Missoula County Government: Missoula County Weekly: April 18-22

Missoula MT

19 April, 2022

2:57 PM

Description

Press release from the Missoula County Government: April 18, 2022 Missoula County Voice is an online community engagement platform that provides an easy, accessible way for residents to learn about and provide feedback on county projects and initiatives. It will allow the County to deliver clear, accurate and transparent information and provide residents with a convenient way to share ideas and opinions on projects and initiatives and feel more involved with how their tax dollars are spent. The County also launched an online public records request management system, NextRequest, to facilitate access to public records and help staff respond to requests more efficiently and consistently. The Missoula County Elections Office mailed approximately 70,000 ballots April 13 for the May 3 school/special district election. All active and provisionally registered voters in Missoula County who reside in one of the active school or special districts will receive their ballot in the mail. This is an all-mail election. Return postage for ballots is prepaid, and voters also can drop off their ballots at the Elections Center at 140 N. Russell St. leading up to the election. Polling places will not be open on Election Day. Ballots are due back to the Elections Office by 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 3. Postmarks are not sufficient. The Elections Office also launched a series of voter education videos that document ballot processing and verification, which are online now at http://missoula.co/electionintegrity. Members of the public can also attend several tours to learn about the processes the Elections Office follows leading up to and after Election Day that ensure accuracy and integrity of elections. The following will take place at the Elections Center: 9:45 a.m. Thursday, April 28: Election equipment testing 9:45 a.m. Monday, May 2: Ballot processing 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, May 3: Ballot tabulation 2:45 p.m. Monday, May 9: Provisional ballot count 2:30 p.m. Monday, May 16: Election canvass Read more about the upcoming school/special district election Missoula County invites the community to the commissioners' public meeting at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 5, where the commissioners will review the updated zoning code and potentially vote on whether to adopt the code. This will be a hybrid meeting, and people can attend in the Sophie Moiese Room in the courthouse annex or online via Microsoft Teams. A meeting agenda and link will be published online at http://missoula.co/bccmeetings. People are encouraged to review the zoning code before the public meeting at www.mczoningupdate.com. The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula is in its home stretch to raise funds for the restoration of two barracks to tell the important story of the World War II Alien Detention Center that was located at Fort Missoula from 1941 to 1944. The overall cost of the project is $800,000, but thanks to a grant from the Japanese American Confinement Sites grant program and several local foundations and supporters, the Historical Museum is only $20,000 away from its goal. To raise the last bit, the Historical Museum is participating in Missoula Gives on May 5 and 6. One barrack will be restored and used as an immersive exhibit, and the second will be a reconstruction that will provide the museum with a state-of-the-art collection storage space to preserve artifacts for future generations. Listen to the full episode at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1846183/10439951 Missoula County Shelter Project Coordinator Casey Gannon and City of Missoula Houseless Initiatives Specialist Emily Armstrong join the commissioners to provide an update on County and City efforts to help unhoused people in our community. Finding housing takes time and resources, which can be difficult when you're constantly living in survival mode. In response to this need, the City and County created the Operation Shelter team to identify and vet potential locations for community members experiencing houselessness to temporarily stay while for the secure more permanent housing. Casey and Emily explain how the City and County have partnered together and are finding creative solutions to a problem that outpaces available resources. While they are focused on the intense immediate need of providing temporary, safe and secure spaces for those camping in the urban area, they are also keeping their eyes on the long-term goal of helping these members of our community find stable housing. The conversation explores the key differences between the Temporary Safe Outdoor Space and the Authorized Camping Site, the longevity of these services and next steps as American Rescue Plan Act funding begins to dissipate. It's a balance of infrastructure, systems, programs and provider support, and a community that is willing to recognize these people, living and working among us, also consider Missoula home, even if they don't have a house of their own. Blooms and Brews 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, at the Missoula County Fairgrounds – Home Arts Building Photography Basics with Rocky Mountain School of Photography 6:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 20, at the Missoula Public Library Open Lands Citizen Advisory Committee 6-8 p.m. Thursday, April 21, at the Community and Planning Services Conference Room, 127 E. Main, Suite 2 or via Microsoft Teams 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 19 District and Justice Court Update Commissioners' Administrative Public Meeting County Attorneys Update Wednesday, April 20 Human Resources Update Chief Officers Update Thursday, April 21 Chief Administrative Officer Update Sheriff's Office Update Commissioners' Administrative Public Meeting Friday, April 22 No department, administrative or public meetings are scheduled on this day. Monday, April 25 Public Works Update Community and Planning Services Update Zoning Code Update This press release was produced by the Missoula County Government. The views expressed here are the author's own.