City discusses SLIPA funding

The City of Three Forks may need to change how it spends $172,000 in State-Local Infrastructure Partnership Act (SLIPA) funding.

In 2023, the Montana State Legislature appropriated $20 million from the state general fund to the Montana Department of Commerce to be distributed to incorporated cities and towns as grants based on infrastructure repair and maintenance. The funding included $172,000 set aside for the City of Three Forks, which requires a 25 percent match of $43,000.

At a January 2024 meeting, the City Council approved a priority-based list of projects to send to the state that included:

• A fire hall remodel to add a second bathroom and a shower.

• ADA Automatic Door Replacement at the Three Forks Community Library.

• Remodeling at City Hall.

At last week’s City Council meeting, City Treasurer Kelly Smith said they heard from the State of Montana that they would not be approving the grant funding for the fire department project because it is an addition, not a maintenance project. She added that state officials informed the City that the two other projects were fine.

Smith told the Council she had a couple of options to discuss, including the possibility of putting the new bathrooms in the existing building to make it a maintenance project. She added she wants the project’s designer to see whether that would be feasible.

Smith said if they can’t make it work to where the bathroom is feasible in the current fire hall, that portion of the funding would still need to get absorbed and added another option of using the $56,000 from the grant for additional work at the library.

Smith proposed to the governing body that the City could still do the addition at the fire hall but come with the funding out of the Capital Improvements Plan and General Fund.

According to Smith, the City needs to be under contract for the projects by December to receive the funding.

Councilmember Gene Townsend said he thinks they should use the grant funding for the library and is in favor of using city funds to do the work at the fire hall.

Councilmember George Chancellor said he would like to keep the plan as it is and let the City Subsidize the addition.

Councilmember Garret Buchanan said that although it seems unlikely, there is not too much of a downside to seeing if the design plans could be reworked. He added that he would like to have that confirmed before moving on with the process of the City paying for the addition.

Townsend said he thinks spending that portion of the SLIPA funding at the library will be well spent.

FLOOD MITIGATION PROJECT

In other business from the meeting, Smith told the Council she would travel to Helena with Patty Fernandez of Headwaters Economics to meet with the Montana Department of Transportation.

Smith said while they have yet to get the FWP stamp of approval for the ongoing Flood Mitigation Project, they will meet with MDT because they will need approval for culverts going under the road.

She added that they wanted to get the ball rolling with MDT and hope to get FWP’s approval.