State-Local Infrastructure Partnership Act
Program Overview
The State-Local Infrastructure Partnership Program is a state-funded program to help cities and towns fund the maintenance/repair of local government facilities on a partnership basis, with local governments supplying a cash match. This program was authorized during the 2023 legislative session via House Bill 355 (HB 355).
For the biennium beginning July 1, 2023, $20 million is appropriated from the general fund to the Montana Department of Commerce ("Commerce") to distribute funds as allocated to grant recipients awarded in compliance with HB 355 for eligible projects as recommended by each legislative body of a city or town.
For more information, refer to House Bill 355 or the visit the League of Cities and Towns webpage.
- Drinking water systems
- Wastewater treatment systems
- Fire suppression systems (if independent of a drinking water system)
- Streets
- Roads
- Bridges
- Landfills
- Streetlights
- Airports
- Public grounds and buildings
- Projects that expand existing water and wastewater treatment plants that are being operated at 90% of design capacity or greater
Priority must be given to projects that maintain or repair publicly owned drinking water systems, publicly owned wastewater treatment systems and municipal fire suppression systems that are independent of a water system.
Amounts allocated to each city and town are determined based on population and street and alley mileages within the corporate limits of the city or town. Please see allocation amounts here:
For more details regarding project eligibility and match requirements, refer to House Bill 355.
Match Calculator
You may download the Match Calculator (Excel), open it and enter your project cost to determine the required match account or enter your project cost below.
Required 25% Match Amount for Proposed Project ($):
Commerce will assist cities and towns with administration and awards of funds as defined in HB 355. Please see program guidelines and requirements for the administration of projects here:
- SLIPA Grant Application and Guidelines (PDF)
- SLIPA Grant Application (MS Word)
- SLIPA Environmental Review Form (PDF)
Cities and towns must develop prioritized eligible local project lists by December 31, 2023. Once lists are developed, public hearings must be held before applications are submitted to Commerce for eligibility determinations as outlined in the bill.
Projects that are awarded SLIPA funds may be subject to the requirements of the Montana Environmental Policy Act (“MEPA”). All Grantees must complete and submit to Commerce the SLIPA Environmental Review Form and identify whether the proposed project meets the criteria for a categorical exclusion.
1/23/2024 - State-Local Infrastructure Partnership Act (SLIPA) Virtual Town Hall #3
12/05/2023 - State-Local Infrastructure Partnership Act (SLIPA) Virtual Town Hall-#2
11/06/2023 – State-Local Infrastructure Partnership Act (SLIPA) Virtual Town Hall
HB 355 Frequently Asked Questions
- drinking water systems;
- wastewater treatment systems;
- fire suppression systems if independent of the drinking water systems;
- streets and roads;
- bridges;
- landfills,
- street lights;
- airports;
- public grounds and buildings; and
- to expand existing water and wastewater treatment plants that are being operated at 90% of design capacity or greater.
See Section 4(1) and (2).
"Existing local government infrastructure" is defined as local government infrastructure that existed on or before June 13, 2023, the date on which HB 355 became law.
Please contact Commerce staff at DOCCDD@mt.gov to discuss specific project requests.
No. Section 6 is forward looking, i.e., applications must be for a "proposed project" of "tasks to be undertaken," not a past project.
- Soliciting and accepting applications for eligible projects on or before December 31, 2023. See Section 5(1).
- Holding a public hearing to discuss and receive feedback on applications submitted to it. See Section 5(2).
- Preparing a recommendation for funding in priority order. See Section 5(2).
- Submitting the priority list with applications for each identified project (as applicable) to Commerce. See Section 5(2).
- Commerce requests that incorporated cities and town submit their recommended priority list and applications to Commerce by March 30, 2024. Applicants may submit completed applications prior to March 30, 2024. Additionally, applications received after March 30, 2024 may be eligible for review. Applications must contain all information required by Section 6 of HB 355.
If an application complies with Section 6, an incorporated city or town is eligible to receive HB 355 funds once it satisfies the conditions established by Section 12 of HB 355. See Section 5(6). Commerce will disburse funds on a reimbursement basis as grant recipients incur eligible project expenses in accordance with the terms of the contract the grant recipient signs with Commerce. See Section 12(3).
Approved applicants generally must be under contract with a contractor by December 31, 2024. See Section 7(2). Approved applicants also must submit quarterly progress reports and a completion notice to Commerce. See Section 10. All projects funded by HB 355 must be completed by December 31, 2027. See Section 7(4).
