NEAR BELT — The Belt/Armington dump site, located on Rimrock Valley Preserve’s land near Belt, was recently closed. The unexpected closure was due to the lease between the landowner and the Cascade County Commissioners not being renewed at this time.
“It was a typical Saturday morning, got to haul our trash down to the dump. We showed up, [the] gate was locked, no signs, no notices,” explained rural Cascade County resident Chad Schearer.
“I just got our tax bill for the year; it increased 45% and now we have to go all the way to Stockett, that's the closest receptacle for us out here. So, some of my concerns is the amount of trash that might blow out of vehicles and mess up our beautiful county just because our commissioners weren't able to get this done in a timely manner,” said Schearer.
The three-acre piece of land just off Highway 87 between Belt and Armington has been a public dumpsite to Cascade County residents since 2013.
Previous landowner, Cascade County Commissioner Jim Larson, sold the property in 2020 to Jim Bumgarner.
Bumgarner upheld and continued to lease the property at the same rate from 2020 to 2023.
Bumgarner, the current Rimrock Valley Preserve landowner, said he initiated negotiations for a new lease upon its expiration earlier this year, but was unable to get a timely response from the County Commissioners.
“The lease just gave access for the county to use these three acres for a transfer site, and then they subcontract with Republic to haul the garbage to the landfill,” said Bumgarner.
The lease agreement between Cascade County and Rimrock Valley Preserve expired in June of 2024. Before signing a new lease, Bumgarner wanted to raise the annual cost for the continued use of his land from $1,500 a year to $4,500 a year.
In a news release Monday evening, the Board of Cascade County Commissioners said they have “attempted to engage Rimrock Valley Preserve through multiple channels, including direct negotiations, to find a mutually beneficial agreement.”
Bumgarner said he did not receive a response from the county in a timely manner, causing the current lease to be terminated.
The Board of Cascade County Commissioners also said they are “exploring all available options to mitigate this community issue for the residents of Cascade County.”
“I said, if the county is not interested in following with the $4,500, you can take this as your 30-day notice, per the contract, to terminate after June 30th and return the land to its natural condition and vacate,” Bumgarner explained, in regard to no new lease being signed.
Until a new lease is negotiated and finalized between Bumgarner and the Cascade County Commissioners, the dumpsite will remain closed.
- Investigation into child's death in Lewistown
- Belt dump site closed due to lease dispute
- Great Falls man dies in paramotor accident
- Mom and daughter graduate from MSU together
