A news report regarding Colstrip started us thinking last week about the parallels to Boulder’s situation. The report from the University of Montana Community News Service by a graduate student at the School of Journalism is included in this week’s Monitor. It focuses on efforts by Colstrip legislator Duane Ankney to get economic relief for the community in anticipation of changes at the power plant there.
Ankney, a Republican, is a very experienced lawmaker, having been in the legislature since 2007, serving four terms in the House and two in the Senate. He is known for working hard on behalf of constituents. When the 2017 legislative session opened, he came with a very comprehensive package of bills. As explained in the news report, those proposals addressed tax funds for coal impacted communities, loans for maintaining infrastructure, retraining for workers, retirement and benefits for coal workers, payment to offset real estate value losses, school funding to offset losses there, and clean up efforts. Some passed, some did not.
Even with his experience, and the R designation in a GOP controlled legislature, Ankney left the session with far less than he hoped. Reading the article made us think about Boulder’s economic development efforts in the just-finished session. Boulder’s job losses and economic impacts are no less real than what is projected to happen at Colstrip. In fact, as the report says, remediation efforts and continued operations at two of the four Colstrip units may employ as many people as now on the job there.
Boulder has already lost jobs, and projections call for the employee census to go from about 250 two years ago to around 70 by July 1, 2019. Because coal has traditionally been a major focus of the state’s economy, there was already in place a Coal Trust Fund. No such support fund existed for developmental disabilities care provided at Boulder.
We wondered whether Boulder should have approached the legislature with a similar package of very specific bills and that concept was certainly considered locally. Instead, the approach chosen was a more global request for funding. With the approach used, the community can now direct its efforts toward a wide range of economic development efforts.
As explained to legislators, Boulder citizens worked hard to identify foundational efforts that will allow for renewal projects, infrastructure work, growth and zoning designed to support housing and business advances, and more. The decisions about what to tackle first and to what extent will be made by local citizens, many of whom have already spent nearly two years thinking about such things and sharing ideas. Over the next few weeks and months, that work will begin.
Thanks to the good work done through the study circles, the Making Boulder’s Future Bright effort, and the BTAC (Boulder Transition Advisory Committee), Boulder has a “road map” to start from. Right near the beginning point of that journey is getting an administrator on board to track all the work and developing a board to insure citizen input.
The reasons why Colstrip’s package of bills left that community’s future very uncertain and Boulder’s funding came through are probably as myriad as the stars. But we have to think that some of the difference is because of the hard work of so many Boulder community members long before the 2017 session opened in Helena. Those who took part in the study circles and in the many committees flowing from that deserve a pat on the back, with an extra clink of the glass for Drew Dawson for the leadership role he has taken on.
Thanks should also go to Rep. Kirk Wagoner, a Montana City Republican, who helped strategize the approach to the session and then shepherded bills along. Other legislators who got involved early and stayed involved included Edie McClafferty (D- Butte), Ryan Lynch (D-Butte) and Jim Keane (D-Butte). T
he Jefferson County Commissioners also devoted a lot of time to the effort. And, while it may not be popular to say with some who are still angry the governor signed the MDC closure bill two years ago, the governor’s office, especially Budget Director Dan Villa, took the extra steps to see that Boulder had the funding and opportunities now facing us. All of those folks were instrumental in securing the $500,000 now available for Boulder. It was a lot of work, but the hard work is really only just beginning, and it will again take the support of so many of us.
Don’t stay on the sidelines. Stay involved. Find a way to make a positive difference and show the state what Boulder is made of. We will all be better for it.
