Missoula County Weekly: April 11-15

Missoula MT

12 April, 2022

3:21 PM

Description

Press release from the Missoula County Government: April 11, 2022 Read more about the upcoming elections The Missoula City-County Health Department will be winding down COVID-19 testing services over the coming weeks as COVID-19 cases continue to decline and the need for COVID-19 testing services wanes. COVID-19 testing at the 3665 W. Broadway Clinic will be open Sundays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Testing operations will be closed Sunday, April 17, in observance of the Easter holiday. COVID-19 testing operations at the West Broadway Clinic will cease operations on Thursday, May 19. Read more about the health department's changes to COVID-19 testing services This week of Sunday, April 10, to Saturday, April 16 is known both as National Public Safety Telecommunications Week and Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week. 9-1-1 is the critical first link in the chain in delivering public safety services, and those who work as 9-1-1 dispatchers display commitment, dedication and professionalism in accomplishing their mission of receiving calls for help from citizens, dispatching emergency response agencies and maintaining a communication link with the responders to ensure their safety. 9-1-1 dispatchers are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and often work extraordinarily long hours with difficult schedules. Animal Control Officers can often be seen as the "bad guys," - think of Disney's Lady and the Tramp - but often people don't realize just how much animal control officers do for animals in the community. Their jobs range from catching stray animals and returning them to their owners, dealing with aggressive, displaced or stray animals, answering calls about barking complaints and bite incidents, visiting the sites of animal cruelty cases to rescue the animals, and so much more. Often the job involves settling neighbor disputes (say, when there's a dog barking excessively), and each day brings something different. Follow Missoula County's Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to find posts highlighting the great work these folks do, and please help us in thanking them! Missoula County is accepting nominations for the annual Land Stewardship Award. The award recognizes landowners and residents who are taking stewardship of land and water seriously and embarking on projects and practices that make a difference for land, water, forests, wildlife and communities. Community members and organizations are invited to nominate landowners and residents who are restoring, protecting or enhancing land and natural resources to help maintain and strengthen natural systems. The nomination form is due Tuesday, May 31, and is available online at http://missoula.co/stewardshipaward Read more on the land stewardship award The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula is now accepting applications for Preserving Missoula County's History grants. This program is open to all Missoula County non-profit organizations involved in historic preservation and interpretation projects in Missoula County. Read more about the history grants Listen to the full episode at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1846183/10393223 Communications Manager Allison Franz shares how local government works better when we're hearing from the people we serve, no matter what form of communication works best for them. The important thing is that people know their voice matters and that Missoula County is listening and responsive. She shares exciting news about two new tools the County recently implemented to better engage with and respond to the public: an online community engagement platform and a public records request tool. She explains the importance of making sure the County is proactive and transparent with its communications to help dispel misinformation and to keep the details accurate. And there's a bit of a grammar lesson to help people know how to accurately communicate their most their important messages. Connect with Missoula County and stay updated on projects at missoulacountyvoice.com. Thank you to MCAT Missoula for your podcast recording support. Quinn Ziegler, data analyst, Community Justice Department Most of my days are spent crunching numbers to try and figure out ways we can make the justice system work better for our community. My main goal is to support our justice system partners by providing reliable, accurate and timely data that helps them identify issues and make decisions. Given the complexity and diversity inherent in this work, I'm often working on projects that touch multiple aspects of the justice system simultaneously, whether that is understanding changes in the composition of our jail population, evaluating the use of pretrial risk assessments, or providing analytical support to pilot projects that are designed to help justice involved individuals attend court and remain law-abiding. This work often keeps me on my toes, but I always enjoy the opportunity to explore new ways we can use data to better understand and respond to complex issues. Learn more about the Community Justice Department at http://missoula.co/cjd. Community Cooking 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, at the Missoula Public Library Job Service Workshop: Resume Building 2:30-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, at the Missoula Public Library Volunteer Day 12-6 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, at the Missoula Public Library Find more events this week on the County's Event Calendar! Missoula County inks agreement with US Chemical for household hazardous waste disposal Board members elected by acclamation, school board elections canceled Missoula County to wind down COVID testing services in coming weeks Missoula County invites EPA's top officials to discuss Smurfit cleanup, climate goals Missoula County to consider 'I Voted' stickers in Salish language 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, April 12 Chief Administrative Officer Update Commissioners' Administrative Public Meeting Wednesday, April 13 Clerk and Treasurer's Office Update Chief Officers Update Thursday, April 14 No department, administrative or public meetings are scheduled on this day. Friday, April 15 No department, administrative or public meetings are scheduled on this day. Monday, April 18 Public Works Update Community and Planning Services Update Mayor/Chief Administrative Officers Update This press release was produced by the Missoula County Government. The views expressed here are the author's own.