by John Dowd
With many concerned over the federal layoffs, even the Hamilton City Council is getting involved. After seeing the concern from citizens, the council invited the community to a discussion at the Hamilton junior high on March 12. This was a committee of the whole (COW) meeting to gather information and recommendations to then bring forth to the regular council meetings. There were over 200 people in attendance and, according to Hamilton City Council President Robin Pruitt, this was “fact-finding, information-gathering time for the council.”
During that meeting they held a discussion about potential actions the council could take. It was decided that the council would reach out and contact the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Forest Service through letters.
The letters were drafted and put out to a second COW meeting, on March 25, before the public. Finally, the issue went before the council at a regular meeting, and a few edits were made before the letters were to be sent out late last week.
The council sent two letters, one aimed at the NIH and the other at the U.S. Forest Service. Each letter would cc the congressional delegation, county commissioners and the press. The perspective letters each addressed the concerns with the specific targeted organization, and both included information about how both organizations are particularly important to members of the Bitterroot community.
According to Pruitt, “Having both in such a small community is what makes us unique.” She explained how the Hamilton community is under 5,000, yet includes many members that work for these two large federal employers. With Rocky Mountain Lab under the NIH and many working in numerous capacities for the Forest Service in the valley, the economic impact is significant (see related story). The effect could reach into everything from housing costs and jobs, to a general loss of important and productive community members.
“That’s why we felt it was important for this council to engage in the conversation,” said Pruitt. When speaking on the impact to the Hamilton community, she further stated, “It looks much different,” in a small rural community like Hamilton, then it would for a larger community. Hamilton also already has such a reliance on the existing presence of these organizations employing hundreds, which in Hamilton is a very large percentage of the population. This brings a lot of money into the area as well.
According to Pruitt, another difficulty has been a general lack of information from the government. For the council, these letters are also “an ask for officials to be transparent with us,” said Pruitt.
The letters were sent late last week.
The letter concerning the Rocky Mountain Lab was addressed to Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health and Jeanne Marrazzo, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and reads as follows:
Dear NIH Acting Director Memoli and NIAID Director Marrazzo,
We write concerning federal government actions related to staffing of Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML). It appears that the federal government is initiating a “reduction in workforce” process that may result in fewer staff at RML. Such actions have the serious potential to endanger the safety and economic well-being of our community and its residents. Prior to taking such action, we request formal consultation between the City of Hamilton and the official(s) making reduction in workforce decisions related to RML.
Established almost 100 years ago (1928), RML is located on a campus in downtown Hamilton. RML plays a long-proven role in protecting America’s health and well-being through research on infectious, and some contagious, diseases. Its campus includes a Level 4 lab, which allows RML scientists to handle and research the most dangerous pathogens known to humans. Any changes to employee status raise serious safety questions for Hamilton and Ravalli County. These include concerns for the safety of RML staffers, local emergency responders and, if the integrity of the research labs is compromised, the broader community.
Further, RML has been a central component of our community and our economy for a century. RML’s roughly 450 employees live in Hamilton and Ravalli County. They, and their family members live, work and volunteer in our community, and their children go to our schools. In addition to the vast human health and safety benefits to the nation that come from RML’s work on infectious diseases, RML provides substantial economic benefits nearly $250 million annually — to our community and the State of Montana. See The Economic Contributions of Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Bureau of Business and Economic Research, University of Montana School of Business (April 2023).
Given the safety and economic interdependence of Hamilton and RML, formal consultation between us is prudent and important prior to any significant changes in staffing levels. Please note that we do not object to government action to prevent fraud and abuse and to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of government; these are goals we share for our own government. That said, it is important that action, addressing these issues occur in an informed and transparent manner. This is especially true when missteps in addressing them have the potential for both dangerous safety and economic consequences for your neighbors in the Bitterroot Valley.
Please note that the City of Hamilton is the only city in Montana that has a National Institutes of Health satellite facility. Additionally, 72% of our county lands are public lands owned by the US government. Any potential reduction of US Forest Service employees and/or National Institutes of Health employees results in a disproportionate impact for our community’s economy when considering the City of Hamilton population is less than 5,000 citizens and there are less than 50,000 citizens living within our county. For these reasons, we invite any state or federal representatives to come visit our amazing city and speak with our constituents. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
The Hamilton City Council
The letter concerning the U.S. Forest Service was addressed to Brooke Rollins, the Secretary of Agriculture at the US Department of Agriculture and reads as follows:
Dear Secretary Rollins,
We write concerning federal government actions related to staffing of the Bitterroot National Forest. It appears from public reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is initiating a “reduction in workforce” process that may result in future staff changes at the Bitterroot National Forest. Such actions have the potential to endanger the safety and economic well-being of our community and its residents. Prior to taking any such action, we request formal consultation between the City of Hamilton, the county seat of Ravalli County, and whoever is making reduction in workforce decisions for the Bitterroot National Forest, whether that be USDA or the Forest Service. Established in 1898, the Bitterroot National Forest is roughly 1.6 million acres in size, over 70% of which is in Ravalli County. Among other tasks, Forest employees provide critical fire prevention, preparedness and response services. Wildfire risk is high in our community and our collective ability to minimize and respond to this risk requires close relationships and coordination between our governments. This is not an imaginary concern. Wildfire is a constant in the Northern Rockies. In 2000 a massive wildfire complex burned over 350,000 acres in Ravalli County. The fires raged for over 5 weeks, destroyed homes and property, displaced hundreds and disrupted life and business for all county residents. Without the Forest Service’s organization, personnel and resources the outcome would have been much worse.
Further, public land use on the Bitterroot National Forest is a large economic driver for our community. As one example, the Bitterroot National Forest manages the Lake Como Recreation Area, which is the busiest national forest recreation area in the Forest Service Northern Region with roughly 250,000 annual visits. This natural jewel provides significant economic benefits to Hamilton and Ravalli County, and changes to staffing levels and Forest services that are not informed with local knowledge risk destabilizing our rural economy.
Please note that we do not object to government actions to prevent fraud and abuse and to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of government. That said, it is important that action addressing these issues occur in an informed and transparent manner. This is especially true when missteps in addressing them have the potential for safety and economic consequences for your neighbors in the Bitterroot Valley.
Additionally, the City of Hamilton is the only city in Montana that has a National Institutes of Health satellite facility. Currently, 72% of our county lands are public lands owned by the US government. Any potential reduction of US Forest Service employees and/or National Institutes of Health employees results in a disproportionate impact for our community’s economy when considering the City of Hamilton population is less than 5,000 citizens and there are less than 50,000 citizens living within our county.
In closing, the Forest Service motto “Caring for the Land and Serving People” expresses values that we too share. In that spirit, and in one of cooperation and for the reasons above we invite any state or federal representative to come visit our amazing city and to speak with our constituents. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
The Hamilton City Council
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