Missoula County Government: Missoula County Weekly: Dec. 13-17

Missoula MT

14 December, 2021

6:00 PM

Description

Press release from the Missoula County Government: 12/13/2021 4:00 PM Media Releases Contact Us Boards, Committees, Councils and Special Districts Current Vacancies Online Application Governing Boards Aging Services Governing Board Airport Authority Board Florence-Carlton Cemetery Board Health Boards Historical Museum Board Library Board Lolo Mosquito Abatement District Board Missoula Urban Transportation District Board Seeley Lake Cemetery District Board Tax Appeal Board Zoning Board of Adjustment Contact Us Help Customer Service Request Page Layout & Usage Site Navigation Site Map Departments, Divisions and Programs Animals & Pets Arts & Culture Birth, Death & Other Records Business Resolutions & Ordinances Community Communications Community Development About Missoula County Mission, Vision & Values Calendar Customer Service Request Elected Officials What is County Government? Frequently Asked Questions Apply for a building permit a burn permit (purchase or activate) County employment a food or lodging license a marriage license a septic permit or well permit a volunteer position on a County board, commission, or committee Contact a crime victim advocate a community council a Missoula County department the Commissioners' Office Donate to the Friends of the Shelter the Friends of the Library the Friends of the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula Email Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Reddit Read more Tribal and County leaders, agency partners, historians and curators will meet to share updates at the biannual Heritage Roundtable at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15. The Heritage Roundtable, which Commissioner Dave Strohmaier spearheaded in 2019, is an effort to engage and collaborate with local organizations to preserve the community's shared history and heritage for future generations. Next week's meeting will feature presentations on a wide-range of recent projects, including the new Rocky Mountain Gardens and Exploration Center, the LaLonde Ranch, Beartracks Bridge and the COVID-19 documentation project. Join the meeting via Microsoft Teams Missoula County commissioners will hold next Larchmont Housing Proposal public meeting at 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 16, via Microsoft Teams. Based on staff feedback and public comment, commissioners will determine at the meeting whether to direct staff to devote any further resources to researching the feasibility of the proposal. Members of the public can attend and submit comment. Residents can also submit comment by emailing [email protected] or calling 406-258-4877. At their public meeting on Dec. 9, the commissioners adopted the 2021 Long Range Transportation Plan – Missoula Connect 2050 as an issue plan of the Missoula County Growth Policy. A long-range transportation plan sets forth a direction and strategy to help shape a region's transportation network. It considers all modes, including driving, walking, bicycling and transit, to help set priorities for the future. Watch the full meeting The Missoula Food Bank and Community Center received $256,276 in Community Development Block Grant CARES Act funding to support activities that will prevent, prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Missoula County applied to the Montana Department of Commerce for these funds on behalf of the Missoula Food Bank. This grant will allow the Missoula Food Bank and Community Center the ability to expand its food distribution services in Bonner, Lolo and the Futura Manufactured Home Community. "The money received by the food bank will be used to reimburse some prior expenses dating back to March of 2020 and restore services in outlying communities that were discontinued due to a lack of funding," said Sindie Kennedy, Missoula County Grants Administrator. With this grant, the food bank will have the ability to increase staffing and increase their supply of perishable and nonperishable foods. Read the Montana Department of Commerce's Press Release Clerk and Treasurer's Office introduces enhanced queue system  Missoula County residents who need to title a vehicle, renew their vehicle registration or pay property taxes have more direct control over their schedule thanks to an enhanced virtual queue system the Clerk and Treasurer's Office recently launched. The public can join the line for these and other services from home, work or any other location.  Members of the public can join the queue by texting "Missoula Clerk" to 406-285-7490 or visiting the "Come See Us!" page at http://missoulaclerk.us. The queue opens each weekday at 7:30 a.m. and closes shortly before 5 p.m.  