Sign up for the free Missoula This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Missoula city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events. Sign up 04/17/2026 “Missoula This Week” is reported and written By Katie Fairbanks. Send your Missoula news and tips to [email protected]. Last year, 172 citations were issued for violation of the law A tent set up along the Clark Fork River off West Broadway on Monday, April 8, 2024. Credit: Katie Fairbanks / MTFP Missoula officials told the City Council Wednesday that the law restricting camping on city property has been a success, decreasing both complaints and the size of homeless camps within the city.  Some council members said the controversial rules have had positive results and are just a part of the city’s response to homelessness. Council Member Kristen Jordan said the law is making it more difficult for people to access services and that charging people with misdemeanors could create barriers to jobs or housing.  Council Member Gwen Jones said the city’s work on other programs, such as reducing veteran homelessness and last year’s housing sprint, are making a difference. However, the camping law is needed to address issues when people don’t participate in those programs for various, complicated reasons, she said.  “As city councilors who represent close to 80,000 people in this valley, we have to try and thread the needle for how all of us can live in this community safely and respect each other,” Jones said. “I think that’s where this ordinance comes in. I know some people don’t like it. I know a lot of other people do like it, and that’s just the reality.”  In June 2024, the city council restricted camping on city property and approved changes to those rules in December 2024, including banning camping in all city parks and changing violations from a civil infraction to a misdemeanor. The penalty is a $50 fine. The rules also created a vehicle-camping permit system allowing someone living in their vehicle to stay parked in certain areas for up to 90 days before needing to move.  Dale Bickell, the city’s chief administrative officer, said Wednesday the purpose of the ordinance is to maintain safe and usable public spaces by limiting the size and impact of urban camping. The rules are not intended as a solution to homelessness, and the city has other programs to help people find housing, he said. The city’s approach to enforcing the ordinance is largely led by the code enforcement team but also includes police, parks and recreation and public works staff, Bickell said.  In 2025, Missoula police officers issued 172 citations for violating the rules, with 125 of those for camping on city property and 47 for camping on public streets, Police Chief Michael Colyer told the council. Colyer said officers aim to resolve violations with a warning before issuing a citation.  “If we can resolve that with a warning, we’ll just do that and be done with it,” he said. “It’s easier for us, it’s effective call management, it keeps the person out of the criminal justice system.”   The number of citations issued last year increased in May and June as the city began the phased closure of the Johnson Street shelter, according to a December report from the Missoula Municipal Court. The number of citations dropped in July but gradually increased throughout the fall, the report said. Of the 161 citations issued from January through Dec. 15, 2025, most were for being too close to the river or too close to a shelter, according to the municipal court.  Colyer said he doesn’t dispute the court’s data and that citations increased in the spring because he requested extra patrols around the Poverello Center in anticipation of people setting up camp there as the Johnson Street shelter closed.  “It is not the silver bullet that is going to solve all this, but I think it is important to be consistent and try to keep big, long-term camps from getting established anywhere in town,” he said.  The number of urban camping complaints has declined since July, said Charmell Owens, the city’s code compliance manager. From July 2023 through June 2024, the city received 1,072 complaints. The following year, the city received 1,193 complaints. Since July 2025, the city has received 325 complaints.  “I think that those complaints have decreased significantly because we’re out there doing proactive enforcement,” Owens said. “My team spends a lot of time talking to people, educating them about the ordinance and the ordinance requirements and helping them understand how they can better work with the city ordinances and have success in all the programs.”  Owens said 65 vehicles with 238 occupants are currently permitted as part of the vehicle-camping program. That number changes daily, she said. Of the 70 previously permitted vehicles that have left the program, 25 people moved to private property, an RV park or housing; 19 moved out of the city; six were incarcerated, went to rehab or the hospital; eight left for health or safety reasons; three moved to the Poverello Center homeless shelter; and nine left for unknown reasons.  The city has seen a decrease in people camping in city parks because of the rules and Black Knight Security patrols, said Marina Yoshioka, the parks and recreation director. Most of the department’s cleanups are on conservation lands and river corridor parks, she said. Planned cleanups of camp sites are posted 24 to 72 hours in advance, Yoshioka said. From July through December 2025, the city held 10 cleanups and collected 36,380 lbs of debris, she said.  The urban camping program budget is $1.2 million, with about $433,885 for code compliance staff and $628,775 for trash, security and towing services, Owens said. The budget does not include police officer time spent enforcing the ordinance.  Council Member Jordan said the city is not satisfying its obligations to provide lockers, trash collection and bathrooms as outlined in the ordinance, and a more formal review of the ordinance is needed.  Jordan told Montana Free Press after the meeting that she would like to bring a proposal to change the ordinance, if nothing else to remove the misdemeanor charge and fine, but it may be difficult to find a cosponsor as is required by council rules.   “Quite frankly, we are more worried about how the housed feel than the unhoused,” she said. “I understand that the unhoused population presents difficulties that are hard to deal with and manage, and at the same time we don’t need to make their lives worse. [The ordinance] makes lives worse, and the city doesn’t care.”  County to stay out of proposed NorthWestern merger Missoula County will not oppose NorthWestern Energy’s proposed merger with Black Hills Corp., and NorthWestern will move forward with Missoula and Bozeman’s proposed green power program under a settlement approved by the Missoula County commissioners Thursday.  The settlement also includes Black Hills Corp. and the city of Missoula, which is reviewing the agreement, said Svein Newman, the county’s climate action program manager.  “The county did not intervene in the merger with the intent to support or oppose it,” Newman said. “We’ve instead focused on key issues that are important to us. From where I’m sitting, this settlement doesn’t really change our position. … But what it does do is provide a contractual date certain for the next steps of our largest climate initiative, and that’s a big deal.”  NorthWestern Energy and Black Hills announced the proposed merger last August. Black Hills would be the majority owner in a new company. Both companies are based in South Dakota, though most of NorthWestern’s customers are in Montana.  The Montana Public Service Commission is considering the merger, which also requires approval from the South Dakota and Nebraska commissions, the federal Securities and Exchange Commission and the federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Missoula County filed as an intervener in the PSC case last November, which allowed the county to submit testimony on the proposed merger.  The county did not take a position for or against the merger but raised considerations, including a request that the green power program not be delayed, impeded or prevented by the proposed merger, Newman said. Missoula and Bozeman are working with NorthWestern Energy to build a new renewable energy source that the local governments, businesses and residents can subscribe to. The program will go before the PSC for consideration.  Under the settlement, the county and city would not oppose the merger, and NorthWestern Energy would finalize its review of the green power program by June 1 and file an application to the PSC by Sept. 15. The PSC would not be required to act on the application immediately, but the submission deadline gets the ball rolling, said Michael Uda, an attorney with Uda Law Firm representing the county in the merger case.  The settlement deadlines create certainty for the county on a process that’s been ongoing for a long time, Commissioner Josh Slotnick said.  Verbatim  “Between executive orders and between budget decisions, there is an extraordinary amount of uncertainty that we’re facing, but we have to lean in. We have to lean in. We don’t have a choice but to roll up our sleeves and continue to figure out how to do this great work together. Because when we invest in each other, when we invest in high-quality services, when we invest in our businesses in our neighborhoods, we get what we see out these windows, which is an extraordinary place to live, an extraordinary place to belong.” —Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis Monday at the City Club for Missoula’s State of the Community presentation.  Davis, Missoula County Commissioner Josh Slotnick and Leslie Webb, University of Montana’s vice president for student affairs and enrollment management, spoke about local stability during uncertain times at the monthly City Club meeting.   Davis said the city is investing in complete and connected neighborhoods through the new unified development code, which allows for a wider range of housing types across Missoula’s neighborhoods. She also highlighted the City Lands Redevelopment initiative and several projects underway on city-owned properties as efforts to address multiple community goals.  Slotnick gave three examples of “stability in action” in Missoula County: the recently adopted Swan Valley Neighborhood Plan, new impact fees to pay for Lolo’s public water system expansion and the county’s collaboration with developers to build a water system at the Wye. Slotnick said the projects help provide predictability and stability for residents and make way for growth. Breaking things happens quickly, but building things takes time, planning, expertise and hard conversations, he said.  “I’ve long said, ‘local government is us,’” Slotnick said. “This really exemplifies that. In all three examples I used, people who work outside of government decided to become part of government on a short-term basis to solve something difficult and actually build and create something.”  Webb said despite nationwide uncertainty and an unexpected leadership transition at the university, UM is “strong, growing and frankly, thriving.” The Montana Board of Regents voted to hire Jeremiah Shinn as the university’s new president Tuesday after an expedited search to replace Seth Bodnar, who announced his resignation in January. Webb said the fast, efficient search was needed to continue the university’s momentum built over the last five years.  The university has seen increased enrollment and retention in recent years, as well as improvements in student services, building career-readiness into the academic experience, and creating a peer-led community among students, Webb said.  “But our ability to continue this growth is not guaranteed,” she said. “While we’re successfully navigating the outside forces, as my colleagues have mentioned, federal policy changes, a shrinking number of K-12 students and increased competition from out-of-state for-profit schools, we also have our own work to do to make sure that Missoula and Montana students stay here for college. And that work begins with ensuring our academic offerings are in demand with what students want to study.”  