Welcome to the Park County Commissioners' monthly newsletter. We hope this newsletter will help you stay up to date on important updates, upcoming events, and the latest developments from your local government.
This newsletter will be released on the first Friday of each month. If you are viewing this newsletter on the Park County website and wish to receive it directly to your email in the future, please click here to subscribe. To view this newsletter as a PDF, click here. A printed copy of the County Newsletter is available at the City-County Complex at 414 E. Callender St. in Livingston.
The Park County Compliance Program was implemented to assist landowners to remain and/or to come into compliance with the local regulations for Wastewater, Subdivision, Floodplain, and resident initiated zoning. The goal is to seek compliance while educating landowners in the processes. It is the program’s mission to provide services to promote and protect the health, safety, and general welfare of the citizens by enforcing county regulations consistently and equitably.
Did you know that Park County participates in the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) due to being a flood prone community? The Compliance Office enforces our Floodplain Regulations or Park County could be in jeopardy of receiving sanctions from NFIP. What does this mean for citizens of Park County? Many landowners who have flood insurance would lose their flood insurance policies and new policies would not be issued. No federal grants or loans for development may be made in identified flood hazard areas under programs administered by federal agencies; Park County would lose and have to pay back the estimated $9.8 million dollars, provided by FEMA, for the 2022 and 2023 flood event damages. No federal disaster assistance may be provided to repair insurable buildings located in identified flood hazard areas for damage caused by a flood. No federal mortgage insurance or loan guarantees may be provided in identified flood hazard areas; this includes policies written by FHA, VA, and others. Federally insured or regulated lending institutions, such as banks and credit unions, must notify applicants seeking loans for insurable buildings in flood hazard areas that there is a flood hazard and that the property is not eligible for federal disaster relief.
The Compliance Office can also assist any landowners who are trying to go through the process of starting a vacation rental or who have established rentals. It is required by the State of Montana to be licensed through the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Compliance Office is always available to assist any citizen in Park County with questions concerning regulations as they can sometimes be hard to understand and navigate.
Visit the Compliance Office webpage.
Contact Ashley Smith, Compliance Officer at (406) 922-5692.
“How do I…?” will be a recurring feature of the newsletter that provides readers with information on navigating local government.
The Constitution of the State of Montana enshrines a person’s right to know:
“No person shall be deprived of the right to examine documents or to observe the deliberations of all public bodies or agencies of state government and its subdivisions, except in cases in which the demand of individual privacy clearly exceeds the merits of public disclosure” (Article II, Section 9).
To submit a public information request in Park County:
The County makes every effort to respond to requests within 5 working days. The fee assessed for records is dependent upon the cost of preparing the documents and postage.
PARK COUNTY COMMISSION MEETINGS are held every Tuesday at 9:00am and typically take place at the City-County Building, 414 E. Callender St., Livingston, MT, in the Commissioner Chambers unless otherwise indicated.
The Commissioners will host two budget workshops at the City/County Complex.
Tuesday, July 9th- 1:30 pm in the Commissioner Chambers
Thursday, July 11th- 9:00 am in the Community Room
Click here to view meetings online
Click here for agendas, video, and meeting minutes
Visit with Commissioner Clint Tinsley:
1st Friday of the Month at 9:00am
Two Doors Down Coffee Bakery in Clyde Park
Visit with Commissioner Bryan Wells at the following locations:
2nd Friday of Month at 9:00am
Riverside Hardware *upstairs conference room
107 S Main St, Livingston, MT 59047
4th Wednesday of Month at 9:00am
St. John’s Episcopal Church
8 Story Rd, Emigrant, MT 59027
Term: 2023-2026
Phone: 406-223-1548
Term: 2023-2024
Phone: 406-223-9162
Term: 2021-2024
Phone: 406-224-3376
When county residents serve on county boards and commissions, they volunteer their service for the betterment of local communities and Park County. Citizens are encouraged to attend board and commission meetings, which are always open to the public.
Board and Commission meeting agendas are posted in the City/County Complex 48 business hours in advance.
Park Local Development Corporation, in collaboration with MSU Extension, has received a grant to spread local knowledge to our business community. This funding has enabled us to create the Business Consulting and Resiliency Team (BCR Team), a group of Park County residents with valuable expertise who will provide consulting services to local businesses.
What's Offered:
Consulting Services Available:
Park Local is continually growing our team, so if businesses have an area of interest not listed above, they can still help.
Overview of the BCR Team Process:
Special Note:
Park Local and all consultants will travel to all communities in Park County, including Cooke City, Gardiner, Clyde Park, Wilsall, Emigrant. Park Local is interested in meeting businesses where they are and are committed to in-person consultations.
If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Park Local Development Corporation or MSU Extension.
