Comparing Great Falls’ Economic Data To Rest Of State

Rick Tryon on January 7, 2022

This week I received and reviewed some of the latest economic data put out by Patrick Barkey and the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana.

Once again I found it interesting, and a little discouraging to be honest, to see how Great Falls/Cascade County is faring compared to other Montana cities and counties.

Here is some of the info and data:

“Tracking economic growth in terms of total wages paid to payroll workers, inflation-corrected, shows the differences in growth in the current economic recovery between the state’s most populous counties, as well as the balance of the state. Since the latest data extend only to the second quarter of 2021, the growth shown in Figure 1 refers to the changes of fiscal year 2021 (July 2020-June 2021) compared to the previous fiscal year.“

Figure 1. Growth in inflation-corrected wages, FY2020-21. Sources: U.S. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Here is Barkey’s brief analysis of what is driving this economic data in Great Falls/Cascade County:

“In past years, lower rates of population in-migration and a lower presence in faster growing professional services industries has produced slower growth in Cascade (Great Falls), Lewis and Clark (Helena) and Silver Bow (Butte) counties.

That story changed this year in Lewis and Clark County with the surge of federal spending helping raise total wages in the state’s capital region by $87 million in 2021. Past growth from new facilities, such as Boeing, fell back, while health care, as in so many other parts of the state, saw good growth.

Cascade County’s total wage growth of just under $30 million in 2021 had a bit more headwind, with declines in information (media), accommodations and food and professional business services more than offset by gains in construction, health care and government.

The announcement of the new medical school in Great Falls holds some promise for gains going forward, while the challenges for Montana agriculture weigh more heavily on this urban area.”

You can find more from Barkey’s report here.

Here’s to better times and a great 2022 for Great Falls, with expanding opportunities and prosperity for all of our citizens.

‘White Lives Matter’ Comes To Great Falls

Rick Tryon on December 22, 2021

Yesterday I received some photos from a local resident showing handbills posted in Great Falls promoting a ‘White Lives Matter’ agenda.

I’ve included the pictures in this piece.

I was troubled by the pictures. Just as I was troubled by some of the incendiary and hateful messages at the ‘Defund The Police/BLM’ rallies in Great Falls in 2020 with signs that read ‘Fuck the Police’ and ‘ACAB’ (All Cops Are Bad), referring to our own Great Falls police officers.

Even though the message on the handbills is controversial and divisive, as it’s obviously intended to be, it is protected speech so that is not what bothered me the most.

At first blush my concern was that someone in my community, OUR community, would take the time and effort to so thoroughly stir up such division and racial animus.

But then I saw an article in the Helena Independent Record reporting that the White Lives Matter group staged a rally in Helena on Saturday as part of a statewide ‘Day of Action’ and that the participants ‘…drove in from other parts of the state‘ and that out-of-state groups have been ‘…hosting WLM rallies and engaging in WLM flyer distributions across the nation since 2015.’

So it appears fairly certain that this is not a homegrown Great Falls effort.

That makes sense to me, because I know my hometown and the people here. We are a good and decent community filled with kind and loving folks who treat each other with respect.

Sure, there are dark corners and hateful ideologies on the far fringes of both sides of the political/cultural spectrum here, but the overwhelming majority of our Great Falls family wants nothing more than to live and let live, lend a helping hand whenever possible, and raise our kids in a safe environment.

So my message to any out-of-towners coming here to whip up trouble, regardless of political ideology: We don’t want or need you here. Stay away.

By the way, the handbills have been reported to the police – not because of the message but because plastering handbills without permission is defacement of someone else’s property.

Commissioner Tryon’s Priorities For 2022

Rick Tryon on November 23, 2021

With 2022 almost here, I thought it would be a good time to provide Great Falls folks with a brief outline of what I, as a City Commissioner, consider to be two very important areas of focus in the coming year.

First, I believe we need to make it a priority to follow up on the excellent work the Great Falls Crime Task Force has done in providing a comprehensive set of recommendations to the City Commission, City administration, and general public.

You can read the complete text of the recommendations here.

We can begin publicly vetting the low-to-no-cost policy/priority recommendations and start to approve and implement those elements almost immediately.

Once we get that ball rolling we can go after tackling the larger issues – like deciding on the level of additional resources, if any, needed for local law enforcement and the criminal justice system and how to pay for them.

The second priority I see coming up is the question of how the City of Great Falls will utilize the $19.47 million in American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funding we have received.

You can find an informative spreadsheet outlining ARPA eligible projects suggested by City administration and departments here.

Public input will be very important in this process going forward.

