The cost to repair and maintain Missoula County’s roads and bridges is far outpacing revenue, prompting an addition to the November ballot — a mill levy that would raise about $1.8 million annually for public infrastructure.
The Missoula County commissioners on Thursday approved placing a five-mill levy on the Nov. 5 general election ballot to help fund construction, repairs and maintenance of public roads, bridges and trails.
“Roads, bridges, potholes, dust, those are the things constituents complain about the most, as they should, and we’re not anywhere near able to do the amount of maintenance that’s needed,” Commissioner Juanita Vero said during the meeting.
If the levy passes, the owner of a $300,000 home would pay an additional $20.25 annually and the owner of a $600,000 home would pay $40.50. The levy would take effect in the 2026 fiscal year.
Two residents who commented during the meeting suggested the county reduce its debt and other costs before moving forward with the levy. Several online comments on the levy information page were against any new taxes.
About $7.6 million from property taxes, state gas tax and other state and federal sources pays for work on the 452 miles of roads, 123 bridges and 346 culverts the county is responsible for, Public Works Director Shane Stack said during the Thursday meeting. The public works department estimates it needs another $4.3 million annually to fully fund the county’s infrastructure needs.
Shortly after Stack joined the county five years ago, it became clear infrastructure hadn’t been adequately funded, he told Montana Free Press. Stack speculated the backlog grew because, historically, elected officials didn’t want to raise taxes.
“I don’t know what’s worse, having to close a bridge and tell people you are going to be walking to your house from now on or that we’ve gotta raise taxes,” he said.
State law limits how much the county can increase property taxes, putting severe pressure on the public works department as costs rise, said Chris Lounsbury, county chief administrative officer. Efforts to raise money in other ways have not worked, he said.
The county’s attempt to raise more money for roads four years ago with a voter-approved two-cent gas tax was repealed by the Legislature the following year. The tax would have raised $1.2 million annually for city and county road projects. A bill that would have directed some marijuana tax revenue to county road projects was vetoed by Gov. Greg Gianforte.
“It’s not lost on me, the electeds and other folks at the county that folks are fed up with property taxes,” Stack said. “The more options the Legislature takes away, we’re left with fewer and fewer options. This is it, unfortunately.”
As staff put together the 2025 budget on the heels of two bridge closures earlier this year, it’s clear the county does not have enough money to pay for needed repairs, Stack said.
The county closed the Boy Scout Bridge on the southwestern side of Seeley Lake in November 2023 due to severe decay. While the county plans to replace the bridge, it is waiting to hear back on a federal grant to help pay for the $13 million project. The Maclay Bridge, which closed in January, reopened in June after repairs.
The bridges are just two about a dozen high-priority bridges that would cost about $63.3 million to replace, Stack told the commissioners on Thursday. Based on average costs and life expectancies for all bridges, the county should be spending about $2.2 million per year, he said.
“These are very expensive pieces of infrastructure we don’t have the ability to repair or replace,” Stack said.
The public works department is focusing more on applying for grants but needs money for the local matching funds, Stack said.
Along with addressing the county’s bridges, the levy revenue would also be used to repave or chip-seal roads more regularly, Stack said. The county currently spends about $500,000 per year on the work when it should spend about $2.7 million, he said.
A 2020 evaluation of the county’s 254 miles of paved roads estimated that all necessary repairs would cost $23 million at that time, a price tag that’s likely gone up since, Stack said. The study included an updated pavement condition map showing how many roads are continuing to deteriorate.
Levy revenue could also help pay for maintenance on the 47 miles of trails the county is responsible for, Stack said.
While the $1.8 million generated by the levy wouldn’t cover all costs, it would help bridge the gap, he said.
“If we don’t receive enough or adequate funding to maintain infrastructure, we will continue to see it deteriorate,” Stack said. “More bridges will close, more asphalt roads will turn to gravel, more potholes will start to show up on paved roads and gravel roads. … If we can spend more now, it will save us more on future replacement costs.”
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