Connect With Your Community!
Connect With Your Community!
At their regular meeting last week, the Gallatin County Commission approved a resolution establishing the fiscal year 2025 Open Space Levy funding amounts for "Conservation" and "Other Eligible Projects."
According to Chief Planning Officer Sean O'Callaghan, the Open Space Levy passed by voters in 2018 allows Gallatin County to levy up to 4.5 mills annually, with .5 mills transferred to the parks fund for capital improvements and maintenance needs of county-owned parks.
In a letter to the Commission, O'Callaghan said the remaining four mills are split into "Conservation Projects" and "Other Eligible Projects."
"Conservation Projects are projects related to the purchase of land and conservation easements to conserve farm and ranch lands, provide recreation, protect water quality of streams and rivers, manage growth, protect wildfire areas, and Other Eligible Projects are those capital improvements and maintenance projects that support the purpose of the Open Space Levy and are eligible for funding under the levy," O'Callaghan wrote.
Under Resolution 2023-110, 75% of the funding available from the levy is directed to Conservation Projects, and 25% is directed to Other Eligible Projects.
The funding breakdown for the resolution passed last week includes $230,358 (5% of available levy money) for reserves, $3,282,595 (75% of levy money available to fund projects) for Conservation Projects, and $1,094,198 (25% of levy money available to fund projects) for Other Eligible Projects.
In April 2023, the Gallatin County Commission approved spending $648,148 in Open Lands Program money to fund nine projects, including $100,000 to the Headwaters Trail System in Three Forks. The money is being used to maintain over four miles of trail in three different sections: the Madison River pedestrian bridge east to where the trail terminates; from the Drouillard Fishing Access site to Kansas Street in Three Forks; and from Hickory Street south to the baseball fields.
"This is a really fun exercise to be reminded of all the great work that's happening out there in the community in providing conservation and recreation infrastructure across the county," Gallatin County Commissioner Zach Brown said in April.
$887,000 was earmarked by the Commission for "other eligible projects" in 2024.
According to the County, these projects must be released to land acquisition, capital improvements, and maintenance projects that support the purpose of the Open Space Levy.
CONSERVATION EASEMENTS
As an example of conservation projects, in December 2023, the Gallatin County Commission obtained Level One Approval for using public funding to purchase two conservation easements.
The nearly $3 million in Gallatin County Open Land funds was the first step in purchasing the conservation easements for the MJ Home Place Ranch, which is 864 acres and 1.5 miles south of Three Forks, and the 2,268-acre Kamps Ranches Property, which is west of the Gallatin River on High Flat Road between Four Corners and Gallatin Gateway.
According to the County, the MJ Home Place Ranch has been in the Lane family for six generations and is used to raise Black Angus cattle, hay, and horses. At the December meeting, the Commission approved funding of $2,182,500 for the Kamps Ranches and $792,475 for MJ Home Place.
