MISSOULA — Missoula City Council Ward 2 representative Jordan Hess was appointed to lead the city following the death of John Engen and vacated his seat on the Missoula City Council.
Sierra Farmer was then appointed to fill the vacant seat.
According to the Missoula City Charter, if there is a vacant seat on City Council, that seat must be up for election in the closest general election. The term for the Ward 2 seat will be up again in 2025 for a four-year term.
Farmer says that she wants to be at the table where the decisions are made.
“I was appointed into Mayor Hess's seat almost a year ago. And I wanted to run because I grew up in Missoula and I love Missoula and I really wanted to be at the table when pretty big decisions are being made right now for our community. It feels like a really pivotal time and a lot of growth happening. So I just wanted to serve my community and help make good decisions that move us into the next generation. And that's why I decided to run for the first part. And now I'm running to keep my seat for the two-year term."
Homelessness is a crisis in Missoula with many residents feeling like they can’t use their parks or trails. Farmer says that the recent opening of the Johnson Street shelter was just a short-term solution for a long-term problem.
“I think that right now we are seeing a crisis. And I think that when we opened the Johnson Street Shelter, it was a little bit of a band-aid on a really big problem. So it will get us through for the next year. But at that point, we're going to have to make some really big decisions. And I think that the role of the City Council and the City is to bring all the right people to the table and have a bigger conversation because the City can't solve this issue on its own. And we're really going to have to bring more of the community together to help us solve this issue."
Farmer says she wants to bring all the right people to the table when it comes to the homeless population to come up with a better solution to the homeless crisis in Missoula.
“I think that our role is to bring everyone together and rally our community. The thing that I love about Missoula is that we do rise to the occasion of hard issues. And I'm really confident that the Missoula community will help fight to make it a safe place for everyone — for our unhoused population and for everyone who also has the luxury of owning a home as well. So I think that is really what I would be working towards — bringing the right people to the table and having good conversations and solving the problem together."
When it comes to the topic of neighborhood councils, Farmer says that the groups in Ward 2 are engaged. She also says that the City can improve communication between the City and the neighborhood councils. Farmer said that if she is elected, she would want to be more engaged with the neighborhood councils.
“We have great neighborhood councils in Ward 2 and they're really engaged and they're working and they meet really regularly. I think for the City Council folks to engage more...just attend the meetings and...help be more transparent on what's happening on Council. And I think that right now I've attended all the neighborhood council meetings at least once and heard from all the constituents there. I think that we can definitely improve communication there and engagement, and just making sure that folks in the neighborhood councils feel heard and know that we're available, and know that we are reachable to talk to. And so I really want to be more engaged with our neighborhood councils if I get elected. And I'd love to just work closer with them because they're already really engaged, and they are great groups. And I think that being available for them will be, will be a really helpful role moving forward,” Farmer said.
Ward 2 has some of the most growth in the city, Farmer says that when it comes to roads and infrastructure, she wants to talk with residents and work with them to make sure the neighborhoods have the safe roads and speed limits they need.
“Ward 2 is seeing the most development in the city at the moment. We have, we have about 50% of Missoula's growth in Ward 2. So, we are seeing a huge amount of development and new roads being built in our ward. And I think that we have to be really smart about how those roads are working. And that means looking at are they safe for people to walk along — the speed limit, the right speed limit. Especially out in the Mullan area. That area is seeing so much growth right now, and we need to work closely with the neighborhood and the neighborhood council to see what works for them and what is safe for them."
Farmer says it's important to make sure the infrastructure and roads are built smartly in Missoula.
“I think that we can really build smart infrastructure now when we...have the chance to build it from the ground up. So I think that is something that we really can do for our constituents...really make sure that that new development is done right. And then in other areas like the westside neighborhood and Grant Creek, we also need to look at ways that are going to make it safe for folks as well. So, the westside is seeing a lot of development as well with all the development in on Scott Street."
Farmer says that she wants neighborhood residents to have a voice when it comes to their speed limits and infrastructure.
