Missoula Mayor Addresses the Budget and the Homeless

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis responded to my request to appear on Talk Back on Wednesday morning to address issues about the upcoming budget and the response to homelessness.

Mayor Davis Appeared on Talk Back to Explain the City Budget

Davis began by describing her own budget process as the incoming mayor.

“The way that we started was that every single department filled out literally one form for every account code they have, or every program within their department,” began Davis. “Some of these departments are large, and it was called a program inventory. A program inventory for every single program within a department was just that. It both articulated the need, but it also articulated that this is statutorily required, if it is from federal, state, or local.”

Davis said the new urban camping ordinances will help promote safety and protect the city parks.

Mayor Davis also Addressed Urban Camping Issues

“This will help them be more compliant and located throughout Missoula in a way, through a basically a permit program that establishes, I think, a better compliance, both for them, but then also adjacent neighbors,” she said. “We're talking about garbage cans and a number of other things that help people manage that situation, and it helps to manage it for the neighbors, as well.”

In addition to statutes regarding the city parks allowing overnight camping, Mayor Davis also addressed the issue of people living in their vehicles.

“In the ordinance is standing up an RV and vehicle permit program,” she said. “We know because we already manage a situation where people are living in their vehicles. They're living in their vehicles because they lost their apartment recently, and they have a job, they have children, and they don't want to be in a shelter, or can't be in a shelter. They have animals that can't be in the shelter, those kinds of things.”

READ MORE: Missoula County Asks for Three Percent Increase in Property Tax

Mayor Davis said She wants Housing Solutions for Everyone

Bringing all the pieces together, Mayor Davis was clear.

“I want to get towards housing solutions for everyone. That's where I want the city's resources to go, because I want to connect people with stability. Normalizing the camping situation is not what I'm aiming to do. I am aiming, though, to get a handle on this situation, because doing nothing about it isn't serving anybody.”

Davis said she and the city council spent all day Wednesday working on the city budget.

Click here to listen to the entire conversation with Mayor Davis.