Bluetooth headsets will allow office staff to assist customers over the phone “handsfree” and eliminate stiff/sore necks caused by cradling handsets while trying to type and write. Headsets will also pair with laptops and provide privacy for staff attending virtual meetings and training sessions. Chairs: Several staff members have requested replacement of chairs that have become uncomfortable and contribute to back and leg discomfort. Department: Clerk of District Court Cost: $26,003 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

Public Engagement and Transparency

• Public information request management software Missoula County is seeing an increase in the number of requests for emails and other public documents. Some requests take only a few minutes for staff to fulfill, but broad, large-scale requests are extremely time-consuming. This is mainly because our current search functionality is not robust and often produces duplicate results or results not relevant to the request. This software solution would produce responsive results more efficiently and without duplicates, decreasing staff time required to review emails for confidential or protected information. It would also include a public-facing portal for residents to submit requests, which would streamline the process and minimize the chance of a request being submitted to multiple departments, resulting in duplicative staff time spent on it. Department: Communications Cost: $13,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Community engagement platform This would fund a pilot contract with EngagementHQ, a comprehensive civic engagement platform for communities to more effectively engage with local government. It is a public-facing website with eight different engagement tools to provide government agencies with the ability to deliver clear, accurate and transparent information while allowing residents and stakeholders to share ideas and opinions as projects and initiatives develop and feel more involved with how tax dollars are spent. It also includes automated reporting and a participant management database. Department: Communications Cost: $15,900 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Planning software ArcGIS Hub: ArcGIS Hub is an easy-to-configure community engagement platform that organizes input, data and tools through information-driven initiatives. This platform will be the centerpiece of the County’s online outreach strategy for the update to the Missoula County Zoning Map. The tool allows staff to integrate critical project information and online mapping comment tools into one attractive, intuitive website. Sketch Up Pro: Sketch Up Pro is used to create 3D models and graphics that can be used in land-use planning and design. It is an essential tool for creating graphics for codes and land-use plans. We will need it to modify graphics for the zoning code. Power BI: Power BI is a data analytics software that will help us modernize our development activity tracking system and expand the iSAM system to more fully track development data. Department: Community and Planning Services Cost: $9,089 Funding source: $8,700 from cash savings from previous years; $389 from property taxes

• Digitizing criminal County Attorney files The Missoula County Records center is currently at 91% storage capacity. This request pay to collaborate with an outside vendor to reduce that by 10%, with the ultimate goal of reducing as use of as much physical space as possible. Additional benefits include reducing document

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

retrieval times, protection and security of documents, and workflow optimization workflow. Freed-up space could also be used as potential office spaces in the future. Department: Records Management Cost: $25,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Map Missoula temporary employee Missoula County Recording received a Montana Land Information Act grant for fiscal year 2022 to fund a full-time temporary employee for 10 months in support of Map Missoula GIS initiatives. To promote program continuity and reduce training costs, the office would retain the current temporary employee for an additional seven weeks. Department: Clerk and Recorder Cost: $5,606 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Scanning/indexing clerk In preparation for expanding Map Missoula to link all land-related documents to land parcels, this request would pay for the Clerk and Recorder to hire a full-time temporary employee for 11 months to scan, upload into Eagle Recorder and index for online access all historical mortgage books, zoning records, well logs/water rights vital records, and other miscellaneous document collections. These efforts would expand the quantity and type of records accessible online and allow Map Missoula to broaden the project scope. Department: Clerk and Recorder Cost: $37,737 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

Community Development and Recreation

• Rural Communities Small Grant Program The Rural Communities Small Grants Program will support community-based projects in outlying areas of Missoula County with small grants ($5,000-$10,000 per grant). These grants would be awarded through a competitive application process with priority given to projects with demonstrated community buy-in and support, proposals that enhance the quality of life in rural communities and projects that will have lasting benefit for Missoula County residents. Department: Community and Planning Services Cost: $50,000 Funding source: ARPA

• Grants administrator II This grants administrator would provide additional capacity to apply for and manage new sources of state and federal funding available through the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan Act. This position would also help to address a capacity deficit for the management of public works grants and would also work to develop and administer a Rural Communities Small Grants program and address grant acquisition for commissioners’ projects. Department: Community and Planning Services Cost: $69,153.26 Funding source: ARPA