“So, I know that there's some long-term plans to make it a little bit easier for folks to navigate with certain traffic calming methods. And I think that's where the City Council really can help...make sure that the neighborhoods are being heard on what is safe infrastructure and what are safe speeds for folks in those neighborhoods and, be the voice for them to make sure that the City is learning what they're saying and acting on it,” Farmer said.
When it comes to the budget that Missoula is going to have to pass in 2024 Farmer says that passing the budget will be harder and without the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) federal funding, the City is going to have to find new ways to fund the city.
“We have a huge decision to make when our ARPA funds are no longer available. And that is going to be a hard decision to make. This year's budget session was hard. And next year it's going to be even harder. I think that we really have to look at our budget a little bit closer and, again, look at other ways that we can fund our budget that does not rely primarily on property tax. So, I think that that's really what we're going to have to be faced with is potentially cutting some things or finding ways to fund other departments. I know that we talked in the past about a fire levy. So, we may have to do something similar in the future that helps fund other departments. The ARPA funds have supplemented for a while now, and we're going to have to find another revenue stream somehow without those funds."
Some Montanans think that the tax structure in the state has shifted the tax burden from corporations to residents. Farmer says that if she is elected, she would want to work closely with legislators to bring some relief to the taxpayers of Missoula.
“So, I think already we have really good relationships with our representatives and work with them really closely. I think that we could lobby more strongly with the state legislature to find ways that help our community. I think that the role of City Council is to be the voice of our constituents. And really...what we are hearing from our constituents is that they want a change. So, I think we can work really closely with our representatives and be a stronger voice together to make some real change. The next session is going to come soon. It's, you know, almost a little over a year away. So, I think right now is when we start making plans to really be a louder voice to help make changes for the state and for the tax structure that's happening in Montana, specifically in our community,” Farmer said.
Taxes have risen in the City of Missoula over the last two years and Farmer says that if she is elected, she would want to work within the rules that the Montana Legislature sets to relieve some pressure on Missoula taxpayers.
“I don't take lightly at all that we raise taxes this year. And in fact, it was one of the hardest decisions I think that we've made so far on Council. And I think moving forward, we are going to have to make some really tough decisions and really look at where we can make some improvements in our budget. We are hamstringed quite a bit by the way our tax structure is set up. But, I think we're going to have to work within the rules that we already have set by the state legislature. And I think that we really have to...look outside of what we have done in the past. And that could be in a lot of different ways like a local option, sales tax potentially. I would be interested in looking at something like that, or some other ways that we can offset the property tax structure because right now it's not working and it is scary for folks to see their taxes rising. And if elected, I would look to find ways that we could either find another revenue stream somehow or look at ways that we could cut back on some of our spending."
Housing is another concern for residents as home prices are outside the median income for many Missoulians. Additionally, rentals have become hard to find and are also more expensive than in past years. Farmer says that she wants to continue to work on one of the issues that motivated her to get on Council almost a year ago.
“The affordable housing issue is honestly one of the issues that really motivated me to get on Council because I'm seeing so many of my friends and family being priced out. And I want to I think we can get really creative with how we can help supplement some of the developments. And I got the opportunity to score some of the applications for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. And it was really impressive to see how many different projects are out there. And we were able to fund 10 out of the 12 applicants. And I think that using the Affordable Housing Trust Fund is one way that the city can be helpful. I think that we're going to have to be really smart about the code reform process and make sure that we do streamline development, that is smart development and safe development for folks. And I think that's where the City Council can...really move the needle on. The issue is with the code reform process and also using the affordable housing trust fund as much as we can."
When asked why voters should consider voting for Farmer she says that she likes being behind the scenes of running the city.
“I'm not a born politician. I'm not polished. I don't even really enjoy being in front of speaking in front of folks...I like the behind-the-scenes, the nuts and bolts of policy, and making sure that my community grows in the right direction. I love Missoula. I've grown up here. I plan to stay here and continue raising my family here. And I really do want it to thrive and be a safe community. Continue to be a safe community for everyone. And so I want to guide us into the next phase and I am here to do the hard work and to make the tough decisions.
The election will take place on November 7, 2023.
