Sarah Gaither challenges employers to incentive workforce attendance
By Jack Reaney SENIOR EDITOR
The Big Sky Resort Area District board confirmed all tentative decisions made Tuesday, Oct. 21, resulting in a swift conclusion to the fiscal year 2026 nonprofit grant allocations process on Thursday, Oct. 23.
“It was very productive on Tuesday,” board chair Sarah Blechta said during Thursday’s follow-up meeting. “I think sometimes these conversations are really hard, but they are really important and I think it really captured what makes Big Sky work—people showing up, people asking questions, really genuinely trying to understand the full picture.”
She commended the BSRAD staff for enabling allocations to run smoother than ever, recalling a “wildly different” process in her first allocation cycle when she joined the board seven years ago. The board took less than 30 minutes to finalize awards on Thursday, mostly filled by public comment in support of Tuesday’s outcomes, and other reflections.
With awards finalized, Resort Tax is slated to fund a total of $20.32 million in fiscal year 2026.
The district will fund $7.8 million to local government services to offset residents’ property taxes. Service providers include the Big Sky Fire Department and the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, Big Sky School District, three local water and sewer districts and other public services like transportation, parks and trails.
BSRAD will commit $3.76 million to initiatives including the Big Sky Governance Study, 191/64 intersection project, and housing for district staff, as well as estimated bond payments of roughly $2.4 million for the Cold Smoke neighborhood and Big Sky Community Park renovations.
The district will fund a total of nearly $6.3 million to local nonprofits as determined during the Oct. 21 allocations meeting, leaving a budget surplus of $1.16 million across the six categories that will roll over into next year’s categorized budgets, in preparation for expected capital projects in those categories.
One of this year’s “really hard” conversations surrounded child care funding for Morningstar Learning Center, and on Thursday, Center Director Shannon Brennan gave public comment to thank the BSRAD board.
“What you guys do by helping to fund Morningstar’s operations is give parents a chance to keep their families in Big Sky… we’re allowing them to take a breath and think about buying a home in this town,” Brennan said. She reflected on a recent conference of Montana child care providers, where MLC staff heard from other directors who have gone months without cutting themselves a paycheck, and from teachers who are considering leaving the field because they can’t survive on minimum wage. “So thank you guys so much for what you do, and what you allow us to do at Morningstar.”
In Tuesday’s tentative award, Riley’s Urgent Fund for Friends (Big Sky RUFF) received $105,757 on a $150,000 request for funding to support the animal shelter at Big Sky’s new veterinary hospital—the project received partial funding due to budget constraints within the health and safety category.
Before finalizing the award, board member Kevin Germain called up Dr. Stephanie “Syd” Desmarais to confirm the project will still be able to move forward.
Desmarais responded, “Yes, it does, so thank you guys beyond words… I truly believe in this shelter and I think it’s going to be here for years and years to come, and I really, really appreciate the support.”
She noted that early construction costs have been nearly overwhelming, but RUFF’s fundraising and the FY 26 Resort Tax grant improved the project’s financial status, compared to where it stood last year.
“What this allows us to do is to take a little bit of pressure off of me and the shelter… To be able to do it without quite as much fear… But it’s going, and the completion date should be December 2026, so we’re well on our way,” Desmarais said.
The board maintained its award of $105,757.
“I feel a community without a veterinary [clinic] is not a community, and you are a cornerstone of this community,” Germain said.
Gaither urges attendance from local workforce
Sarah Gaither, director of the Big Sky Community Food Bank, offered public comment challenging employers in the community to incentivize their employees’ attendance at meetings like BSRAD’s nonprofit allocations.
“This is the day where our community symbolically gives something back to the people that carry its weight all year round. For the folks working two jobs, smiling through the impossible shifts… this is the day that says, ‘we see you,’” Gaither said.
She said between Big Sky’s low-wage workforce and its wealthier visitors—two populations who often interact closely in a tourism economy—lies an economic and emotional gap, often taking a toll on the former’s sense of fairness, dignity and connection to community.
Civic events like Big Sky Community Week and Resort Tax allocations, Gaither said, “are so important. They are a chance for the people who hold this place together to be a part of shaping what it becomes.”
Yet, looking around the room filled mostly with nonprofit leaders, Gaither noted those essential community members are generally absent.
She offered a request to Big Sky’s employers: “Pay your people to participate here. Offer your staff a paid hour or two, or some offseason wages, a stipend or some other bonus, to attend these civic spaces. Give them permission and encouragement, and maybe a little cash, to show up, speak up and be heard.
“Resort tax isn’t just a transaction, it’s a tool for repair. So let’s make sure that the people who help generate it can be in the room when it’s reinvested,” Gaither said, earning hearty applause as the meeting adjourned.
