Sign up for the free Great Falls This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Great Falls city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events.
01/26/2026
Last year, Great Falls City commissioners approved a 27% increase in utility rates to build a reserve fund to support growth in local water, sewer and stormwater systems.
Now, the city has introduced a framework for how projects will be funded from that reserve.
City staff shared an overview last week of the “strategic capital investment reserve (SCIR)” fund, which is expected to raise roughly $6 million annually. Each utility — water, sewer, and stormwater — will be allocated a maximum of $2 million in annual spending.
Public Works Director Chris Gaub told commissioners that the general goals are to improve city infrastructure and “potentially help spur development.” Approved projects could be initiated alongside a single proposed development but must benefit the existing utility system by increasing capacity or replacing aged infrastructure. Examples of that could include installing larger water mains near new construction or adding a lift station to move sewage to the treatment plant.
Large projects funded by this reserve will be approved through bi-annual application deadlines, according to city documents. The draft policy reserves $250,000 for each utility to support smaller development requests on a first-come, first-served basis.
Private developers, nonprofit builders and the city’s public works department are all eligible to apply for the money. Applicants must submit their requests before soliciting bids from contractors and must have the required land-use approvals, such as zoning or annexation, to apply.
The draft fund policy includes a scoring system that considers a range of criteria, from job creation to project readiness and an applicant’s access to additional non-city funds.
The highest scoring weight is given to projects that “benefit the existing system and infrastructure,” based on how many homes are served, as well as the “enablement of future growth” based on how many future homes might be served by added capacity in the water, sewer or stormwater systems.
Other policy guardrails in the draft policy are that projects can’t benefit a “single development,” meaning private developers would have to demonstrate a benefit to existing residents. For example, a stormwater retention pond might be built for a new housing development but would be able to collect stormwater from the surrounding neighborhood as well.
Street improvements aren’t eligible for funding from this reserve.
While Great Falls officials are in the middle of developing a new growth policy, they are grappling with how to fund infrastructure growth in a region that has had roughly the same population for decades. Funding models for sewer and water systems in other cities, such as Bozeman and Missoula, support growth in part through impact fees that developers pay based on the size of their project.
In Great Falls, there hasn’t historically been enough development to build a significant reserve fund through the impact fee model, according to Planning Director Brock Cherry. The alternative in Great Falls was to tap into utility ratepayers through last year’s approved increases.
“With our current growth rate, we have found that if we want to encourage additional growth in our community, then we’re going to have to have our existing community participate in some way,” Cherry told commissioners last week.
Last September, Great Falls City Manager Greg Doyon spoke at length about the perceived need for the city to take a more proactive approach to area development. He said that the lack of capacity in the city’s water, sewer and stormwater systems has created additional costs for developers and even scuttled some potential projects.
“So in order to build or construct there, you’re going to need to invest not only in your site but outside and build up the infrastructure that’s going to support that primary development,” Doyon said at the time. “That gets really expensive very quickly. And I think that closes the door on a lot of opportunities.”
The SCIR fund aims to build capacity in the utility systems to avoid such scenarios, according to city officials, who hope to put the proposal out for public comment in the coming weeks and reach city commission approval by April. Eligible projects could be approved by this summer.
A draft of the reserve fund policy is available here.
State reviewing Montana Renewables tax break request
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is accepting public comments through Feb. 5 on Montana Renewables’ latest tax break request. The benefit offers a 50% tax break for producers of certain alternative fuels.
The tax benefit, part of Montana law, covers a range of industry sectors, including biomass, clean coal, ethanol, geothermal and other forms of energy production. In 2023, the law was changed to add sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel — two products exclusively produced in this state by Montana Renewables. Great Falls lawmaker Steve Fitzpatrick carried that bill.
Montana Renewables currently receives 50% tax breaks from both Great Falls and Cascade County under a state law that benefits new and expanding industry. State law doesn’t allow this tax benefit to apply at the same time as the alternative fuels tax break.
Montana Renewables said in its application that it would seek to terminate the new and expanding industry benefit, which lasts 10 years and is gradually phased out over the final five years, in order to secure the alternative fuels benefit, which provides a greater tax break and lasts 15 years.
The company benefits from multiple other tax incentives. Last June, the biorefinery received a full property tax exemption on $67 million in “pollution control equipment,” which are devices or machinery that help to curb air or water emissions. The company originally claimed the entire biorefinery qualified for this exemption.
Public financial disclosures showed that Montana Renewables received $90 million in federal tax credits in 2025 through its production of sustainable aviation fuel. This is part of a federal incentive known as the “clean fuel production credit.”
Calumet, which is the parent company of Montana Renewables and still an active petroleum refinery at the Great Falls site, was granted last year an 80% tax break on $6.1 million in new manufacturing equipment. That benefit lasts a decade.
Calumet recently settled a multi-year property tax protest that reduced its tax bill by an estimated $1.4 million over three years. It’s the company’s second such protest since 2017.
Montana Renewables is in the midst of an expansion funded by a $1.6 billion loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy.
5 Things to Know in Great Falls
Candidate filing remains open through Feb. 9 for the Great Falls Public Schools Board of Trustees election. Three seats are up for grabs and are currently held by Bill Bronson, Kim Skornogoski and Amie Thompson. Bronson and Thompson have filed so far for reelection, according to the Cascade County Elections Administrator Terry Thompson. The election is May 5.
