The Browning Community Development Corporation (BCDC) outlined six items designed to promote economic development in
Glacier County. Among the items addressed was the establishment of a regional port authority between Browning and Glacier
County, Business Improvement Districts (BIDS), Tax Increment Finance Districts (TIF), Empowerment Zones, tax deferments
for business development and a revolving loan fund.
BCDC requested $35,000 from Glacier County to accomplish these tasks. In addition, the money will help fund the review of
Glacier County's legal codes for barriers to economic development, research traffic flow and fuel revenue and coordinate and facilitate
public hearings for Glacier County's economic development activities.
"There is a lot of potential here for business growth and employment," said BCDC Executive Director Johnel Barcus. She cited
the growing young population, tourism, highways and close proximity to Canada as key components.
"We need to collaborate and partner together to put the pieces of the puzzle together and really promote the whole area. We
need to get a warm body working on each of these areas. We need to look at the codes of the county and see how they
pertain to business. We have a common theme-poverty-it's really a culture. We need to knock down these barriers,"
said Barcus.
Barcus emphasized the need for Glacier County, Browning and Cut Bank to work in cooperation with each other. "We are
really divided. Opportunities Inc. has $12 million to distribute over the next eight and a half years between 11 counties with
three reservations to fight poverty. We have obstacles and barriers we need to overcome as a region," said Barcus.
"If we are not working together this money is going to go to other communities," said BCDC Board of Directors member Don Barcus.
"We are willing to take the lead and take the relatively small amounts of money we have to create economic development. We
need to take this and multiply it. We have everything we need - a major thoroughfare (and) Glacier National Park," added
Browning Mayor Willie Morris.
By law the port authority cannot be placed under the management of a membership driven organization. Therefore, in BCDC's
request, they ask the Port Authority be placed with BCDC, which is not a membership driven organization like GAIN or Sweet Grass
Development.
"The port authority would not fit under GAIN, but it would under BCDC. We are asking now, and I will push later, to have a Port
of Authority between the Town of Browning and Glacier County. The benefits are ten-fold," stated Morris.
Morris pointed out Shelby and Conrad have established successful Port Authorities. Shelby is generating $500,000 in revenue
a year and Conrad $240,000.
"This gets us as a group out of your face. If we can raise two mills, that will give us in the range of $32,000," added Morris.
"To fund the Port Authority we would need to increase taxes county-wide on all taxable property. Once it brings in income
and economic development, it will really calm the nerves of the tax increase," said Don Barcus.
The development of the revolving loan fund and business incentives was highly praised by BCDC representatives. "This will
bring in more businesses, which will bring in more taxes," explained Johnel Barcus.
"It really is going to help not just Browning or Cut Bank, but it will help the whole county," added Don Barcus.
Developing relations between the communities and county was a key issue to helping this plan work. "One of the most
important things we see is the need to establish a relationship with Cut Bank," said Joseph Bremner.
The county commissioners emphasized the need for the county to join together on this. Johnel Barcus replied, "Hold it over
us. Make us work together with GAIN and Sweet Grass Development."
As good as the plan sounds, it boiled down to a money issue at the end of the meeting. "We can't commit today, because we
don't know where we are going to be at for next year," said Glacier County Commissioner Chairman Ray Salois.
"However, we can commit ourselves to work towards that. The only thing we can't commit to today is the money. It will
be a priority in our mind," concluded fellow commissioner Michael DesRosier.
Commissioner John Ray was absent from Monday's meeting.
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