Project Information

Bid Title

RFP Missoula Annexation Policy 2026

Issuing Agency

City of Missoula

Location

Montana

Published Date

May 10, 2026

Closing Date

Jun 8, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

Bid Title:	RFP Missoula Annexation Policy 2026
Category:	Request for Proposals (RFPs)
Status:	Open

Description: The City of Missoula is requesting proposals for Planning Consultant Services to support an effort to update the City’s existing annexation policy. The updated annexation policy should be based on recently updated city policy and informed by fiscal analysis that considers a more accurate estimate of public revenues and expenditures associated with expansion of the City’s jurisdiction. The desired project duration is 6-8 Months. The City is seeking the services of a consulting team with experience in land use, development, and planning, and expertise related to annexation and fiscal analysis, to update the City’s existing annexation policy. The updated annexation policy should be based on recently updated city policy and informed by fiscal analysis that considers a more accurate estimate of public revenues and expenditures associated with expansion of the City’s jurisdiction. The consultant team will partner with City staff in order to produce a successful project outcome involving the overall development of a new annexation policy. Consultants and staff will co-manage the project, with consultants leading elements including the overall project timeline, the fiscal impacts analysis, and an update of the annexation policy map. Staff will lead external public engagement, policy language and criteria development, and manage public processes around eventual adoption of the updated policy, all with support from the consultants on supporting guidance and materials. Publication Date/Time: 5/9/2026 12:01 AM Publication Information: Missoulian 5/9/2026 5/16/2026 Closing Date/Time: 6/8/2026 4:00 PM Submittal Information: Submit proposals via email: gluckine@ci.missoula.mt.us Addendum Date/Time: Deadline to submit questions: 5/22/26. Deadline for staff responses to questions: 5/29/26 Contact Person: Emily Gluckin, Senior Planner 406-552-6122 gluckine@ci.missoula.mt.us Business Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm Qualifications: The City is seeking the services of a consulting team with experience in land use, development, and planning, with expertise related to annexation and fiscal analysis. Related Documents: RFP Missoula Annexation Policy 2026

Attachment Preview

CITY OF MISSOULA

Fiscal Impact Analysis and Policy Guidance

to Support Annexation Policy Update

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Prepared by:

Community Planning, Development & Innovation

Address: 435 Ryman Street

Missoula, Montana 59802

Issued: May 9, 2026

Submittal Information:

Deadline: June 8, 2026 at 4:00 p.m., Mountain Daylight Time

Send questions and submittals to: Emily Gluckin

Email: glucking@ci.missoula.mt.us

Phone: 552-6621

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Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................................3

Community Background ............................................................................................3

Purpose and Need .....................................................................................................4

Scope of Services .........................................................................................................7

Project Description: ...................................................................................................7

Final Project Deliverables...........................................................................................8

Proposal Framework ..................................................................................................9

Project Work Plan Elements: ......................................................................................9

Budget and Timeline ................................................................................................ 10

Budget ................................................................................................................ 10

Timeline .............................................................................................................. 10

Consultant and Staff Roles....................................................................................... 10

Consultant Role ................................................................................................... 11

City Staff Role ...................................................................................................... 11

Submission Requirements........................................................................................... 11

Proposal Content: ................................................................................................... 11

Proposal Format: ..................................................................................................... 12

Proposal Submission: .............................................................................................. 12

Consultant Selection and RFP Schedule....................................................................... 13

Proposal Selection .................................................................................................. 13

Review Criteria ........................................................................................................ 13

Selection Time Frame: ............................................................................................. 14

Terms and Conditions ................................................................................................. 14

Statement of Noncommitment ............................................................................. 14

RFP Authority ....................................................................................................... 14

Acceptance of Terms ............................................................................................ 14

Professional Services Agreement .......................................................................... 15

Notice to Consultant ............................................................................................ 15

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Attachments:.............................................................................................................. 16

Attachment A – Related Policies, Plans, Reports and Resolutions ............................ 16

Attachment B – Standard Missoula City Contract Template ..................................... 16

Introduction

The City of Missoula is seeking the services of a consulting team with experience in land

use, development, and planning, and expertise related to annexation and fiscal analysis, to

support the update of the City’s existing annexation policy. Guidance for an updated

annexation policy should be based on recently adopted city policy and informed by fiscal

analysis that considers a more accurate estimate of public revenues and expenditures

associated with expansion of the City’s jurisdiction.

To inform this work, the consultant team will familiarize themselves with and base their

work on City policy, including recent efforts to update the City’s Land Use Plan (LUP), as

well as the Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Trails (PROST) plan, Long Range

Transportation Plan (LRTP), and Water and Wastewater Facilities Plans along with the Utility

Service Area Boundary, all of which have been recently developed in conjunction with an

entirely new Unified Development Code (UDC) and associated Standards and

Specifications manual (COMSSM). The City is currently engaged in a sub-area planning

effort called the Reserve to Scott Street Plan Update that has bearing on this project as

well. Data inputs for the fiscal analysis should include City funded services including, but

not limited to, safety and emergency services, surface and utility infrastructure

maintenance, and parks, recreation and open space capacities, as well as associated

regional impacts.