• North Riverside Parks & Trails Plan This funding would support the Downtown Missoula Partnership and City of Missoula’s plan to implement specific upgrades to Caras Park this fall in conjunction with the Storm Water Infiltration Project. MDP plans to rebuild the amphitheater, add ADA seating and grass, flatten and improve the green hill, widen the riverfront trail, and upgrade lighting and electrical infrastructure – all in conjunction with improving the quality of the stormwater that is released into the Clark Fork River every day. Department: Financial Administration Cost: $50,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Rocky Mountain Gardens and Exploration Center debt service The Missoula County Weed District & Extension and Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium are partnering to build the premier center for scientific and community learning at the fairgrounds. After partnering with community organizations, fundraising of $5 million and setting aside savings for more than a decade, the Weed District & Extension Office is seeking an additional $218,512 per year to contribute to the Rocky Mountain Gardens and Exploration Center debt service payment. This additional funding will help create a building for current use and expansion for future users while maintaining a connection to Missoula County's agricultural history. Department: Weed District & Extension Cost: $221,554 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

• LaLonde Ranch maintenance and National Register of Historic Places nomination The mission of the Lalonde Ranch is to preserve Missoula County’s history where heritage, culture and sense of place are celebrated for the purpose of education and reflection on our connection to the past. Its location serves as a gateway to Missoula Valley history and helps tell the story of the area — including its thousands of years as part of the homeland of the Salish and Kalispel people, and its remarkable place in the valley’s rich agricultural history. Missoula County acquired the property nearly three decades ago, and in October 2020 adopted a resolution implementing a framework to ensure its long-term stewardship. The funding requested here would provide for basic maintenance such as electricity, water, mowing, snow removal and other services and would also go toward hiring a consultant to complete an application for a National Register of Historic Places nomination. Department: Community and Planning Services Cost: $15,000 Funding source: Property taxes

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

Employee Recruitment, Development and Retention

• National Association of Counties High Performance Leadership Academy This request is to send three Missoula County staff members to NACo’s High Performance Leadership Academy. HPLA is an innovative, completely online 12-week program created to equip frontline county government professionals with practical leadership skills to deliver results for counties and communities. With a robust curriculum developed by public sector leaders, world-renowned academics and thought leaders, HPLA is designed specifically for the unique challenges and opportunities for those serving in county government. Department: Commissioners’ Office Cost: $5,085 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Public Administration Certificate tuition Missoula County’s equity coordinator is interested in pursuing the graduate certificate in public administration from the University of Montana’s MPA program. The certificate offers public employees fundamental skills through a series of core courses important for the profession of public administration. Many public employees have degrees in technical fields but no formal training in basic managerial areas of public administration. This certificate provides a bridge for them to gain skills, knowledge and training by completing a short set of classes such as public administration, human resource management, budgeting and organizational theory. Supporting employees who seek to enhance their knowledge of public service aligns with the county’s goal of ensuring a quality workforce. This investment helps us attract and retain skilled and knowledgeable employees who provide courteous and efficient service. Department: Commissioners’ Office Cost: $3,816 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Technology apprentice Hiring technology professionals is becoming more challenging and it’s difficult for local government to find skilled applicants in the pay range offered. Missoula County ends up hiring new graduates who in many cases lack the necessary skills. This request would go toward developing a program in partnership with Missoula College and the formal apprenticeship program at the State in the Department of Labor. This model provides solid real-world experience to augment classroom training and would provide a stream of workers for the County and benefit other employers. This would be a pilot project with the potential to expand around the state and collaborate with other colleges, like CSKT. Department: Technology – Information Services Cost: $26,040 Funding source: Property taxes

• Leadership Montana program and Master Class tuition This request is to nominate and send two Missoula County employees through the Leadership Montana program: One in the standard Leadership Montana course and another in the Leadership Montana Masters Class. Leadership Montana is a statewide program that develops leaders committed to building a better Montana through knowledge, collaboration and civility.

