Capital Improvement Plan & Impact Fee Project
The City in the midst of defining a new Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The CIP would then define what projects are needed due to growth or capacity changes. Projects due to growth can have an impact fee set in order to meet that new growths’ requirement.
Check out our project-specific page explaining more on CIP and Impact Fees.
(Image of project timeline for capital improvement project)
cIP Public Hearings
The Three Forks City Council will held a public hearing on April 9, 2024, to Review the Draft Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) Including Staff, Elected Officials’ and Public’s Input on Prioritization of Potential Projects Listed in Each Infrastructure Category. The working draft CIP is available here.
Any and all feedback is essential to a good draft! Written and verbal comment will be accepted at the hearing, or may be submitted via email to cturner@threeforksmontana.us or ksmith@threeforksmontana.us prior to the hearing (deadline was 5PM on 4/9/2024).
The Council continued the discussion until 4/23/2024 at 6PM if anyone from the public wishes to comment on the projects, propose/eliminate a project, and to make the best draft possible.
At that hearing on 4/23, the Council provided more input and asked for public comment, and then directed staff to incorporate all comments and provide a clean draft at the 6/11/2024 meeting. And once again, the discussion has been continued before final adoption of this Plan to the 6/25/2024 Council meeting.
The official Resolution of Intent to Adopt the CIP is scheduled for 7/9/2024. The Council is ready to present its draft to the public. The Resolution to Adopt is scheduled for 8/13/2024 - so you’ll have plenty of time to read through the CIP and submit comments throughout the month, or all at once at either public hearing. The revised draft will be available by clicking HERE (final edits in the works as of 6/27).
The hearings are held at City Hall, 206 Main Street, Three Forks, Montana at 6:00PM. Please contact the City Office at (406) 285-3431 for any questions.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
NOTICE is hereby given of a PUBLIC HEARING to be held before the Three Forks Zoning and Planning Board on Thursday, July 18, 2024, at 7:00 P.M. in the City Office, 206 Main Street, Three Forks, Montana.
Ken Landgaard with Chistopher and Charles Trent have made an application for a Conditional Use Permit for the property located at Block 28, Lots 3,4,5 & 6, of the Three Forks Original Townsite, will be known as 410 S. Main Street. Said request is for approval to build 2 buildings, each containing 4 residential units, within the Central Business District designation.
The CITY COUNCIL will conduct a PUBLIC HEARING on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, at 6:00 P.M., and act on the recommendation of the Zoning and Planning Board.
At each PUBLIC HEARING, TESTIMONY will be taken in support of and in opposition to this request. Written testimony is also acceptable and may be sent to PO Box 187, Three Forks, MT 59752 or ksmith@threeforksmontana.us.
The complete application and proposed site plan for this request may be reviewed at the City Office or on the City’s website at www.threeforksmontana.us. For questions concerning this request, contact Kelly Smith, City Zoning Official (phone 285-3431). (Attendance via Zoom will be offered. Contact City Hall for Meeting ID.)
Fireworks Regulations
Under Montana State statutes, fireworks are permitted to be SOLD beginning MONDAY June 24, 2024, through FRIDAY July 5, 2024.
Fireworks are ONLY allowed to be set off on the following dates & times within the City limits. You may be cited by the Gallatin County Sheriff Office for setting off fireworks outside of these designated times. This will be contingent upon fire conditions and upon the recommendation of Three Forks Fire Department’s command team:
· Thursday, July 4 from 6:00PM – 12:00AM (midnight)
· Friday July 5 from 6:00PM – 10:00PM
· Saturday July 6 from 6:00PM – 10:00PM
It is illegal to sell Fireworks within 300 feet of any church or hospital and may not be set off within 100 feet of any fireworks sales place. A “NO SMOKING” sign must be posted at all sales locations. Fireworks may not be set off toward, or from, any motor vehicle or in the vicinity of other people or animals in a manner which may expose them to risk of injury. The use of all fireworks must be supervised by a responsible person. Fireworks may not be set off in the business district on Main Street. The use of fireworks is regulated by MCA 50-37-103 AND City Ordinance 6-2-3.
Anyone setting off fireworks on public property, please be respectful and pick up and dispose of the remnants properly. The City provides a dumpster at Bellach Park – please take advantage and clean up the mess after your fireworks fun!
“Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.”
(Image of volunteers raising hands)
City of Three Forks Seeks Volunteers for Citizen Advisory Board Vacancies
The City advertises “vacancies” for all boards as terms expire, providing for the opportunity for those who would like to “toss their hat in the ring” to apply, as well as we send a letter asking the current board member if they wish to be reconsidered for another term.
If you are interested in serving on any of the following boards, please print the blank application below, complete and return it to City Hall.
Three Forks Zoning & Planning Board has one seat available for residents of the 1-mile jurisdiction boundary (potential growth area just outside of city limits). Do you live adjacent to the city limits and are interested in how we grow as the city limits expand? If so, this is the board for you!! This is a seven-member board, serving staggered 3-year terms. The purpose of the Board is to consider applications to the Zoning ordinances which are conditional, or Planned Unit Developments, but also make recommendations to the Growth Policy update and zoning ordinances. Do you want a say in how Three Forks grows and where? This is your chance! The appointment is filling the remainder of a three year term, expiring on December 31, 2024. This board only meets monthly as applications are received (historically 10 times/year).
Library Summer Hours
Request for Proposals
The City of Three Forks is seeking proposals from qualified firms or individuals for construction of the Headwaters Trail System “Crack Seal and Seal Coat - 2024”. Proposals shall be submitted to the City of Three Forks at the Office of the City Clerk, City of Three Forks, 206 Main Street, or P.O. Box 187, Three Forks, MT 59752 or via email to cturner@threeforksmontana.us no later than 2:00 p.m. local time on July 3, 2024. The proposals will then be reviewed and a recommendation for award is scheduled for July 9th, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. during the City Council meeting at 206 Main Street, Three Forks, Montana.