Contact information:
Park Local Development Corporation:
Email: info@parklocal.org
MSU Extension:
Email: trent.balestri@montana.edu
Office Phone Number: (406)-222-4156
Join us and experience the job satisfaction that comes with knowing your work directly contributes to the betterment of Park County and its residents.
The Commissioners will host two budget workshops at the City/County Complex.
Tuesday, July 9th- 1:30 pm in the Commissioner Chambers
Thursday, July 11th- 9:00 am in the Community Room
Tuesday, July 9th from 6:00-7:30 pm at UnWined Bar & Casino
The Livingston chapter of Silent Book Club meets on the first Tuesday of each month. We are a friendly group of readers who enjoy sharing our current books with others in our community. SBC members gather in public at bars, cafes, bookstores, libraries, and online to read together in quiet camaraderie. To learn more visit: https://silentbook.club/pages/about-us
6:00-6:20 Short Introduction to SBC, food & drinks, optional socializing
6:20-7:05 Silent Reading
7:05-7:30 Book conversation
This free event is BYOB- Bring Your Own Book. Food and drinks are available for purchase. Have an extra book you've finished? Bring it to swap with another book lover!
For more information, contact MSU Extension at (406) 222- 4156 or email veronica.baca@montana.edu
July 22-27, 2024 at the Park County Fairgrounds
Barns open 10am-8pm Thursday-Saturday and Wednesday afternoon.
The Park County Ag Fair is an opportunity for anyone to exhibit completed projects they have worked on in the current year. Exhibit entry and admission are free.
For Open Class questions, please call (406) 595-6006 or (406) 578-2134 or send an email to parkcountyagfair@gmail.com.
For Park County 4-H/FFA questions, please call (406) 222-4156 or send an email to park@montana.edu.
To view the schedule of events, click here.
To view the Park County Ag Fair Facebook page, click here.
To register for open class online, click here.
Park County, with the support of Headwaters Economics, received a $250,000 CWDG (Community Wildfire Defense Grant) grant from the USDA to update our CWPP (Community Wildfire Protection Plan). This important grant marks a shift in focus for Park County from years of disaster response and recovery to emergency preparedness and risk mitigation.
Community Wildfire Protection Plans are a planning tool for local communities to reduce their wildfire risk. The CWPP development process is led by local officials in coordination with our state and federal partners. Over the next year, we will be engaging the “whole community”, from Cooke City to Wilsall, as we identify wildfire risks to our communities and opportunities to mitigate those risks.
Wildfire is a danger to everyone, and we all have a role in keeping our communities safe. The Community Wildfire Protection Plan uses data analysis to create a countywide wildfire risk map. Then the “whole community” considers those risks in consultation with local, state and federal partners to come up with a plan to reduce the danger wildfire poses to life, property and the environment. Two best practices for reducing wildfire risk are fuels reduction and home hardening.
Fuels reduction involves the removal of natural vegetation from fine grasses to mature trees which reduces the intensity of future fires and helps control how they burn. We live in a fire adapted ecosystem which means when we protect our homes and towns by putting fires out, we need to remove the fuels that would have naturally burned had we let nature do its job. These fuels are often removed through burning, chipping and logging. The CWPP identifies opportunities for landowners to coordinate fuels reductions projects with neighbors, including local, state and federal land managers. We protect our communities best when we work together to minimize excess fuels in our yards, parks and forests.
Home hardening is how we prepare our buildings to be more resistant to fire. By protecting our buildings from direct flames, radiant heat and flying embers, we can significantly reduce the costs associated with wildland fire. Fire resistant landscaping, decks, siding and roofing materials can provide the protection needed for a home to survive a passing wildland fire. This in turn frees up firefighters from protecting structures so they can focus on putting the fire out. The quicker the fire is contained, the less expensive it is to fight.
Our goals for updating our Community Wildfire Protection Plan are to get an accurate picture of our wildland fire risk, identify strategies to mitigate that risk, and create an action plan to implement those strategies. Once our CWPP is updated, we will seek out grant funding in support of our action plan and mitigation efforts. The vision is to support landowner mitigation on private property and coordinate those efforts regionally with local fire departments and our state and federal partners at the DNRC and USFS. Together, we can learn to live safely with fire and appreciate the important role it plays in this beautiful place we call home.
Greg Coleman
Fire Warden
Park County, MT
Click here to watch the video "Your Hown Can Survive a Wildfire."
Thank you to everyone who completed the survey. The survey findings and recommendations will be presented to the County Commission in early August.
City/County Complex
414 E. Callender St.
Livingston, MT 59047
(406) 222-4100
Click here to submit an inquiry
We want to tell you about what we are doing. Your Park County staff is working hard to meet the needs of our community. Visit our new communications page to sign up for newsletters, email updates, social media, and emergency alerts. We welcome you to join us in our meetings, engage in the public process, and let us know how we are doing.