My own view is that the ARPA funds, intended to help communities recover from the harsh economic and social impacts of COVID-19, should be used to help EVERYONE in Great Falls to the greatest extent possible. COVID-19 affected ALL of us.

Already there are local special interests lobbying to receive large chunks of the ARPA funds in order to act as grantors to sub-recipients. I’m not convinced that this is the best or fairest way to handle distribution of these funds but I’m always ready to listen.

Either way, we’ll all need to pay close attention and carefully weigh all of the options before deciding how to utilize the funding.

Tryon ‘Sets The Record Straight’

Rick Tryon on September 18, 2021

After seeing someone named Ed Caffrey ‘quote’ me incorrectly on public news sites twice over the past week regarding the Great Falls Crime Task Force, I decided it was time to set the record straight.

The following comment was attributed to Mr. Caffrey on the Great Falls Tribune Facebook page; I simply thought Caffrey was misremembering something I said. Quoting Caffrey:

“In conclusion, I supported and voted for Mr. Tryon. I did so because of his campaign statements about Supporting/helping the average GF citizen, and curbing the waste of our tax dollars. HIS PREVIOUS STATEMENT: “This task force will not recommend anything that raises taxes.” – https://www.facebook.com/greatfallstribune/posts/4322398821129917

But then earlier today I saw that Caffrey made the almost exact same false claim on this blog’s (E-City Beat) Facebook page.

I immediately contacted ECB and requested that they ask Caffrey to provide the citation for the false quote attributed to me that he is spreading on local news media sites.

Nowhere have I ever ‘PROMISED’ that the Task Force will not recommend “anything that raises taxes”. That is a fabrication. Period.

You can Google, goggle, search until the cows come home, read every article written on the subject of the Great Falls Task Force, and sweep the interwebs with a fine-tooth comb and never once will you find the ‘quote’ that Caffrey attributes to me.

Why? Because I never said it.

I have been abundantly clear and the record proves without a doubt that I have never and would never even imply that I could make any such guarantees or ‘promises’ regarding the recommendations of the Task Force, of which I am a non-voting, ex-officio member.

Using quotations marks and specific attributions meant to mislead the public is dishonest. I don’t mind if someone disagrees with me or has honest questions about what I say, but I don’t appreciate blatant misrepresentation of the truth.

KRTV Great Falls Quashes Dissent

Rick Tryon on September 2, 2021

In case you missed it, the City Commission was recently asked by City Manager Greg Doyon about how to proceed with City Commission meetings in light of a recent spike in local Covid-19 cases.

In an informal consensus vote commissioners decided 4-1 to move the upcoming September 7 City Commission work session and regular meeting from in-person to all virtual. It’s unclear how far into the future the all virtual meeting rule will apply.

I was the dissenting vote for reasons I will address later and in a different format.

KRTV ran a story about it this morning, and posted a link to it on its Facebook page.

What happened next was curious to say the least.

One commenter, former Great Falls resident Kenny Volk, wrote the following:

“With the exception of Rick Tryon (the lone dissenting voice), are commissioners still going out to eat, leaving their homes, or otherwise physically participating in everyday society?”

First, KRTV ran interference for the politicians, interjecting to Volk’s rhetorical question by encouraging him, rather smarmily and inappropriately in my opinion, to contact the commissioners directly via the Zoom meeting.

Isn’t it the job of a “news organization” and “digital journalists” to go and ask those questions of the politicians rather than making snarky comments, then deleting the post altogether, in response to readers/viewers legitimate queries?

Then, curiously, KRTV deleted Volk’s post and their response to it:

Undeterred, Volk reposted his question, asking why it was deleted in the first place.

It looks to me like Deletin’ Dave Sherman is more “passionate” about curating the so-called “news” in KRTV’s digital content to fit his own bias and opinions than he is about informing local folks in an unbiased and straightforward fashion.

And then, KRTV deleted the entire post. You can’t find it anywhere now.

If you had any interest in knowing how to contact your local government, definitely do not rely upon KRTV. They’re not journalists; they’re activists.

And everybody knows it.

Great Falls Crime Task Force To Begin Drafting Recommendations

Rick Tryon on July 27, 2021

The Great Falls Crime Task Force has been meeting on a bi-weekly basis since the first week in June and so far the meetings have been mostly informational presentations giving members, and the public, a solid foundational understanding of the scope and issues involved related to local crime and the local criminal justice system.

The Task Force will begin drafting it’s recommendations at it’s August 9 meeting.

In April, the Great Falls City Commission passed Resolution 10395, which sets a timeline for “…having draft recommendations available for public review and comment no later than August 2021, and a final recommendation to present to the City Commission no later than September 2021.”