Read more  With the first real snowfall of the year this past week, now is the time to make sure your car is prepared for the season! Here's a helpful list of items to help keep you safe while you're out and about: Windshield scraper Snow brush Shovel Chain or rope Basic tool kit Jumper cables Flashlight Sunglasses Blanket Warm clothes Boots Water Non-perishable snacks Cellphone charger Half tank of gas Flare or reflector Sandbag Windshield wiper fluid First aid kit COVID-19 vaccines are available for anyone age 5+. Visit http://covid19.missoula.co/get-vaccinated to schedule an appointment. Listen to the full episode online at https://www.buzzsprout.com/.../9681407-cannabis-zoning-in... or on Spotify, Stitcher or Apple Podcasts. Beginning Jan. 1, 2022, recreational marijuana can be legally cultivated and sold in Montana. This industry is expected to provide additional income for the community, both through product taxation and job creation. Planner Jennie Dixon and Sustainability Program Manager Diana Maneta review how Missoula County is preparing to address the specific impacts associated with this new industry. They share details about state regulations, the authority Missoula County has and energy efficiency measures being proposed for cultivation operations. The community is invited to participate in the process to help create appropriate regulations to provide opportunity while minimizing negative impacts from this industry in Missoula County. Learn more and provide comments at http://missoula.co/cannabisregulations. B-Rad Applegate, infectious disease specialist in Health Promotion at the Missoula City-County Health Department I started my career in public and community health at Missoula City-County Health Department in July 2016 after finishing my Bachelor of Science in nursing that spring. My first job was to work part-time in the outpatient clinic administering vaccines and part-time in the infectious disease office. I fell in love with my infectious disease work, and within a year started my master's in public health with a concentration in community health prevention sciences.    During this time, I shifted to working full-time in infectious diseases with an emphasis on HIV outreach. I was able to offer HIV testing, counseling and education in nonclinical settings such as Imagine Nation Brewing Company, the University of Montana campus, Gay Pride, the Testicle Festival and Out to Lunch.  I became aware of the relationship between stigma and infectious diseases in my graduate coursework and incorporated evidence-based practices to reduce stigma with my outreach work.  My primary responsibility is to follow up on roughly 70 infectious diseases that are required by law to be reported to the health department. The purpose of following up on these infectious diseases is to interrupt the chain of transmission. I also love to engage in community health outreach activities, including teaching middle and high school students about sexually transmitted infections, offering vaccines to people in nonclinical settings, educating wildland firefighters about infectious diseases they may encounter on the job and serving as a resource for the medical community in Missoula.  Makerspace Class – 3D Printing 101 Workshop 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, at the Missoula Public Library Holiday Caroling at the Library 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 17, at the Missoula Public Library - Lobby Craft and Cookie Decorating with Santa 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, at the Missoula Public Library – Cooper Room Find more events this week on the County's Event Calendar! No more lines: Missoula County Clerk & Treasurer uses new system Missoula health department announces new location for COVID testing, vaccination To join commissioner department, administrative and public meetings via Microsoft Teams and view the agendas, visit the Missoula County Commissioners' Meeting Minutes and Agenda Portal. Please note that agendas for department and administrative meetings are published two business days before the meeting, and public meeting agendas are published the Friday before the meeting. Administrative and public meeting video recordings are available on the Missoula County YouTube page after the meeting, and MCAT plays the public meetings live on their Spectrum Channel 190. Email [email protected] or call 406-258-4877 if you have any questions or comments on an upcoming meeting. Tuesday, Dec. 14 No department, administrative or public meetings are scheduled on this day. Wednesday, Dec. 15 Zoning Code Update Human Resources Update Chief Officers Update All Community Council Meeting Thursday, Dec. 16 Chief Administrative Officer Update Sheriff's Office Update Commissioners' Administrative Public Meeting Friday, Dec. 17 No department, administrative or public meetings are scheduled on this day. Monday, Dec. 20 Community and Planning Services Update This press release was produced by the Missoula County Government. The views expressed here are the author's own.