Author: Steve

The Montana Department of Commerce wants your help.

On January 5, 2021, Governor Gianforte signed an executive order creating the Red Tape Relief Advisory Council to implement regulatory reform. Regulatory reform is defined as a comprehensive review to revise over-complicated regulations and ensure regulations are user-friendly and easy to understand.

The process will be thorough and careful to preserve regulations necessary to implement legislative directives. The goal is to implement a comprehensive review of statutes, regulations and processes to identify:

1. Excessive, outdated and unnecessary regulations.
2. Regulations that are especially burdensome on Montana’s farmers, ranchers and business owners.
3. Regulations that disproportionately impact small businesses.

Commerce needs your help to identify what regulations are particularly burdensome and difficult to understand. Do you have an idea to help Commerce implement regulatory reform?

To help you better understand our review process and answer your questions, on September 29, from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., Commerce will host an in person meeting at the Park Avenue Building Room 228. 

For those who are interested with a virtual meeting option as well, please see zoom details below. At the meeting, Commerce staff will discuss the Governor’s Red Tape Relief Review Process in more detail and will be available to answer any questions you may have about our process and the upcoming public comment period.

A public comment period will be open from October 1 through October 31, 2021. Comments can be sent to docredtape@mt.gov or here.

Meeting ID: 817 2189 7292
Password: 908359

The Teton County Health Department has updated their Teton County Behavioral Health Wellness Resources handout.

Chamber members and other local businesses are asked to print a copy to post for their staff or email it out their staff.

We’re less than a month away from the 4th of July and planning is well underway!

Check out the Chamber’s Facebook Page events list for all the events from July 2nd through July 4th!

• Choteau Chamber of Commerce Kick off Beer Garden Friday, July 2nd (5-7pm)
• Choteau Soroptimist Summer Festival Saturday, July 3rd (9am-4pm)
• Choteau Volunteer Fire Department Keg Hockey Saturday, July 3rd (10am) next to Pivot Physical Therapy
• Choteau American Legion Rodeo Slack Saturday, July 3rd (12p for rough stock, and 1pm for timed events.
• Choteau Community Band Concert July 3rd (12p-1p)
• Choteau Soroptimist Duck Race Saturday, July 3rd (1pm)
• Got Grit Saturday, July 3rd (2pm start, signup from 9am – 1:30pm)
• Choteau Chamber of Commerce Brewfest Saturday, July 3rd (4-8pm)
• Choteau American Legion Rodeo Mixer Saturday, July 3rd (7-12pm), featuring the Nick Crawford Band. Must be 21 years old or older. Beer Garden and Food Vendors.
• Let Freedom Run Road Race Sunday, July 4th (7:45am)
• Choteau Chamber of Commerce Independence Day Parade Sunday, July 4th 7-4 (10am)
• Choteau Chamber of Commerce Steak Fry Sunday, July 4th (11am-1pm)
• Choteau American Legion Rodeo Sunday, July 4th (2pm)
• Choteau Fireworks Display Sunday, July 4th (Dusk)

We need volunteer help for our events, like the Parade, Brewfest, and the Steak Fry – please contact Tom at choteauchamber@gmail.com, and please pass the word around your business and organizations that help is needed!

Housing for Our Town

With the recent Gunther Apartments fire and robust real estate sales, the demand for multi-family, single family, and rehabilitated housing is stronger than ever. Many can’t find a
place to live! Choteau is not alone. Communities large and small in Montana are struggling
with affordable housing shortages. Help is available!

The Choteau Area Port Authority is sponsoring an informational meeting on opportunities for funding, partnerships, and assistance from agencies and organizations. It will be just an hour with participation both virtually and in-person.

Join us for the house ing Housing Discussion
June 11th, Noon-1PM
Choteau Pavillion

The event will be live streamed at https://www.facebook.com/choteauportauthority/live for those who can’t make it to the Pavilion.

Tentative Agenda:

● Introductions
● Montana Department of Commerce Housing Division – Julie Flynn
● USDA Rural Development – Katina Uecker
● NeighborWorks Great Falls – Katie Batterbee
● Crowdfund Montana – Andrew Connor
● Questions!
● Next Steps

Two trainings to share coming up this month:
1.  Generations in the Workforce, May 6th 11am – 11:30
Register: https://mtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/4818

2.  The Great Falls Public Library is hosting a Grow with Google virtual workshop for small business owners that is free and open to anyone on 5/25/21 from 11 – 12 pm. The title is “Use YouTube to Grow Your Business”, 
Here is the registration and event page: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6843847869356743951

Please forward this among your organizations and to any others who may be able to assist. 

As most of you have no doubt seen, about a dozen families were displaced by the fire at the Gunther Apartments today. Most of the people, including several children, lost everything. They literally only have to their name what they had in their pockets when they evacuated their apartments.

Trinity Lutheran Church has volunteered to serve as a collection point for items needed. Trinity Lutheran Church will be open tomorrow at 8am. 

Please mark (or let us know) if your items are for school aged kids for school related needs so we can send a runner to the school with it.

• Men’s Shirts: Medium, Large, XL, 2XL, 3XL
• Men’s Pants: 23×25, L/XL pants, , 42″ pants, 42×36, 34×34, 38×32, 34×36, 34×34, L/XL sweats
• Men’s Shoes: 10, 11.5, 10, 12, 14, 13
• Women’s Shirts: Large, XL, 2XL, 3XL
• Women’s Pants: Large, XL, 16, 18, 20
• Women’s Shoes: 5, 5.5, 6, 9, 10w
• Girl size 2-3
• Needs pull ups

All need sweaters, sweats, pajamas, socks, underwear, hygiene products (tooth paste, tooth brush, deodorant, soap/body wash, shampoo/conditioner, etc.)

If you have items to donate, I can pick them up – please reach out via the Chamber Facebook Page to arrange for pick up.

Thank you.

Yours in Service,

Steve Dogiakos
President, Choteau Chamber of Commerce
Make Choteau Home | Visit Choteau

A big thanks to everyone who joined us for the Chamber of Commerce Membership meeting today! Check out the meeting video here on the Chamber website or directly on the Choteau Chamber of Commerce Facebook Page!

Thanks again to Mel & Jeff for their great presentation!