The project for which the work under the service agreement may be whole or only a part is generally described as follows:
Crack seal and seal coat approximately 23,300 lineal feet of existing eight-foot-wide asphalt trail located along Frontage Road near the rodeo grounds to the Jefferson River and at the Madison River Bridge to the current end of trail towards Logan in the City of Three Forks. Work also includes removal and replacement, asphalt patching, and asphalt overlay operations.
The Drawings, Specifications and Bid Sheet may be examined at the following locations:
• Builders Exchange – Online, downloading and printing is permitted
• City of Three Forks (206 Main Street, Three Forks, MT 59752)
• City’s website at www.threeforksmontana.us
Questions can be directed to the project engineer, (email link here) Ahren C. Hastings, P.E. Solutions Engineered, LLC, cell: 970.381.4358.
CONTRACTORS and any of the CONTRACTORS’ subcontractors bidding or doing work on this project will be required to be registered with the Montana Department of Labor and Industry (DLI). Forms for registration are available from the Department of Labor and Industry, P.O. Box 8011, 1805 Prospect, Helena, Montana 59604-8011. Information on registration can be obtained by calling 1-406-444-7734. CONTRACTOR is required to have registered with the DLI prior to bidding on this project in accordance with 39-9-102 of Montana Code. The CONTRACTOR must ensure that employees and applicants for employment are not discriminated against because of their race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
The right is reserved to reject any or all proposals received, to waive informalities, to postpone the award of the contract for a period of not to exceed sixty (60) days, and to accept the lowest responsive and responsible bid which is in the best interest of the OWNER.
The Contractor is required to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Prevailing wage rates are required.
ADVERTISEMENT DATES:
Published at: Bozeman Daily Chronicle (BDC) on June 11, 2024 and June 18, 2024;
and Belgrade News (BN) on June 13, 2024 and June 20, 2024
City Reminder…
The City of Three Forks encourages you to familiarize yourself with our City Ordinances if you live within city limits. Did you know…
Ordinance # 6-4A-2 states that every dog over five (5) months of age in the city limits is required to have a license. The annual license fee of fifteen dollars ($15.00) for every dog shall be paid and said dog shall be registered on or before April 15 of each year at the office of the city clerk. It’s okay if you missed the deadline. Registration has helped many lost dogs get returned home safely.
Ordinance # 6-4A-4 states that every dog must be wearing its City license tag on its collar and should be under the immediate control of its owner. All dogs must be on leash at all times and no owner of any dog shall let their dog run at large at any time unless on private property.
Ordinance # 5-5-1 & 2 states that vegetation (lawns & weeds) must be kept below 6 inches, including your alley and boulevard area.
Read more of the city ordinances at www.threeforksmontana.us then hover over online documents then click on ordinances and city codes. Follow us on Facebook for reminders and updates to our city ordinances. Call us with any questions.
(Flooding logo, image of house with rain cloud over it flood waters rushing by it)
Did you know you may be in the 1% chance of flooding based on FEMA's Flood Insurance Rate Map? Check out our floodplain page to learn more about the regulations on flood-proofing, and how you can best prepare in the event of a flood.
Madison-Ruby-Jefferson River Watersheds Flood Maps Update
Madison, Jefferson, Gallatin, and Broadwater Counties have been working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) to produce new floodplain maps for portions of the Madison, Ruby, Jefferson, Beaverhead and South Boulder Rivers, and Mill and Indian Creeks.
View Draft Maps Here
(Image of existing Jefferson floodplain overlay in Three Forks. *Does not include the Madison River Floodplain.)
(Image of proposed new maps overlaying Three Forks - floodWAY penetrates within the city limits on the west side of town)
(Image of what the Jefferson River Floodplain would look like if the mitigation channel were constructed in this location. *Please note this does not include any mapping of the Madison River Floodplain.)
Jefferson Floodplain Mitigation Project
The City of Three Forks submitted funding applications to FEMA in January 2022 for the purposes of funding a flood mitigation project to reduce flood risk from the Jefferson River. The proposed mitigation is a grass-lined conveyance channel and culvert crossing improvement project that will intercept flood waters west of town and divert them back to the Jefferson River before ever reaching the city.
The conveyance channel would be approximately 8,000 lineal feet. Channel dimensions are anticipated to be 100-feet wide, 5-feet deep, with 3:1 side slopes. The project will include a culvert crossing structure to carry water underneath MT state highway 2 before terminating into a natural side channel of the Jefferson River. The project cost is estimated at $5.5 million.
The City learned that FEMA has selected Three Forks for final review of a Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant at 75% of the total project cost.
The remaining 25% will be funded through a Special Improvement District (SID). The SID represents an area in which landowners would be assessed to fund improvements that benefit the district, and the maintenance thereof. Landowners have the opportunity to protest the creation of this district during the protest period. A Notice of Intent to Create was first published on October 4, 2022, beginning the 17-day protest period. (Protest period began 10/4/2022, the date of first publication in a newspaper of general circulation within Gallatin County. Three Forks also advertised in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Belgrade News, and the Three Forks Voice. Protest period ended on 10/21/2022 at 5PM.)
public hearings
Public hearings have been held on 9/27/2022 and 10/25/2022 to Create Special Improvement District #34 “Jefferson River Floodplain Mitigation Project & Maintenance”. Zero written protests were received, and the Council approved the creation of this SID at its 10/25/2022 meeting.
next steps
We have sent the District details to the Treasurer’s office to be on the 2023 tax rolls.
We also have met with the affected landowners where the proposed channel would be located, and will work soon on the environmental and historical assessment surveys.