MISSOULA — Missoula City Council had a rather full agenda on Monday night, on which it approved several items such as a nightly hotel fee increase, the adoption of the city's houseless strategy and a construction project for Garden City Compost worth $8.5 million.
Council members also expressed their stance on a new Montana law that could fine individuals up to $500 a night for urban camping.
HB 642, passed during the 2025 legislative session, amended the definition of “public nuisance” to a broader definition, which opponents to the law argue would allow for fining up to $500 a day for urban camping. The City stated that since they already have City Ordinance 12.60, they will not be increasing their fine.
“What we were watching for is how it might affect our Ordinance 1260, that is where we have our enforcement mechanism for people sheltering outdoors and we believe it doesn't have an effect, such as it provides that we could assess a fee of up to $500. Our ordinance is limited at 50. There isn't any appetite to change that,” said Dale Bickell, chief administrative officer for the City of Missoula.
Council also voted to approve an increase in the nightly hotel fee from $2.00 to $4.00 — the money collected from the fee goes towards improving tourism infrastructure, such as airport improvements.
The City’s houseless strategy was also approved to be adopted.
And Council also approved a construction project for Garden City Compost, a project that would include things such as a concrete pad for the compost to sit on top of.
The funding for the project comes from federal COVID-19 relief funding, specifically from the American Rescue Plan Act, and the City already has the funding in hand.
The City also set a public hearing for new parking violation fees on June 2 at City Council Chambers.
