This fund covers the cost of maintaining county buildings and structures, such as the courthouse, the health department, the library and the jail. This fund can also be used to cover the cost of unexpected events, like flooding or mechanical failures, for upgrades the make county buildings more energy efficient. 

This funds comprehensive training and support services to early-childhood service providers in Missoula County to help sustain and improve quality of childcare available to families. The fund was established based on the belief that investing in evidence-based, best practice professional development for Missoula’s early childhood caregivers establishes a path for success for children throughout their lifetime. Training topics include early-learning childhood curriculum, health and safety, nutrition, inclusion of special needs children and business management, among others. A qualified vendor provides these services under contract.  

This funds the Planning, Development and Sustainability Department. Staff in this department ensure the county experiences well-planned growth with adequate infrastructure. They do this through managing the subdivison review process, implementing zoning and enforcing floodplain regulations. Staff in this department also work to implement the County's climate action goals, including 100% clean electricity for the Missoula urban area by 2030 and carbon neutrality in county operations by 2035. 

 

This provides support to local nonprofits and service providers that offer programs to meet basic human needs, like shelter and safety. In 2023, $900,000 from the Community Assistance Fund was awarded to organizations that serve at-risk populations by helping provide food, shelter, medical care and transportation. 

This funds the Community Justice Department, which promotes the safety of all Missoula County residents. This includes the Crime Victim Advocate program, which offers free and confidential assistance to survivors of relationship violence, sexual assault and stalking through civil and criminal advocacy and resource information. The department also works to ensure the efficient, just treatment of defendants and offenders and coordinates the justice system's response to crime and the prevention of crime. Staff also work to implement measures to safely reduce the jail population. 

This is a countywide four-mill levy to support Missoula Aging Services. MAS provides programs and services, such as Meals on Wheels and Veteran Direct Care, for older adults and those who care for them. Voters approved this line item in spring 2022.

This funds operations and staff of the Department of Ecology and Extension. Formerly known as the Missoula County Weed District, the Department of Ecology and Extension houses the County Weed District, Aquatic Invasive Species District (the only one in the state), Lolo Mosquito District, Missoula Extension and the MSU Extension Office.

 

This funds operations at the Missoula County Fairgrounds. The Missoula County Fairgrounds promotes agriculture, education, culture, recreation and community connection through year-round events. The Fairgrounds is home to the Western Montana Fair, the Missoula Stampede Rodeo and Glacier Ice Rink. 

This funds the Animal Control division of Missoula Public Health. Missoula Animal Control is dedicated to the protection and care of all domestic animals and the safety of the public. Through enforcement, education and sheltering, Missoula Animal Control strives to care for Missoula County's lost, injured and abused animals. Animal Control staff run the no-kill shelter, handle pet licensing, respond to nuisance reports and more. Only residents outside Missoula city limits see this on their tax bills; city residents pay through the City's general fund. 

This pays for the county's contribution to Missoula Public Health. MPH is the city-county health department, which supports the health of people, environments and communities. MPH provides a wide range of services and programs, including an immunization clinic, restaurant inspections, suicide prevention, air quality monitoring, septic and sewer permitting and more.

This is a voter-approved levy that supports operations at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, which provides educational opportunities on the history of Missoula County and Western Montana. Approved in 2002, this levy supplements the funding the museum raises through its nonprofit. Located on 32 acres with more than 20 historic structures, the museum offers educational opportunities to residents and visitors, as well as more than 4,000 schoolchildren who visit the museum annually. Admission to the museum is free for all Missoula County residents.  

This supports programs and pays for equipment and materials at the Missoula Public Library and its branches. County voters approved this levy in 2006, and it is different than the 2016 general obligation bonds issued to build the new main library building. The Missoula Public Library has provided programs, materials and services to meet the informational, cultural, recreational and educational needs of its patrons since 1894. The library moved to an expanded downtown Missoula facility in 2021 and has branch locations in Target Range, Frenchtown, Lolo, Potomac, Seeley Lake and the Swan Valley.

This countywide line item levied at the commissioners' discretion each year. These funds are divided between the County Attorney’s Office and Grants and Community Programs to support an emergency mental health system that provides crisis intervention and stabilization services to children and adults in crisis. The County Attorney’s Office uses the funds to provide involuntary detention assessments, evaluations and court hearings, as required by law. Grants and Community Programs allocates the remaining funds to crisis programs in need of gap funding. In recent years, funds have supported the Mobile Support Team. This fiscal year, the funding will go toward opening the Riverwalk Crisis Center, a facility for people experiencing a behavioral health crisis.

 This supports operations for the Parks, Trails and Open Lands department and helps fund expansions and improvements to parks and recreational opportunities throughout the county. The Parks, Trails and Open Lands Division manages 91 parks and more than 40 miles of shared-use paths and trails in the county, where people of all ages may participate in both passive and active outdoor recreation. This line item includes funding from one voter-approved mill. 