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

The program helps participants learn to build a framework to work better together around critical issues, have hard conversations around challenging issues and affords participants the space to develop skills that support those efforts over the course of seven session across the state and in collaboration with leaders from diverse backgrounds and professional disciplines. Department: Commissioners’ Office Cost: $6,050 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Leadership Montana fees and travel Leadership Montana is a statewide program that develops leaders committed to building a better Montana through knowledge, collaboration and civility. The program helps participants learn to build a framework to work better together around critical issues, have hard conversations around challenging issues and affords participants the space to develop skills that support those efforts over the course of seven session across the state and in collaboration with leaders from diverse backgrounds and professional disciplines. Auditor Dave Wall was accepted to Leadership Montana last year but decided to defer to this year due to unknown COVID costs. Department: Auditor’s Office Cost: $8,544 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Chief officer travel The chief administrative and chief operating officers must attend statewide and national association conferences and meetings to support the county commissioners in their work. Examples include the conferences for the Montana Association of Counties and the National Association of Counties, travel to Helena for interim legislative committee meetings and may include travel for other conferences and trainings on complex, high-impact issues such as federal and state funding and legislation. Department: Commissioners’ Office Cost: $4,000 Funding source: Property taxes

• Chief officer initiatives The chief administrative officer and chief operating officer have each requested funding to cover specific initiatives related to policy areas in which they are interested. Examples of what the funds would pay for include meeting materials and hosting costs, supplemental communications efforts related to complex projects or initiatives and costs related to staff support. Department: Commissioners’ Office Cost: $1,400 Funding source: Property taxes

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

Stewardship of Public Facilities • Animal Control shelter expansion Missoula County’s Animal Control shelter is not big enough for current staff and often runs at or near capacity for the animals. To help with this, Animal Control is requesting to add a wing to the existing shelter, which would provide necessary workspace for employees, additional dog and cat shelter space, improved safety features for the animals, better flow for the public, a larger surgery room for the low-cost and free vaccination and spay and neuter clinics, and additional space to accommodate additional strays, surrendered pets and animals rescued from cruelty cases. This will also help with concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including improving the ability to handle and house animals exposed to COVID-19 and other diseases and to allow staff and the public the ability to physically distance. Department: Animal Control Cost: $58,400 Funding source: ARPA

• Detention Facility main boiler replacement The Detention Facility has three existing boilers: one serving the kitchen, one serving the laundry and one serving Unit 2 domestic hot water. Each of these boilers are 22-year-old, original to the building and are atmospheric vented, with approximately 70% efficiency. The kitchen boiler is completely abandoned, and the laundry boiler has been retrofitted to do both jobs and cannot keep up. Both functioning boilers are at end of their useful life, and if the laundry boiler goes down, the facility will have to pay for meals and laundry services until the boilers are replaced, which could take between six to 12 weeks. Department: Facilities Management Cost: $285,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Detention Facility east boiler replacement These boilers provide Unit 3 and the juvenile unit with domestic hot water. The contractor will remove the existing atmospheric vented boiler and replace it with two high-efficiency boilers and one 432-gallon storage tank. The two high-efficiency boilers will provide redundancy for the domestic hot water on the east side of the detention center. At 96% thermal efficiency, this is the most cost-effective and efficient water heating system available. Department: Facilities Management Cost: $95,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Detention Facility west boiler replacement There is one of the original atmospheric-vented boilers at the facility with an efficiency rate of approximately 70% that has reached the end of is useful life. The contractor will remove the existing atmospheric vented boiler and replace it with two high-efficiency boilers and one 257- gallon storage tank. The two high-efficiency boilers will provide redundancy for the domestic hot water on the west side of the detention center. At 96% thermal efficiency, this is the most cost- effective and efficient water heating system available. Department: Facilities Management Cost: $95,000

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Reseal asphalt at Detention Facility, Health Department The existing asphalt at these two facilities has reached its end of life and is due to be replaced. Patching and sealing it now can extend its use by five years. Department: Facilities Management Cost: $22,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Detention Facility building maintenance This 10% increase to the detention facility's maintenance budget would cover the increasing costs of materials and labor needed to ensure proper maintenance of the facility. Department: Sheriff’s Office Cost: $25,000 Funding source: Property taxes

