08.12.2024
Great Falls This Week is researched and written by Matt Hudson. Send your news and tips to [email protected].
Outsourced printing of elections in November is likely to be more expensive
Election officials scrambled to find an alternative service earlier this year after the county printing plant’s sole employee quit because the school district’s ballots needed to be printed for the spring.
The county did find an alternative printer to mail the ballots, but it came at a cost. Great Falls Public Schools administrators outlined the impact in a July letter to Cascade County commissioners. The cost of printing the ballots in 2024 was $17,416, an increase of $10,799 from the previous year.
The total cost of the school district’s spring elections was $77,686, and in 2023 it was just under $46,000. In the letter, signed by Superintendent Heather Hoyer and Superintendent Brian Patrick, school officials asked the district to restart its printing facility.
The fate of the printing plant, which is unoccupied but not yet closed, has become another point of contention among county commissioners, who are divided along familiar lines. And with a major general election coming up in November, it looks like the printing work will be outsourced. Commissioner Joe Briggs said the county will likely hire Nebraska-based Election Systems and Software to print the fall ballots.
But he also said that he sees advantages in reopening the printing plant.
“Our election supervisor is convinced that the printing facility will be a long-term benefit to her because of the printing problems,” Briggs said. “Controlling schedules is a big issue in elections.”
The shop’s biggest service is election printing, but it also prints any other official documents the county needs. These can be tax documents, jury summons, or health department notices. The shop has also done some contract printing for the city of Great Falls.
There is no deficit, although much of the revenue comes from other departments of county government. Annual financial reports show the printing plant made a profit of $48,602 in 2023 and a profit of $22,000 in 2022.
Although the print shop has supported elections for years, things got political in early 2024. In February, Commissioners Briggs and Jim Larson voted to remove oversight of the print shop’s operations from the duties of clerk and recorder Sandra Merchant. The vote came the same week that commissioners appointed Terry Thompson as elections supervisor – another responsibility removed from Merchant’s purview.
Commissioner Rae Grulkowski opposed both votes, and her alliance with Merchant has caused a split in county government. Grulkowski has been skeptical about keeping the print shop open, most recently during a July 25 commission meeting to discuss operations. As The Electric first reported, outsourced routine printing jobs cost 115% more than printing in-house.
Grulkowski did not return calls seeking comment. During a commissioner’s work session on Aug. 7, she asked for further discussions about the store.
“It’s in the air that this is going to happen,” she said, “because we didn’t make the decision to keep the printing plant.” With fall election printing likely to be outsourced at a higher cost, discussion of the printing plant may not resurface until next year. No job posting for the open positions has yet appeared on the county’s website, and by then the makeup of the commission will look different after Grulkowski lost her primary in June.
Legal Notice
The Ivy at Great Falls, once the state’s largest nursing home, has abandoned a last-ditch attempt to go to court to prevent its forced closure.
After years of poor inspections and safety violations, the Ivy lost its participation in Medicaid and Medicare. While the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ended participation, state agencies also have some oversight of licensing and other matters. In response to the forced closure, the Ivy sued the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services in July, asking a judge to stop the transfer of residents to other facilities, a process that was already underway.
On July 26, District Judge David Grubich denied The Ivy’s request for a temporary restraining order preventing the residents from relocating. In his order, Grubich expressed doubts about whether the residents would be better served by remaining at The Ivy.
“The harsh reality of this situation is that patients may suffer irreparable harm whether they remain at the Ivy or are forcibly transferred to other facilities,” Grubich wrote.
On August 6, The Ivy filed a notice voluntarily dropping the lawsuit.
The Ivy is operating under a provisional license and is attempting to transfer more than 100 residents to other facilities. Medicare and Medicaid participation ended on July 9. The home’s poor inspection results date back years and have resulted in fines of more than $235,000. Specific cases included poor wound care, patient dehydration and nutritional problems, and an incident in which a resident fell into a janitorial closet that had been left open.
