City Commission Vision & Goals
Vision Statement:
The Great Falls City Commission envisions a thriving, welcoming city that embodies the spirit of unity, progress, and unparalleled quality of life and safety for all. The Commission honors the City’s rich heritage, champions environmental stewardship, and embraces innovative and sustainable growth.
Core Values:
Our core values of honesty, respect and openness will constantly guide our actions.
Mission Statement:
To serve and empower the community of Great Falls, Montana, the City Commission is dedicated to transparent governance, responsible stewardship, and collaborative decision-making.
City Commission Goals and Priorities - 2025
Review City Services
We will …, we must …
- Examine revenues and expenses for City services requiring general fund subsidies.
- Form an advisory committee to review City services.
- Host a Town Hall meeting.
- Start by conducting a mini City 101 program for the advisory committee to educate them on City departments and services.
- Make a decision on funding for all City services requiring general fund subsidies prior to the 2025/26 budget.
WHY? To gather input from the community and establish a city-wide philosophy regarding the level of general fund support for City services. This approach ensures the most effective use of public resources.
Public Safety
We will …, we must …
- Target the funds from the 3.5 mills to public safety needs of Legal and Court operations.
- Develop a proposal for a Public Safety Levy – $ amount and date.
- Build community support to advocate for the levy.
- Explore a capital campaign for an additional fire station and a new training center.
WHY? Public safety is our top priority, and we are committed to making Great Falls a desirable place to live and work.
Community Development
We will …, we must …
- Adopt the Growth Policy
- Each Commission member will attend at least one of the five scheduled listening sessions on the Growth Policy.
- Continue to strengthen the relationships with the City, GFDA and the Chamber.
- Continue to work with Planning and Community Development to streamline processes and eliminate any barriers to development in Great Falls.
- Continue to support diverse housing opportunities.
- Focused use of CDBG money.
- Stay flexible with zoning while maintaining safety.
WHY? To support Planning and Community Development in making policy decisions that enable diverse housing development in Great Falls.
Communication/Education
We will …, we must …
- Continue to educate the community on what the City can and can’t do.
- Explain to the community, in a variety of formats, what it means to be a charter government.
- Share success stories about the City organization on social media.
- Conduct at least two Town Hall meetings led by the Mayor and Commissioners focused on a community issue.
- Invite different groups/organizations to Commission meetings to provide community updates.
WHY? It is important that the Mayor and Commissioners be ambassadors of the City. We recognize the challenge of communicating City challenges to the community and connecting with constituents. The City will find ways of communicating more effectively with residents about the City’s accomplishments and limitations.
Legislative Presence
We will …, we must …
- Conduct at least weekly dialogue with our lobbyist and legislators.
- Review and emphasize our highest priority legislative issues. Communicate what is in the best interest of Great Falls.
- Stay engaged with the Interim Committees of the State Legislature beyond the legislative session. This includes legislators, state agencies and the Governor’s Office.
WHY? Relationships matter with the state legislators, governor and state agencies.