The university reviews academic programs annually and has proposed terminating its master’s degree programs for literature and economics and pausing minors in both Chinese and Irish studies. Webb said the review process is not just about cutting programs but also about ensuring growing programs have the resources they need.  5 Things to Know in Missoula  The Missoula City Council Monday approved Mountain Line’s request to annex nearly 20 acres southwest of the Missoula Montana Airport for its new facility. The facility will include space for freight operations, vehicle storage and repair, an electric vehicle charging hub and some office space. As part of the development, Mountain Line will install street improvements along Whippoorwill Drive, including boulevard landscaping. Jordan Hess, CEO and general manager of the transit agency, said the new facility will replace Mountain Line’s existing 2.2-acre property on the Westside. Since moving to the Westside site in 1980, the transit agency has grown from four buses to 47 vehicles, Hess said. Mountain Line plans to sell its existing property after it moves in a couple of years, he said.  On Wednesday, the Missoula City Council approved $485,570 for WGM Group to finish design and engineering for the South Avenue Safe Streets for All project. The project will reconstruct South Avenue from Reserve Street to Clements Road and Clements Road from South Avenue to North Avenue. That includes installing curbs, turning lanes, paths and lighting to improve safety and access to the neighborhood. Construction is set to begin in 2027. The agreement brings the total WGM contract amount to $1.35 million. A federal grant will pay for 80% of the $12.6 million project, including 80% of the contract with WGM, said Ryan Guelff, a city transportation engineer. The city and county will split the remaining 20% based on the estimated project costs within their jurisdictions. The city’s cost for this contract will be about $63,000, according to the public works department.  The Missoula Redevelopment Agency board Thursday approved an $80,000 contract with Woith Engineering to design a new waterline for Johnson Street. The new water main and connections to existing pipes on West Kent, Central and West Sussex avenues will address missing links in the neighborhood’s water system, increase flow capacity and allow development of nearby vacant lots, according to a staff report. The MRA and the city have received inquiries about developing a parcel on the corner of West Sussex and Johnson Street, but the lack of a water main to the site was a barrier, said Jill Dunn, the MRA’s administrative manager. Andy Schultz, a city engineer, said the city will ideally install water mains for the Franklin Crossing project on the corner of Johnson and North Avenue during this project to avoid digging up the street a second time. The project will go out to bid in the winter for construction next summer, Dunn said. Tax increment financing from Urban Renewal District III will pay for the project.  The Missoula City Council Wednesday approved $35,000 in Neighborhood Improvement Grants for eight projects. The city received 12 applications requesting $54,670, said Kalina Prichard, a city neighborhood specialist. A review committee recommended eight projects for full or partial funding of up to $6,000 each, she said. The approved projects include: $6,000 for new and improved birdwatching trail signs in Greenough Park, $6,000 for a rain garden at the corner of Plymouth Street and Mount Avenue, $6,000 for a gazebo and pathway at the Meadow Hill outdoor learning space, $5,000 for new trees at Russell Elementary School, $4,500 for irrigation for trees at Bellevue Park, $4,000 for a speed table to slow traffic through the Bonnie’s Place mobile home park, $2,000 for a Northside community block party and $1,500 for a pocket park at the end of South Sixth Street West and South Grant Street.  The U.S. Forest Service is holding several community meetings this month about the ongoing revision of the Lolo National Forest’s land management plan. The plan guides the management and protection of natural resources on national forests and grasslands, such as determining where recreation or timber production may occur, according to the Forest Service. The current Lolo National Forest plan was approved in 1986. At the meetings, Lolo National Forest Supervisor Ben Johnson will outline efforts to draft the plan and environmental impact statement and what the public can expect from the process this year. The meetings will be held from:  5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 21, at Thompson Falls High School  5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, at Seeley Lake Community Foundation Building  5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Thursday, April 23, at Superior Ranger Station  5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Monday, April 27, at the ALI Auditorium in the Education Building at the University of Montana  5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 28, online via Microsoft Teams.  Might be Fun  The 57th annual Kyiyo Pow Wow Celebration takes place Friday and Saturday at the University of Montana’s Adams Center. The Kyiyo Native American Student Association organizes the celebration, which includes dancing, singing, drumming and vendors. Grand entry times are 6 p.m. Friday and noon and 6 p.m. Saturday. Admission costs $5 on Friday, $10 on Saturday or $12 for the weekend. Children 6 and under and seniors 55 and older get in free.  The WildWalk Parade and WildFest, celebrating wildlife and conservation, will kick off the 49th annual International Wildlife Film Festival Saturday. The parade begins at 11:30 a.m. in the lower parking lot at the end of South Pattee Street and travels up Higgins Avenue to the XXXX’s. Everyone is invited to dress as their favorite flora or fauna and join the parade. The festival begins at the end of the parade. The event will include live music, food trucks and activities hosted by local organizations to share knowledge about wildlife and conservation.  The film festival runs from Saturday through Thursday at The Roxy Theater. The opening night film, “Heart of a Lion,” followed by a discussion with the director and producer, will be shown at 7 p.m. The festival schedule and ticket information are available online. 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