• Construction manager The construction manager, funded through Facilities Management and the Fairgrounds, would help manage all the current and upcoming construction at the Fairgrounds and throughout the County. They would also supervise County electricians and their projects and would oversee all County building and remodel projects acting. This ensures that projects are completed to County standards, on budget and according to contract. This person would also act as general contractor on smaller jobs to reduce the costs to the County. Department: Facilities Management Cost: $27,820 Funding source: $2,200 from cash savings from previous years; $25,620 from property taxes

• Upgrade building operator to HVAC tech This request would be a reclassification of an existing preventative maintenance FTE. The person in the role would be trained as an HVAC technician capable of performing many of the maintenance and daily repairs tasks on the County’s many HVAC systems. The County generally hires out most of this work currently and spent $17,000 last year on HVAC-related work that a dedicated HVAC tech could take on. Department: Facilities Management Cost: $17,035.52 Funding source: $2,200 from cash savings from previous years; $14,836 from property taxes

• Roof maintenance contracts This request would warranty the roofing on the Detention Facility, Courthouse, Courthouse Annex and Records Center. All these roofs are new, and this would help maintain their quality for a longer period of time and potentially allow the County to re-roof these buildings at a lower cost in the future. Department: Facilities Management Cost: $4,410 Funding source: Property taxes

• Administrative Building cubicles

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET

This request would add six cubicles to the Administrative Building to house additional County staff when needed instead of trying to build it out at the last minute, which is generally difficult and expensive. Providing quality cubicle space with storage, privacy and sit/stand capabilities that are powered and connected to the network will offer significant flexibility to when on- boarding new staff, whether permanent or temporary. Department: Facilities Management Cost: $28,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• CAPS office panels Community and Planning Services needs to rework its office layout to accommodate a growing staff and ongoing office renovation. Department: Community and Planning Services Cost: $15,159 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Courthouse seatwall restoration The current seatwall around the courthouse is coming apart and crumbling in some areas. This request would pay for a contractor to clean the entire seatwall, remove loose or crumbling debris and fill and coat the entire wall with mortar. This will improve both the look and safety of the seatwall. Repairing the wall is much more affordable compared to a total replacement. Department: Facilities Management Cost: $80,000 Funding source: Cash savings from previous years

• Fairgrounds campus-wide WiFi The Fairgrounds currently has a very basic standalone WiFi system with limited functionality. This system is not very flexible and is hard to support. With the ever-changing functions at the Fairgrounds, including serving a location for emergency operations as was the case during COVID, the time has come to replace the aging system by installing the County enterprise WiFi system. This system will be similar to most other County locations, with multiple zones for different purposes. This type of enterprise system performs better, is more manageable and ultimately more secure. Department: Fairgrounds Cost: $9,628 Funding source: ARPA

• Health Department HVAC replacement The Missoula City-County Health Department’s existing HVAC units are unsupported and over 35 years old, so facilities can no longer find replacement parts for them. In addition, the HVAC’s control system is outdated and cannot communicate with the County network. The system is also bringing minimal outside air in, creating an imbalance. Because of this, employees and the public experience cold and hot spots due to inadequate flow in the building. To fulfill this request, existing HVAC units would be removed, and a vendor would help replace the existing equipment and duct work to provide the building with more outside air and a better-balanced system that would allow facilities personnel to better control the air flow and quality of air in the

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET system. The new system would be more energy efficient and designed to better adapt to the County network. Department: Facilities Management Cost: $1,200,000 Funding source: ARPA

• Detention Facility fan wall replacement Missoula County’s Detention Facility has seven existing air handling units that are original to the 22-year-old building. These air handlers have become obsolete and unsupported. The existing HVAC units will need to be retrofitted into a new fan system by an outside contractor. This new fan system will allow for redundancy in each of the air handling units, meaning if one fan goes down, the other fans will continue to work, so fans can be replaced one at a time rather than all at once. This update will also allow for this system to be controlled under the County’s system to maximize efficiencies throughout the detention center and monitor critical functions. Department: Facilities Management Cost: $1,050,000 Funding source: ARPA