Polson City Commission plans road improvements

The Polson City Commission met on Oct. 17, and voted to request funds from the 2022 Bridge and Road Safety And Accountability (BaRSAA) program for a project on 17th Ave.

Each year the city finance officer requests these funds from the state. If approved, the funds will help pay for improvements on 17th Ave. East/West, a street that runs between the Boys and Girls Club and St. Joseph's Assisted Living Center. That project is slated to begin in spring 2023 and will cost an estimated $334,000.

The funds from BaRSAA are collected via taxes on fuel with the revenue dispensed annually. The taxes amount to six cents on gasoline and two cents on diesel. Of the revenue collected, 35% is allocated to the Department of Transportation. The money can then be requested, held for some time or reallocated.

All Montana local governments’ 2022 allocation of the tax is $13,308,259.72. For 2022, the city’s allocated share of the BaRSAA funds is $131,585.32.

If granted, the city government will match $1 for every $20 of the funds requested, as required by the law. The matching funds will be sourced from the city’s Stormwater System Fund.

BaRSAA funds can be used to pay for the road construction, reconstruction or maintenance. However, the funds cannot be used to purchase equipment.

Improvements are also planned for an exceptionally rutted section of Second Street West between Fourth and Fifth Ave. and Fourth Ave. between First St. West and Second St. West. At the prior meeting, the commission directed city manager Ed Meece to pursue funding for that project from the Tax Increment Finance District (TIF) funds, which will require approval from the Polson Redevelopment Agency before it comes before the commission.

Additionally the city was briefed on a TIF project recently completed by Joe and Gerry Browning for the renovation of 107 3rd Ave. East. The grant was for $15,000, and was mainly used to install insulation and connect the building to city water systems.

“First off we wanted to, again, enhance the community a bit, and we’re glad that it enhances the tax base in that area," Joe Browning told commissioners.

"And if you go back to the TIF money, that’s what it’s for.”