Missoula County could place a $1.8 million mill levy on the November general election ballot to supplement its infrastructure money, which would raise taxes outside of the county’s general 2025 budget.
The 5 mill levy, if approved by the commissioners at their Thursday meeting at 2 p.m., would focus on repaving county-maintained roads and providing local match funds for repairing aging bridges.
Missoula County’s Public Works Department estimates in the long term it will need $165 million to replace all of the aging bridges across the county, much of which comes from property taxes.
Currently, the county has a $7.6 million budget for infrastructure needs, which comes from property taxes, state gas taxes and other state and federal funds.
Of that, County Public Works Director Shane Stack said the county has roughly $600,000 for capital improvement projects, which he said is not enough to cover aging infrastructure.
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“Our needs are significantly greater than that,” Stack said.
Public Works estimates it will need another $4.3 million annually to keep up with needed repairs, the county said in a press release on Monday.
The proposed 5 mill levy would cost taxpayers $6.75 per $100,000 of property value.
Last week, the county submitted initial budget proposals, with a goal of keeping tax increases under the rate of inflation, or 3.4%. If a levy is added and approved by voters in November, that potential tax increase will be higher.
The county is also awaiting results of a Bridge Improvement Project grant from the federal government, which would fund three bridge replacements on the northeast side of the county.
Stack said whether or not it gets the grant, the county will need more money to provide a local match for larger grants. The BIP grant requires a $3 million local match for a $17 million grant.
If the commissioners approve the mill levy at their Thursday meeting, the levy would go on the ballot for voters to decide on Nov. 5. Residents can visit missoulacountyvoice.com for more information.
Griffen Smith is the local government reporter for the Missoulian.