The coin-operated parking meters downtown cannot be upgraded to implement new hourly rates, according to city Planning Director Brock Cherry. He told city commissioners last week that the “technology doesn’t exist” to upgrade the meters. Furthermore, Cherry said the company that provided the meters said the engineer who designed them now lives in India. The information will be incorporated into the city’s temporary plan to increase fines and fees, which will get a public hearing Feb. 3.
Cassidy Blomgren was appointed last week to be a municipal court judge. Starting Jan. 30, Blomgren will serve the remainder of the term of Judge Steven Bolstad, who resigned at the end of 2025. That term ends at the end of 2027, and the municipal election in November 2027 will determine who fills the seat for the next four-year term. Blomgren is currently a city prosecutor.
City commissioners voted on an abatement measure for a “nuisance” property at 816 3rd Ave. S. The abatement may include demolishing the structure, according to the city staff’s recommendation. City documents described decades of trouble at the house, including past abatement attempts. In January 2025, the property owner was found guilty in absentia for criminal nuisance and allowing rubbish to accumulate. In late 2025, a city building official deemed the home uninhabitable with no active utilities. The city didn’t provide a cost estimate for razing the property.
Cascade County commissioners will consider a new emergency notification system vendor on Jan. 27. The sheriff’s office cut ties with the previous vendor, CodeRED, after the system failed without explanation prior to a planned test. The potential new vendor, Motorola RAVE, was the only company that agreed to the same costs the county paid the previous vendor, according to officials. The county commission meeting is Jan. 27 at 9:30 a.m.
3 Questions For
At the end of January, Gary Owen will retire as president of United Way of Cascade County after 25 years at the organization. United Way’s Community Impact Director Lacey Hallett will take his place.
Over his time at United Way, Owen said that while many community issues remain the same, the insight and approaches to help residents have evolved. In this Q&A, Owen told MTFP about how his own perspectives evolved in the job and what personal stories he’ll take with him.
A retirement celebration for Owen is scheduled for Jan. 28.
MTFP: What community issues were on your radar 25 years ago at United Way and how has time changed those issues?
Owen: When I began my work with United Way in 2000, many of the community issues we were focused on — mental health challenges, substance use disorders and generational poverty — were already deeply rooted. While those issues persist today, what has changed most profoundly over the past 25 years is our collective understanding of how complex and interconnected they truly are and what it takes to create lasting change.
Early on, our work was largely oriented around individual programs and direct services designed to meet immediate needs. Over time, we have come to see that sustainable progress requires more than well-run programs — it requires alignment, shared purpose and systems-level solutions that address root causes rather than symptoms. This shift has elevated the role of collaboration, data and long-term strategy in community change efforts.
We have also grown in our appreciation that people’s lives cannot be defined by a single challenge. Each individual and family brings a unique story shaped by opportunity, trauma, resilience and hope. Recognizing this has pushed us to design more inclusive, responsive and equitable approaches that meet people where they are.
Today, there is a growing belief across sectors that no single organization or system can solve these challenges alone. The opportunity before us is to harness the collective strength of nonprofits, businesses, government and community members to co-create solutions that expand opportunity and improve outcomes for generations to come. That shared commitment — and the momentum behind it — gives me optimism for the future of our community.
MTFP: How has your perspective of community service changed over your tenure and why?
Owen: Over the course of my tenure, my perspective on community service has evolved from recognizing generosity to understanding the critical importance of leadership development. I continue to be inspired by the giving spirit of our community — not only through financial support, but through the time, talents and energy people invest to strengthen Great Falls and Cascade County. A relatively small but deeply committed group of individuals consistently steps forward, and their leadership is visible in nearly every positive initiative taking place.
What time has made clear, however, is that strong communities do not sustain themselves without intentional leadership renewal. Many of the individuals who have long served as pillars of our community are reaching a point where they must step back, myself included. While it is encouraging to see emerging leaders making a meaningful impact, the long-term health of our community depends on our ability to intentionally identify, develop and support the next generation of civic and nonprofit leaders.
I have come to believe that leadership is not defined by position, wealth or the amount of time one can give. Leadership begins with engagement — with individuals who are willing to step outside their inner circles, learn about community challenges and take responsibility for being part of the solution. When we create pathways for people to lead at every level, we strengthen not only individual organizations but the entire social fabric of our community. That commitment to growing leaders is, in my view, one of the most important investments we can make for the future.
MTFP: Can you recall a story of personal impact you experienced during your time at United Way of Cascade County?
Owen: It is difficult to point to just one story of personal impact because my time at United Way of Cascade County has been filled with them. Each year, the services we help support reach more than 30,000 individuals across our community, and behind every number is a person whose life has been touched in a meaningful way.
When I think about the impact of our community initiatives, certain moments immediately come to mind. I picture the “Grad Walks” we coordinate with local schools, where graduating seniors in caps and gowns walk through elementary school hallways, inspiring young students who line the halls, cheering them on. Those moments capture hope, possibility and the power of showing children what success can look like.
I also think of our “Read2Me” events, where local community leaders visit every second-grade classroom in Great Falls. I’ve participated myself, and the excitement, curiosity and eagerness to learn shown by those students is so energizing.
On a more personal level, one story stands out. In our campaign video this year, a local hero shared her journey through domestic violence and poverty, and how support from multiple United Way partners helped her regain stability and rebuild her life. With that support, she not only became self-sufficient, but went on to lead one of our partner organizations herself. Today, she gives back generously to the same community that once helped her. Her story embodies what United Way strives to achieve: connecting people to support at critical moments and creating pathways for lasting change.