Although the recommendations put forward by the task force are an important first step, the process will include several phases, including public vetting of the set of recommendations and public hearings and comment period for specific recommendations as they come before the City Commission for deliberation and votes.

All task force meetings have been and will continue to be open to public attendance, comment and input both in-person and written. You can find meeting time and place details on the City’s website here.

As we begin drafting recommendations I thinks it’s important to continue encouraging and soliciting public input, because the best ideas and solutions usually bubble up rather than trickle down.

With that in mind, I would like to provide a framework for the kinds of recommendations that will be most useful and effective going forward.

Resolution 10395 calls for “…specifics and actionable recommendations that are within the scope, authority, and financial ability of the City Commission, City Manager, and general public.”

So any recommendation must contain a specific action which can be undertaken by one or more of these entities. Here I’m including examples of the kind of actions these entities normally undertake.

Great Falls City Commission

  • Passing city ordinances and resolutions
  • Fiscal year budget decisions and recommendations for the City
  • Initiatives, declarations and setting yearly priorities and general direction
  • Establishing advisory boards and appointing members
  • Approving municipal ballot levies

City Manager/Administration and Departments

  • Department policies and priorities, GFPD, Legal etc
  • Personnel decisions
  • Budget recommendations
  • Facilitating  communication and collaboration with other jurisdictions, County, State etc

General Public

  • Business, NPO and private individual safety and crime prevention measures

So, if these are the target entities for recommendations, what are some categories to consider that would provide a general direction for the substance of the recommendation?

The most effective recommendation would address and articulate a specific problem or issue related to local crime and the local criminal justice system (law enforcement, corrections, courts) and would seek to mitigate that problem and explain how it would do so.

Here are some ideas that suggest the broader categories from which “actionable recommendations” would flow (certainly not comprehensive, but a start):

  • Budget priorities and resource allocation
  • Public communication and education
  • Collaboration and partnerships with other government jurisdictions and private entities
  • City Code and resolutions
  • City Department policies and priorities

Directing the specific, actionable recommendations to the target entities will really help to focus the effort and clarify how to proceed after the Task Force submits it’s final work.

Please feel free to contact me or the Great Falls Crime Task Force at any time with your input and suggestions.

rtryon@greatfallsmt.net

Where Do Your Property Taxes Go, Great Falls?

Rick Tryon on July 21, 2021

At last night’s Great Falls city commission meeting we unanimously voted to adopt the proposed fiscal year 2022 City of Great Falls budget.

This graph depicting the government entities to which our local property tax dollars go is interesting and informative:

The 27.1% share of total local property taxes is only one of the City’s revenue sources, here’s a graph of the others:

…and a graph of where the City spends it’s revenue:

Here’s a link to a fun and handy budget simulator tool for the City that you can try your hand at – https://greatfalls.abalancingact.com/fy2022proposedbudget

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you may have.

rtryon@greatfallsmt.net

Should Great Falls’ Fireworks Ordinance Be Revisited?

Rick Tryon on July 5, 2021

Are all those booms, pops and ka-bams we heard over the weekend as Great Falls celebrated Independence Day 2021 the sound of freedom – or the sound of irresponsibility?

Here’s something I posted on my personal Facebook page last Wednesday:

“Let’s be careful and kind out there, Great Falls.

Hot and dry conditions here means we have to be extra vigilant with fireworks this year.

I’ve been consulting with our City Manager and he has assured me that our Fire Marshall and Fire Chief are prepared. Even so, City safety personnel and LE just don’t have the resources to enforce all citywide fireworks violations.

That means personal responsibility.

Have a thought for your neighbors, their pets, the elderly, military vets with PTSD and the community as a whole. Have fun, but don’t be a jackass with fireworks. That’s not who we are here in GF.”

“That’s not who we are in Great Falls.” Or is it?

Great Falls is one of the very few larger towns in Montana that still allows the public to shoot off fireworks within the city limits, even in residential neighborhoods.

I enjoy some sparklers and fountains and even a couple of the noisier variety of fireworks for the kids and grandkids myself, but I certainly understand how a lot of local folks don’t find the non-stop noise, and smoke and fire danger to be enjoyable at all.

One citizen commented to me that, “If I want to live in a war zone for three days every year I’d move to Fallujah, Iraq!”

In-town fireworks has been a perennial debate here in the Electric City, and for as long as I’ve been following it I’ve considered it about a 50-50 split: half say, “Keep your hands off of my 4th of July celebration!”, while the other half say, “Why should I have to put up with all the smoke and noise at all hours of the night. I’m a taxpaying citizen too!”

