The U.S. Senate passed a bill that contains $12.2 million in funding for several Montana projects, including appropriations for both the town of St. Ignatius and the St. Ignatius Police Department.  

The funding was announced last Friday in a press release from U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy, who has been a proponent. 

The town of St. Ignatius put in applications for federal funds through U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke and Senators Sheehy and Steve Daines to help them replace their deteriorating sewer pipes. This is a $5.8 million project that St. Ignatius is struggling to find funds for, according to previous Lake County Leader reporting.  

According to the press release from Sheehy’s office, the bill contains $4.6 million for Mission’s wastewater system, along with $185,000 for new patrol cars for the police department.  

“That’s freaking incredible,” St. Ignatius Mayor Daren Incashola said as the Leader shared the news with him.  

Incashola said this possible funding is a big deal for the town, and a lot of people have put in a lot of work for this. He explained that local citizens and business owners wrote letters in support of this project.   

“I didn't think it'd ever get this far, to be honest. So, I'm pretty stoked,” Incashola said. 

The sewer lines are 80 year old clay tile pipes beyond their lifespan and failing. The council selected the option to replace all the clay mains in November of 2023. The town split this project into digestible pieces and has received just shy of $400,000 from federal aid, grants and state funds. 

City engineer Shari Johnson said during the council meeting on Jan. 6, that the $5.8 million is an estimate from 2024 and prices may have changed since then. This estimate also does not include the $400,000 already allocated towards the project.  

Johnson, along with Ryan Urbanec, the state engineer and environmental coordinator for USDA Rural Development, joined the council meeting on Jan. 6 to discuss how to fund the project and USDA loan or grant opportunities.  

“The threat to health and safety from the deteriorated clay tile pipes in St. Ignatius is very serious, real and well-documented,” Johnson’s summary of the 2024 preliminary wastewater engineering report stated. “Sewage is not able to flow down the sewer mains and has a history of flooding homes and alleys.”   

According to the 2024 summary, an estimated 10% of wastewater reaches the lagoons. Johnson said this estimate comes from a theoretical calculation the design engineer made based on an assessment of a few sewer-line sections. These sections have been repaired since, but she said this rough estimate could be happening at a higher or lower rate.   

As to the police allocation, Police Chief Jason Acheson said this will allow the department to purchase at least two patrol cars. These vehicles can range from $60,000 to $70,000, according to Acheson.  

He explained that when he put the application together, he was projecting three cars, but prices have increased, so he is unsure if he’ll be able to purchase that many. Acheson said they are going to be very methodical about how they use their funds.  

The department received a used car from the Bozeman Police Department in December, but is still in need of new vehicles. Acheson explained that it is a stressor to manage a fleet even at his smaller department. Last week, one of their vehicles was having issues, at the same time as the Bozeman car was almost ready for the road.  

“This is very good news for this agency and this town, because we work very hard to do what we can to keep this town protected and not having adequate equipment or equipment that's modernized or safe makes it more difficult,” Acheson said.  

He explained that he wants the best equipment for their officers, so they may be able to purchase a used patrol car with low mileage, but he said it depends on the funding stipulations.  

The bill is headed to President Donald Trump and must be signed before funds are distributed.  

“I'm still apprehensive. It hasn't been signed, but we're very excited and optimistic to see what develops next,” Acheson said. “This is a major development for our department in our communities, especially given our financial difficulties.”  

Incashola explained that they have to match a certain amount of these federal funds, which shouldn’t be difficult for the police vehicles. Many appropriations or grants require recipients to match a certain amount of the total project cost. He said they have been making plans to match funds in general, so they will be working with Johnson and the grant writer to allocate funds.  

On Tuesday afternoon, Acheson received official notice from Sheehy’s office that the bill has passed and was on its way to the president.

“It's not like this stuff is guaranteed. You just never know. So, this is kind of like a little late Christmas miracle coming true,” Acheson said.