Digital ID use expands in Montana, but physical ID still recommended
Montana has approved the use of digital IDs, allowing residents to add their state ID to their mobile devices. The digital IDs are being accepted at participating airport TSA checkpoints, and county offices can now accept them for tasks requiring identification.
While the technology is available, officials urge residents to continue carrying a physical ID until digital adoption becomes more widespread.
Health organizations and food banks ask Gianforte to release funds for SNAP
The Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Confluence Public Health Alliance are the latest groups asking Governor Greg Gianforte to use state money to cover $14 million in SNAP benefits. The request follows a federal directive requiring states to stop making payments after Friday.
In September, SNAP benefits went to 77,679 Montanans, with an average payment of $173.
Election officials reaching out to voters who had ballots rejected
County election officials across Montana report that many voters have been tripped up by a new state requirement that mail voters write their birth year when signing ballot envelopes. If a voter doesn’t include their birth year, their ballot will be rejected, and they’ll have to correct the issue for their vote to count.
This year, the Montana Legislature passed House Bill 719, which implemented the requirement effective October 1. The November 4 election is the first in which the rule applies.
Nurses, doctors sue Montana recovery program in class-action lawsuit
A group of Montana doctors and nurses is suing Maximus Incorporated, the company that runs a state program for health care providers dealing with addiction. Maximus was hired by the Department of Labor and Industry in 2023 to manage the state-mandated Montana Recovery Program, which oversees more than 60,000 medical licensees.
Montana renters could foot the bill for a property tax blunder
Tenants across Montana could soon face increased rents due to a newly discovered mistake in property tax bills passed during the 2025 legislative session. The error emerged as 2025 property tax bills were mailed out following a yearslong effort to curb soaring property taxes.
The mistake is expected to drive up taxes for higher-value multifamily properties the most, though the number of people affected remains unclear.
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Most members of the Butte-Silver Bow Study Commission signaled support this week for placing on next year’s ballot a proposal to replace the elected chief executive with a professional city manager. The change would eliminate the elected position that has existed since Butte and Silver Bow County merged into a consolidated government in 1977.
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Nearly 5,500 people in Lewis and Clark, Jefferson, and Broadwater counties will see their SNAP benefits indefinitely paused after Friday because of inaction by Congress. Helena Food Share has launched a new information page to help residents access food assistance during the government shutdown and the upcoming benefit cutoff on November 1.
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Bridger Aerospace, one of the nation’s largest aerial firefighting companies, has finalized a sale-leaseback of its Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport campus facilities in Belgrade with SR Aviation Infrastructure. The ten-year lease covers its hangar and headquarters, which serve as a base for its firefighting operations.
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Yellowstone County, in partnership with the Lockwood Pedestrian Safety District, is nearing completion of a project to make the community more walkable. The Lockwood Sidewalk Project adds 2,200 feet of new sidewalk south of Old Hardin Road, connecting Woodland Road and Rykken Circle. The district was established after two teens were hit by cars and killed.
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Developer Cole Bergquist has unveiled updated plans for the former Missoulian newspaper building. The project includes 80 residences, a 155-room hotel, Missoula’s first year-round rooftop bar and restaurant, a river-facing ground-level restaurant, and spaces for local shops and dining.