I expect the debate to continue, and I will continue to listen to both sides. Let me know what you think by emailing me at rtryon@greatfallsmt.net.

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Big Sky Country National Heritage Area Is NOT In The Great Falls Growth Policy

Rick Tryon on June 29, 2021

I’ve been asked by several Great Falls citizens why the City’s 2013 Growth Policy advocates support for the Big Sky Country National Heritage Area, Inc.

Simple answer: it doesn’t.

There is absolutely nothing in the 2013 Growth Policy that states support for the Big Sky Country National Heritage Area, Inc.

(here is the reference, you can also find more on the issue in a previous ECB article here)

Nor does the document anywhere state that it is the “goal” or policy of the City of Great Falls to advocate for or support the BSCNHA, Inc. 

The Growth Policy very briefly and in very general terms mentions an interest in an NHA, National Heritage Area, designation for the Missouri River corridor.

That is totally different from the BSCNHA, Inc. stated purpose, which is to acquire a federal NHA designation for the ENTIRETY OF CASCADE COUNTY AND PART OF CHOTEAU COUNTY. 

I have two concerns about the public perception that the City of Great Falls in it’s 2013 Growth Policy supports and promotes the efforts of BSCNHA, Inc. when the document clearly does nothing of the kind: 

  1. BSCNHA, Inc. has goals that go far beyond the jurisdictional boundaries of the City of Great Falls.
  2. There are a great many individuals and organizations in Great Falls who strongly oppose the goals of BSCNHA, Inc.

Three of the four City appointees to the City/County Historical Preservation Advisory Commission are also on the board of the Big Sky Country National Heritage Area Inc. executive board.

At the June 1, 2021 Great Falls City Commission meeting I did my best to make sure that two of those folks were not reappointed to the HPAC, Rich Ecke and Ellen Sieverts. That effort failed in a 4 to 1 vote in favor of reappointment.

Does that mean I think that the folks reapplying for the HPAC are bad people or that they have bad intentions or that I’m accusing them of misconduct? Not at all. On the contrary, I think Mr. Ecke and Ms. Sieverts are good people with noble intentions.

But it’s not about them. It’s also not about me.

It’s about avoiding even the appearance of a conflict of interest so that Great Falls citizens can have trust in local government rather than being cynical and apathetic due to the perception of cronyism.

The BSCNHA is a private non-profit group dedicated to turning all of Cascade County and part of Choteau County into a designated national heritage area.

The cross pollination between the City/County appointed board and a private corporation’s board, BSCNHA, Inc., presents the appearance of a conflict of interest in my opinion.

The City of Great Falls and it’s appointed advisory boards should remain neutral in this matter in my opinion.

There are a great many local folks and organizations that oppose the BSCNHA, and our city appointed boards should represent ALL of our citizens rather than the narrow agenda of a private organization like BSCNHA, Inc.

Our public HPAC is not neutral in this matter. In fact it is obvious that the HPAC board is acting as an extension of the advocacy arm of BSCNHA.

This issue deserves a lot more public scrutiny and attention and I intend to continue to help that effort along.

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Great Falls Crime Task Force Members Approved By City Commission

Rick Tryon on May 24, 2021

At last Tuesday’s Great Falls City Commission meeting we approved the following local folks as appointees to the newly formed Great Falls Crime Task Force:

  • Mary Lynne Billy – Indian Family Health Clinic
  • Shawna Jarvey – transition consultant, Benefis Health
  • Nichole Griffith – Victim Witness Program
  • Sandra Guynn – chair of Neighborhood Council of Councils and president of Crime Stoppers
  • Sara Sexe – city attorney
  • Jeff Newton – Great Falls Police Department chief
  • Jesse Slaughter – Cascade County sheriff
  • John Parker – District Court judge
  • Shane Etzwiler – Chamber of Commerce

I’m excited to get ball rolling on this project. The task force will be starting regular meetings in the next couple of weeks, and of course those meetings will be open to public.

In fact, public input will be essential if we expect this work to produce quality recommendations for more effectively addressing crime issues in Great Falls.

In addition the task force will need to stay focused on two things in my opinion:

  1. Making it our priority to protect the taxpaying, law-abiding citizens of Great Falls rather than pretending that criminals are actually the victims.
  2. Thinking about how we can solve problems within the scope of the City of Great Falls’ ability and resources.

If we keep our expectations realistic and understand that the City and this task force can’t and won’t solve the macro problems of homelessness, addiction, and mental illness then I’m optimistic that we can make real progress in doing more to fulfill the City’s main responsibility: to protect law-abiding, taxpaying Great Falls citizens and their property from crime and violence.