Giving something back
Dean Jardee, development director for United Way of Cascade County, stands on a school bus carrying school supplies during a fundraiser on Aug. 8. This was one of three school buses set up in Great Falls for Stuff the Bus, which collects school supplies for schools across the county. Buses were set up at Walmart and Target stores in Great Falls.
Stuff the Bus is an annual campaign for school supplies distributed to schools in Great Falls and surrounding Cascade County communities. Jardee says they have also been able to fulfill supplies orders for six area nonprofits. This year, the drive benefited from a $7,500 donation from the Oakland Family Foundation, Jardee said.
On August 9, volunteers worked to unpack buses loaded with relief supplies and deliver the goods to schools.
5 things you should know in Great Falls
- The Board of Trustees of Great Falls Public Schools voted on Aug. 5 to develop a high school boys baseball program. Trustees’ discussion focused on finances as budget deficits loomed. Ultimately, trustees approved baseball, with implementation set to begin in spring 2026. The board amended its resolution to require private fundraising to cover start-up costs and the first three years of operations. School board documents estimated start-up costs at $40,000 to $50,000 and annual operating costs at $90,000 to $100,000.
- Property owners in the Monarch and Neihart Areas of the Little Belt Mountains can apply to the USDA for assistance from the Emergency Forest Restoration Program. The funds are used to restore land damaged by natural disasters. In this case, it was the May snowstorm that knocked down trees and caused extensive damage.
- With 4 votes to 1, the Great Falls City Commission approved the use of up to $400,000 from tax increment funds to renovate the Mansfield Theater. The work will include ceiling repairs, elevator repairs and new seating. The TIF funds supplement additional funding from the Montana State Historic Preservation Grant program and the Montana State-Local Infrastructure Partnership Act.
- A new sculpture by the artist Alex Smithson is Hiking trail along the river bank in Garden Home Park. According to Smithson’s social media page, the unique chameleon took seven months to build.
- Recently retired Captain of the Great Falls Police Department Rob Moccasin will take on a new role as liaison for the neighborhood council, the city announced. Moccasin served with the GFPD for 30 years and will now help support the missions of Great Falls’ nine neighborhood councils.
3 questions to
Permanent transfer of station (PCS) is a big deal for military families moving to Malmstrom Air Force Base and Great Falls. Lisa Sapp is the school liaison specialist at Malmstrom and serves as a liaison between the school district and the military community to help students make the transition.
Can you briefly describe your work in the school liaison program?
School liaisons are the primary point of contact for all educational program engagements, challenges, concerns, and components from preschool through 12th grade, including special education, state-level representation, and partnerships with the educational community. We are committed to outreach, advocacy, and partnership initiatives that generate real-time solutions for students with military backgrounds as they transition between deployment locations in the U.S. and abroad. I can support all branches of the military, active duty, guard/reserve, and military retirees living in Montana.
How often do new students come to the school district and how many new students are you working with this year?
The PCS (Permanent Change of Station) season begins in early spring and peaks in summer, so now is my busiest time! However, we have families joining us year-round, which can be challenging if they arrive in the middle of the school year.
Numbers fluctuate constantly, but on average, 1,600 military children attend public, private, and virtual schools in Malmstrom, and we have an active homeschooling population. I help newly arriving families choose their educational options and advise them on state laws and local policies and practices to help them find the best possible solution for their children.
What can people outside the Malmstrom community do to create a welcoming environment for new students and families?
I often call our local school systems our military welcoming committees, as they are often one of the first contacts our military members make when they learn they are transferring to a new location. Often, these first interactions with the community can shape immediate impressions of an area before they even arrive. I would encourage the community to remember that these first impressions are important as military members seek information and assistance, and to be as patient and positive as possible. Changing locations and repeatedly packing up families and lives is a stressful but essential part of military service. Your kindness and understanding go a long way toward making the process more enjoyable for military families.
Photo session
Fog moved in with cooler weather to Great Falls last week. These birds of prey find rest on a foggy morning at Siebel Soccer Park.
Calling all photographers: Send a photo for Great Falls This Week to [email protected].
