Published March 23, 2020
Due to the repercussions of COVID-19, the Montana Department of Commerce has received many public comments expressing concern over the May 1, 2020 TSEP Construction application deadline. Commerce is taking these comments under consideration.
Based on this ongoing public comment, we anticipate: (1) extending the application deadline to June 12, 2020, or later; and (2) allowing TSEP Construction Application public meeting documentation to be submitted any time up until August 3, 2020.
These extended dates will be confirmed at the end of the public comment period on March 27. Public comment on this matter is ongoing, as detailed above.
Program Overview
The Treasure Statement Endowment Program (TSEP) is a state-funded program that is designed to help address the “affordability” of local infrastructure projects by providing grants to lower the cost of constructing public facilities.
Are your city’s water lines leaking? Have you reached the capacity of your town’s wastewater treatment plant? Do you have a bridge that has deteriorated to the point that it may have to be closed? These issues, along with other infrastructure problems, are a dilemma for local governments trying to maintain their community’s vital infrastructure. Local officials, staff and engineers are encouraged to consider whether TSEP could help finance a local infrastructure project.
The Montana Department of Commerce’s research findings, along with comments from local government officials and citizens, indicate that the principal reason why so many local public facilities are deficient is that most options for correcting deficiencies are simply not considered affordable by local residents. TSEP is a state-funded program that has been designed to help address that “affordability” problem by providing grants to lower the cost of constructing public facilities projects. The program was authorized by Montana’s voters with the passage of Legislative Referendum 110 on June 2, 1992. The law has been codified as Sections 90-6-701 through 90-6-710, MCA.