by Michael Howell
On Wednesday, December 31, the Ravalli County Commissioners passed a Resolution of Intent to dissolve the Bitterroot Valley Community College district. Following a local public vote of approval in May 2020, the independent College District was officially formed by the Montana Legislature in the Spring of 2021. Although the District received $100,000 in seed money from the state to get started, repeated attempts to secure regular funding through a local mill levy were voted down at the polls. Following the third and last failed attempt to pass a 1.5 mill levy in May of 2024, which would have allowed access to more money from the Board of Regents and the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education, Auditor Tanya Doyle expressed concern about the continued fiscal viability of continuing the District without a local tax levy.
BVCC Board Chair Darwin Ernst told the commissioners that it was the Auditor’s expressed concerns about the fiscal viability of the District that led the Board in August to pass its own Resolution of Intent to dissolve the District and request that the county commissioners officially dissolve it. He told the commissioners that there was a lot of discussion in the community and with the University of Montana about how to produce a viable educational opportunity for those who desired. He said when the District split from the University of Montana but was without funding, the University of Montana moved in and established the UM Bitterroot College. He said it was difficult to explain the difference to the public and repeated efforts to fund the community college failed. He said trying another time would be a costly affair and it might fail again.
“I don’t think we have a choice at this point,” said Ernst. He said he liked the idea of suspending it for a while and then bringing it back up again later, “but I don’t know how you do that.” He said administrative expenses would continue and that was just not viable. “So, I think we are kind of stuck here,” said Ernst. “I don’t think that we have an option. I wish we did, but I don’t see it.”
County Clerk and Recorder Regina Plettenberg said, “Just to be up front with people, basically the law says that anyone who is assessed within the district can protest the decision to dissolve it. We have never assessed anyone within the District because the levy has never passed. People can give public comment but truly I don’t feel that there is anyone eligible out there to actually protest the dissolution of the District.”
Legal counsel agreed with Plettenberg’s remarks and stated that the law only requires a single meeting to approve the dissolution, “so you guys are going above and beyond what you are required to do by holding another meeting.” A meeting to make the final decision is scheduled for January 21, 2026.
BVCC Board member Michell Binkley, former Representative for House District 85, said she was new to the board but voted for everything she could in the legislature to support the Bitterroot College, but given the public will to not impose a levy it simply did not seem prudent to continue those efforts at this time.
“You just can’t keep functioning without funds coming in,” said Binkley. “I would hope that we could pick it up again in the future and I believe that there is an opening there should the desire come about in coming years.”
Skip Chisholm said it was a good idea to have another meeting because it would be a good idea to know what will happen to the funds currently held by the District if it is dissolved.
Legal counsel stated that expenses consisting of a small staff and a website that is maintained so that minutes and meeting notices can get posted, subscriptions for Microsoft Word and Quick Books, were all being paid for by the initial seed money, roughly $100,000, from the state. Upon dissolution, she said, per state law any money left after all existing obligations are paid reverts to the County’s general fund. Other funds from donors will be returned or used in a manner at their discretion.
Jennifer Johnson, vice chair of the BVCC Board, echoed Ernst’s remarks about the difference between the BVCC and the current UM Bitterroot College. She said the UM Bitterroot College is a satellite school of the University, much like the Missoula College. She said their efforts were aimed at starting an independent college for the citizens of Ravalli County, “which means the education would have been cheaper, it would have been locally controlled, and locally managed.” She said that was why she got involved and she has a wish that there was some way to table it so it could be picked up later on when the community realizes why it is important and why they need it, “because that will happen at some point in the future.” She said it was too bad that such a huge misinformation campaign was raised against it.
The Resolution of Intent to dissolve the District was approved by Commissioners Greg Chilcott and Dan Huls. Commissioner Jeff Burrows was absent. The final meeting to approve the Resolution to Dissolve the District is scheduled for January 21.
Leave a Reply