The consultant team will partner with City staff in order to produce a successful project

outcome involving the overall development of a new annexation policy. Consultants and

staff will co-manage the project, with consultants leading elements including the overall

project timeline, the fiscal impacts analysis, and an update of the annexation policy map.

Staff will lead external public engagement, policy language and criteria development, and

manage public processes around eventual adoption of the updated policy, all with support

from the consultants on supporting guidance and materials.

Community Background

Missoula, Montana is nestled in the heart of the northern Rocky Mountains, and lies at the

confluence of the Clark Fork, Blackfoot, and Bitterroot Rivers. Missoula’s built environment

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is shaped, and constrained, by a mountain valley landscape. Additional constraints further

impact where development is desirable or appropriate, including steep slopes, open

space, wildlife habitat, wildland-urban interface concerns, floodplain, an airport hazard

area, and high groundwater in some areas. The space for growth into easily available

greenfield sites is diminishing quickly. Like many places, Missoula is challenged by

contemporary issues, including high housing costs and environmental risk due to climate

change. As one of its central themes towards addressing these challenges, the City uses a

‘Focus Inward’ approach to growth that prioritizes infill and efficient use of services within

its greater urban area.

From a growth standpoint, Missoula has been somewhat resilient to outside economic

forces over time. Since its founding, the City has seen several up and down economic

cycles but overall has maintained a steady growth rate of about one and a half percent per

year. As of the most recent Land Use Plan update, the current population within the Land

Use Plan area is approximately 93,000 people, and projecting a generally consistent growth

rate of 1.39%, is expected to reach a population of up to around128,000 for the larger Land

Use Plan area by 2045, with the City estimated to grow to 115,950 within that same time

period.

The City has just concluded a multi-year effort generally referred to as the Our Missoula

Project to update its Land Use Plan and comprehensively reform its development codes

which resulted in the creation of an entirely new Unified Development Code. During that

same time, the City also conducted several other plan updates, and the State of Montana

adopted the Montana Land Use Planning Act (MCA 76-25) to update the State's entire legal

framework for land use. With new City policy and implementing regulations in place, and

operating under a new set of land use laws, it is time for the City to update its annexation

policy, and in a way that is enabled by a more comprehensive understanding of the City’s

fiscal health, to continue on a path towards modernizing its approach to growth

management in the urban area.

Purpose and Need

The City’s current annexation policy, first adopted in 2019, provides comprehensive

guidance for annexing areas within and around the City of Missoula. This policy is

supported by Missoula’s Utilities Service Area (USA), which is an area that delineates

where the City agrees to serve with City owned water and wastewater utilities. The USA

boundary is largely consistent with the Land Use Planning boundary. A key aspect of the

policy is its focus on promoting efficient resource use, which is critical for sustainable

growth and a central tenet of the City’s ‘Focus Inward’ growth strategy. Priority for

annexation is currently given to areas that contribute to logical growth patterns, are served

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by adequate infrastructure and proximity to amenities and services, and possess favorable

conditions or reflect existing agreements. This concept is a key factor in how the City

evaluates petitions for annexation, although it is complicated by the fact that some City

utilities (sewer and water) extend well outside of the City limits. Typically, the City requires

development that occurs outside of city limits but would rely on municipal utilities to waive

their rights to protest annexation into the City, though this approach is one that will be re-

evaluated as part of this update.

The current policy already plays a crucial role in managing growth effectively, aiming to

prevent issues such as leapfrog development and inadequate municipal infrastructure,

minimize development on environmentally constrained lands, ensure public health and

safety, and foster walkable urban neighborhoods and community connectivity. It

emphasizes equitable service provision and cost-effective annexations, and these goals

will likely not change as a result of this effort. Although Montana land use law provides

several ways for cities to annex property, the City of Missoula typically uses Title 7 Part 46 of

Montana Code Annotated, which provides rules for annexation by petition. Missoula

officials anticipate this will remain the most common method of annexation, although we

may use other methods as the situation warrants or are suggested by consultants.

The policy explicitly advises against the annexation and development of environmentally

sensitive lands, though there is room for clarification and improvement in the update. The

policy incorporates an associated map of the urban area that specifies which areas tend to

meet annexation policy guidelines (Area A) versus which areas do not (Area B). The policy

allows Missoula City Council the authority to waive certain policy principles when

necessary, and the Council has the authority to and typically requires petitioners (i.e.,

developers) to extend or upgrade municipal facilities needed to serve the projected

development up to city standards. The City does this through conditions of annexation.

Typical conditions include extension or upsizing of sewer and water facilities, onsite

stormwater retention, and street and sidewalk upgrades along the property frontage.

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