This helps cover the costs to provide health insurance for County employees. Missoula County self-funds and self-administers its employee benefits plan, which includes medical, dental and vision coverage. Administering its own plan instead of contracting with an outside insurance provider helps lower the cost to provide coverage for Missoula County employees and their dependents. 

This levy supports the cost of property and liability insurance for the County and its assets. 

 

This funds the Sheriff's Office, including deputy salaries and equipment. The Missoula County Sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer and is responsible for the enforcement of state and county laws and statutes. The Missoula County Sheriff also serves as coroner, investigating all unattended deaths or deaths that may be criminally caused. 

This funds the maintenance of bridges in the city and county, with the exception of state and federal bridges. Public Works is responsible for the maintenance of 132 bridges (including nine pedestrian bridges) and approximately 528 sumps and 337 culverts in the county. Missoula County is required by law to oversee the maintenance of all bridges in the county, including those within city limits. This differs from the Public Works - Road fund, which is only used to maintain roads within the county but outside city limits. 

This funds maintenance of county roads, which includes paving, dust abatement and snow plowing. The Public Works Road Division is responsible for maintaining approximately 447 miles of roads throughout the county; approximately 253 miles those miles are paved and 191 miles are gravel. The department operates and maintains one portable rock crusher, which is used to produce the aggregate materials needed for road maintenance. The division employs 28 operators and mechanics between the main office west of Missoula and the satellite shop in Seeley Lake. This line item only appears on tax bills for residents outside Missoula city limits. 

This funds a countywide voted levy for $80,000 per year to buy equipment, train and pay for operational expenses of the Missoula County Volunteer Search and Rescue Organization, which is associated with the Sheriff's Office.

This funds a mill levy county voters approved in 2008 that supports efforts to prevent underage substance abuse in Missoula County. The County awards approximately $368,000 to programs that support healthy youth and families and reduce the negative consequences and high costs of substance abuse. This year's recipients include Missoula Public Health, All Nations Health Center, Project Success, the Boys and Girls Club, EmpowerMT, Friends of the Children and Mountain Home Montana.    

This fund pays for the cost of computers, phone systems and other technology needs for County staff and the public. 

This voter-approved levy provides funding to help control noxious weeds on public lands throughout the county with an emphasis on coordination, prevention, detection, rapid response and control.

This funds joint City-County long-term planning efforts, mainly within the Metropolitan Planning Organization planning area.

This funds operations of the Missoula County Detention Center, a division of the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office. A commander and an assistant commander lead the facility, which requires nearly 120 total staff to operate and houses a clinic, library, school, counselors, dentist, phone system, commissary (store), banking, housing, religious services, courts and staff that provide maintenance and security functions. MCDF operates a kitchen that serves approximately 1,100 meals daily.

This funds the Clerk of District Court office. The official keeper of Missoula County District Court records, the office files more than 5,000 new cases and issues maintains 800 new marriage licenses annually and retains records related to adoption, civil, criminal, dependent neglect, domestic relations, guardianship, juvenile, paternity, probate and involuntary commitment cases. Each year, the office pulls and maintains a pool of potential jurors for municipal, justice and district court judges from a combined list of active registered voters, licensed drivers and Montana ID card holders. Staff then pull individual jury panels for District Court judges.

This pays for debt service for the purchase and recently completed renovations at the Elections Center. The Missoula County Elections Office conducts all municipal, county, state and federal elections in the county. Office duties also include voter registration and list maintenance, petition signature processing, candidate filing, mailing and processing ballots and staffing polling places.

 

This funds 20 departments across the county, including the County Attorney’s Office, Clerk and Treasurer's Office, 9-1-1, Elections, Justice Court, Commissioners' Office, Human Resources, Financial Administration and others.  

This funds the grants division in the Office of Lands and Communities. Staff in the division work to improve the quality of life in Missoula County. Grants staff assist other county departments in acquiring, managing and reporting on private, state and federal grants. They also manage County-funded opportunities for local groups like the Micro Rural Grants, the Community Assistance Fund and the Substance Abuse Prevention Mill Levy.

This funds payment for legal settlements against the County that existing funds cannot cover, typically over a 5-year period. 

 

This covers the cost to pay back the voter-approved bonds issued to build the new main branch of the Missoula Public Library. This $30 million bond will run for 20 years, when it will be paid off and come off the tax rolls. 

This covers the cost to pay back bonds the County issued in 2017 to complete renovations of the historic courthouse to ensure accessibility and energy efficiency. These bonds also funded the purchase of the County's Administration Building. 

This covers the cost of health insurance for County employees working to provide services outside Missoula city limits. This only appears on tax bills for residents outside the City of Missoula. 

This voter-approved levy specifically funds search and rescue efforts in Seeley Lake, Condon and the Greenough/Potomac areas.