Montana leaders continue to fight against size increase for ‘metropolitan’ status

What might sound like a procedural, bureaucratic change of rules is actually a very big deal for elected leaders in a few small cities in Montana and across the entire country.

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is considering a change that would increase the size of a metropolitan statistical area from 50,000 residents to 100,000.

Here in Bozeman, where the 2020 census is expected to show a population exceeding 50,000 people, local leaders now fear it could mean missing out on some much-needed and anticipated federal dollars.