Did you know that if you own property in Great Falls but live outside the city limits you can still vote either for or against the new consolidated Park District 1 tax increase? I didn’t know that very significant piece of information and I’ve been a voter here for decades. Someone asked me about it…
Doing some research recently on the local CDBG funding debacle I came across a couple of interesting exchanges from the June 20, 2017 Great Falls City Commission meeting which illustrates why so many folks consider our current city commission to be so out of touch with citizens. In this first short video Commissioner Bronson is…
Every week should be ‘Sunshine Week’ when it comes to informing citizens about what their local public officials are up to. E-City Beat has asked me to do some research and writing concerning the recent Community Development Block Grant conflicts of interest issues involving Department of Housing and Urban Development funds and the Great Falls…
Kudos are in order for Great Falls Mayor Bob Kelly. Well, sort of at least. At the 2/20/18 City Commission meeting, the Mayor apologized to citizens and to the organizations that won’t be receiving almost $200,000 in CDBG grants. Well, kind of apologized anyway. The reason that some local non-profit organizations will not be receiving…
This is a special time of year for me and my family. Presidents Day holds so much meaning and so many great memories for me even now as an adult. When I was a kid, every year my brothers and I, with barely contained excitement and anticipation, would count down the days until that magical,…
Is Great Falls business friendly? Does the City encourage growth? Why are these never-ending questions? Perhaps the answers are obvious after all. The Great Falls City Commission recently voted unanimously to deny a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to locally owned and operated M&D Construction. City staff, the City Zoning Commission and Neighborhood Council 7 all…
Kudos to Craig Raymond and his staff in the City of Great Falls Planning and Community Development Department for working to find solutions to help keep a local private sector employer, M&D Construction, in the heart of Great Falls. This is the attitude we need from our city employees across the board; not “You can’t…
Watch the short video below. It’s Rhett Hulett, owner of M&D Construction which employs 30 folks here in Great Falls, making his case for a Conditional Use Permit at the January 2, 2018 Great Falls City Commission meeting. “I want to be a good neighbor” “We want to be a positive part of that part…
Have you seen the little wooden houses on posts in front yards around town? They look kind of like bird houses with a glass door on the front. Those are Little Free Library boxes most likely. What is a Little Free Library? “Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that inspires a love of reading,…
Let’s say you needed to find a watchdog because your henhouse was recently raided by some foxes. Would you go to the local fox den and ask the occupants therein, some with feathers still clinging to their little chins, to select the best watchdog to keep an eye on your cluckers? The Great Falls City…