While the Missoula Fire Department waits for November to see if voters will approve its request to raise $7 million annually through a new levy, it's also making plans to construct a new fire station and hire 20 new firefighters.
While the Montana Legislature made several attempts to address the state's housing crisis and the cost of housing, another issue emerged shortly after – that being the state's large increase in the appraised value of properties and the increase in taxes some fear will come as a result.
Five candidates vying to finish the last two years of former Mayor John Engen's term gathered for the first time together at the Missoula Public Library on Monday night to answer questions ranging from housing to homelessness.
Over the past decade, the City of Missoula has taken the lead in Montana with local plans to address the climate crisis, including clean electricity, zero waste and eliminating tailpipe emissions from the city's fleet of vehicles.
Unreliable equipment and changing expectations around policing are fueling new requests in this year's Missoula Police Department budget, including the need for dependable car and body cameras, and several new vehicles.
A push to convert what once served as a winter shelter into a year-round facility drew backlash from several members of City Council on Wednesday, and a pledge from the city to seek solutions for a long-term shelter, where to place it and how to fund it.
With persistent heat and little moisture, Gov. Greg Gianforte on Wednesday asked the federal government to declare a drought disaster for 11 parched Montana counties, including Missoula and Ravalli.
All but one voting member of the City Council on Monday night approved a collective bargaining agreement with the Missoula Police Department in a move that brings officers' pay closer to the market average.