Commerce requests that incorporated cities and town submit their recommended priority list and applications to Commerce by March 30, 2024. Applicants may submit completed applications prior to March 30, 2024. Additionally, applications received after March 30, 2024 may be eligible for review. Applications must contain all information required by Section 6 of HB 355.
To apply for grant funding, an applicant must upload the application to the State of Montana File Transfer Service (FTS). To access the FTS, an applicant must register with OKTA. To register with OKTA, go to the FTS page and select ‘Register now!’ from the Login screen and follow the prompts. After registration, an applicant can access the FTS to upload the application for submission. Please see these instructions for additional help.
- advertising the need for project applications;
- discussing potential projects with department heads (public works, parks, etc.); or hosting public meetings to discuss and identify potential infrastructure projects.
The “applications” cities and towns must solicit by December 31, 2023, are different from the “application” cities and towns must submit to Commerce by March 30, 2024. Cities and towns do not need to submit additional documentation of the applications they solicited/accepted in 2023 to Commerce with the applications they submit in 2024.
- public advertising or notice;
- meeting agenda;
- meeting minutes;
- Video recording; or
- sign-in sheets.
- consistent with Section 5(5) of HB 355, giving priority to projects that maintain or repair publicly owned drinking water systems, publicly owned wastewater treatment systems, and municipal fire suppression systems that are independent of a water system;
- utilizing a Capital Improvements Plans (CIP);
- utilizing other planning documents;
- considering local needed improvements; and
- considering public feedback.
- The name of the project for which the applicant is seeking a grant.
- The name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and title of the individual person who will be directly responsible for the management of the project or projects to be funded by the application, such as a public works director or a consulting engineer, and a copy of the individual's resume attesting to the individual's qualifications and ability to manage the project.
- A narrative description of the prospective project, including a description of the problems to be addressed and the need to undertake the repairs. The applicant shall explain why the proposed project is appropriate, cost-effective, and is a long-term solution to the problem.
- A list of tasks to be undertaken to address the problem.
- A map or google earth photo showing the project. Photographs documenting the nature of the problems are advisable but not required.
- A project cost estimate showing the total cost of the project, prepared by a licensed professional engineer or qualified contractor. The cost estimated must be itemized by the list of task elements as required in subsection (3) of Section 6.
- A time schedule showing each step in the repair process starting with the preparation of the bid documents through completion of the work. Specific calendar dates are recommended.
- A statement that the information contained in the application is true, which must be signed by an authorized representative of the applicant.
- A statement identifying a local cash match equal to no less than 25% of the total project cost, which may not include in-kind contributions of goods or in-kind services.
Approved Grantees must meet all of the conditions listed in Section 12 of 355 before Commerce may disburse funds, including:
- a completed budget and implementation schedule for the project;
- a completed project management plan approved by Commerce;
- compliance with the auditing and reporting requirements provided in § 2-7-503, MCA, and an established financial accounting system that reasonably conforms to generally accepted accounting principles;
- a completed contract with Commerce, a provision of which must document that local matching funds are available and committed to the project;
- a certification that Grantee has obtained local, state, and federal permits and approvals; and
- a completed SLIPA Environmental Review Form and additional documentation, if necessary.
See Section 12(1) and (2); A.R.Ms 8.2.304 to 328.
Yes. Pre-construction expenses may be eligible for reimbursement if the project satisfies the eligibility requirements in Section 4 and the expenses are incurred after submission of the application to Commerce. Applicants must comply with Sections 6 and 12 prior to receiving reimbursements.
Expenses incurred before application submission are not eligible for reimbursement. However, local money spent prior to application submission could be used to fulfill the local-cash match requirement for the total project cost, provided that it was expended after June 13, 2023, the date on which HB 355 became law.
For detailed information on MEPA, see A Guide to the Montana Environmental Policy Act, or A Citizen’s Guide to Public Participation in Environmental Decision Making.
- work that has been undertaken on the project;
- the work percentage of work completed;
- the amount of funds expended to date;
- remaining funds;
- description of any significant problems;
- whether the project encountered any modification necessary to the scope of work, budget, or schedule; and
- the projected completion date.
See Section 10(1). At the completion of the project, HB 355 funding recipients shall provide Commerce with a final project report attesting to the completion of the project, which must be signed by the project manager.See Section 10(2).