Sign up for the free Great Falls This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Great Falls city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events. Sign up 8/31/2026 Good Monday morning to you. This is Matt, your local reporter in Great Falls. For months, I’ve had my eye on a lawsuit related to a small independent bank in this region. I think it has implications for the bank’s future ownership, but first, we must wait to see what happens in court. You can read the details below. In addition, I’m putting out a call for more information about the closure of St. Patrick’s Academy high school. I accept tips (the informational kind)! But first… heads up, Great Falls Travelers out in the county can use an alternative route from Evans Riceville Road near Sluice Boxes State Park. A main section of the road, just past the upper park trailhead, closed earlier this year due to a landslide. The county said in a press release that it could be months before the main road is repaired. Minnesota investor seeks controlling interest in Belt bank A stakeholder dispute has been brewing over in the Belt valley around its community bank. A federal court case concerning Belt Valley Bank has been ongoing throughout the year. It was initiated by a Minnesota investor, Brian Solsrud, who began buying shares of Belt Valley Bank in 2020 and now holds a 45% stake in the institution. Belt Valley Bank is one of 39 so-called Montana “community banks,” which a state association defines as locally owned and independent of larger chains. The bank first opened in 1936. Solsrud alleged in his lawsuit that as he bought up shares in the bank, its board of directors changed its bylaws to prevent out-of-state residents from serving as board members. In 2025, during a special meeting, Belt Valley Bank’s board of directors issued 160 shares of bank stock to six bank officers, whom Solsrud alleges were “viewed as sympathetic to the board.” Solsrud says in his lawsuit that the distribution of shares was intended to dilute his voting power. In a July 31 deposition, bank CEO Bruce Hoyer said that no one had previously purchased bank stock as aggressively as Solsrud had. Hoyer said he didn’t want one person to gain a controlling stake. It’s left to speculation as to why a Minnesota investor would suddenly buy a large stake in a small central Montana bank. However, Solsrud is involved with his family business: a midwestern chain of 13 banks, mainly in Minnesota and Wisconsin. That chain of banks, called Unity Bank, has been looking westward and in 2020 acquired First Citizens Bank in Polson. Unity Bank, however, is offloading some of its Minnesota branches. Two are pending sale with First Community Credit Union, and another is pending sale with Mid Minnesota Federal Credit Union. Belt Valley Bank CEO Hoyer previously declined to comment to Montana Free Press. Attorneys for Belt Valley Bank and Solsrud didn’t return requests for comment. The case is ongoing in U.S. District Court. Photo Op 📸 Credit: Matt Hudson / MTFP The sign still calls this the parking area for the Sacagawea Island trailhead, but the only things parked here are pebbles since crews moved large stones in place to block access, rendering this patch of asphalt useless. This was once an oft-used public access to the River’s Edge Trail on the far east end of West Bank Park. But when BNSF sought to widen its rail spur that exclusively serves the Calumet refinery, the companies forced the city to close down access points along a dirt road that had been developed and used by the public for decades. Read more about what led to this public access closure here. Public notice 🧐 The Great Falls City Commission will meet Tuesday at the newly approved meeting times. The work session will begin at 4:30 p.m. (previously 5:30 p.m.), and the regular meeting will begin at 6 p.m. (previously 7 p.m.). The regular meeting agenda is here and includes a review of a final plat for the first phase of Meadowview Village, a large single-family home development off of 46th Street. The Cascade County Board of Commissioners will hold a special budget meeting Sept. 3 at 10:30 a.m. Commissioners will consider resolutions on elected officials’ salaries, special districts and property tax levies. Proposed county-wide property taxes levied by Cascade County will reduce tax bills by $22.75 on a $300,000 home and $98.93 on a $600,000 home. The county also sets tax levies for other jurisdictions, including the school district and the city of Great Falls. Extension services, including the 4-H program, remain in the proposed 2027 county budget, despite previous calls from Commissioner Joe Briggs to cut the county’s funding contributions. Great Falls in Brief ⏱️ The City-County Health Department reported the state’s first human case of West Nile Virus appeared in Cascade County. The virus is spread through mosquito bites, and officials are urging the public to take steps to reduce the potential for mosquito bites. Attorneys are asking a federal judge in Great Falls to allow a class-action immigration lawsuit to proceed. A law firm that has secured the release of multiple immigration detainees is asking for greater due process for what the attorneys describe as numerous warrantless arrests. Read more, including accounts of some of the detainees, in this story from MTFP. The Catholic Diocese of Great Falls-Billings made the difficult decision to close St. Patrick’s Academy high school just days before the start of the school year, citing challenges in recruiting administrators and faculty. Still, many questions remain about the decision, and the Diocese has declined interview requests. If you have information or know someone who might be able to lend insight, get in touch with me at [email protected]. The post Small bank battles out-of-state investor appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less