County Of Powell

County Of Powell, doing business as Clerk And Recorder Office, is a U.S. local government entity (county government) based in Deer Lodge, Montana, that receives federal grant funding as a prime recipient for airport infrastructure, environmental management, and regional transportation planning projects. The entity does not hold federal contracts and operates exclusively in the grant recipient role, with 77% of recent awards as prime recipient and 23% as sub-recipient under state-administered programs.

Powell County's federal footprint centers on airport and transportation infrastructure development funded by the Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Northwest Mountain Region. The FAA is the dominant customer, accounting for 20 of the 53 total awards in the source data. Recent representative work includes a $14.2 million FAA Airport Improvement Program (CFDA 20.116) grant awarded June 12, 2026, for comprehensive infrastructure improvements at Deer Lodge Airport—runway extension by 1,200 feet, taxiway construction (2,840 feet for Taxiway A, 400 feet for Taxilane B), general aviation apron expansion by 4,570 square yards, installation of an Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS III P(T)), runway lighting reconstruction, Runway End Identifier Lights and Precision Approach Path Indicator systems, and replacement of the airport rotating beacon, with completion targeted for June 11, 2030. Powell County also received a $6.3 million Federal Highway Administration (CFDA 20.933) grant on February 23, 2026, for a comprehensive feasibility study and Preliminary Engineering Report establishing a roadmap for the Parks to Passes Corridor across 175 miles of route gaps and connections in western Montana, completing September 30, 2030. Two additional FAA Airport Improvement Program grants totaling approximately $1 million (awarded July 30, 2024) fund apron expansion at Deer Lodge Airport associated with Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, completing July 29, 2028.

Powell County also holds prime recipient status on a December 19, 2023, cooperative agreement from the Department of Interior (Montana-Dakotas Region) for the Blackfoot River Corridor noxious and invasive weed management project covering 96.5 miles of river frontage across Powell and Missoula Counties, with goals to reduce invasive weed populations by up to 50% and completion targeted for December 18, 2028. In the sub-recipient role, Powell County receives pass-through federal public health funding from the State of Montana Department of Health and Human Services under Centers for Disease Control programs (PHEP and immunization initiatives, recurring since 2022) and receives a sub-award from the Montana Board of Crime Control for victim assistance advocacy services (June 2023). A recent October 2024 sub-award funds development of a Mobile Data Terminal program for the Powell County Sheriff's Office, including dispatch software and hardware updates and in-vehicle patrol computers with GPS and database access capabilities.

Awards per year have been volatile—two awards in 2022, four in 2023, five in 2024, one in 2025, and four in 2026 to date—with total combined potential value and obligation figures showing a substantial grant portfolio. Powell County has established stable relationships with the FAA Northwest Mountain Region (11 awards) and the Department of Agriculture Forest Service (8 awards), alongside recurring sub-awards from Montana state administrative agencies for public health and public safety programs.