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Agriculture plays a major role in Culbertson’s economy. The main products harvested in the area are wheat, sugar beets, alfalfa, beef cattle, and food oils. Culbertson is home of the Montola Growers Incorporated, producers of one of the world’s most healthful food oils, safflower oil. Montola Growers Inc. employs about 25 people as well as contracting with local growers of the safflower plant, making it a large part of Culbertson’s economy. Another leading employer in Culbertson is the K-12 school system, which has a very strong FFA (Future Farmers of America) program and enjoys a graduation rate above 90%.

Because of its central location, Culbertson offers many recreational opportunities. Fishing, swimming, and boating on the Missouri River, Yellowstone River, and Fort Peck Lake are available along with hunting and trap shooting. An annual rodeo, fair, powwow, and wagon train bring visitors and entertainment to Culbertson as well.

For further information, see the Town of Culbertson Website

Along with its prime location, Culbertson offers many business attractions:

• Available Workforce
• Telecommunications
• Tax Advantages
• Organized Economic Development Efforts
• Real Estate
• Accessibility
• Municipal Services and Facilities

Culbertson’s high school, which has a graduation rate above 90%, has an enrollment of 135 students, and kindergarten through eighth grade, which is also in the same building, has a student enrollment of 159. Culbertson is centered between Fort Peck Community College in Poplar and Williston State College in Williston, both two-year schools. 

Fort Peck Community College has on average 307 full-time students and 134 part-time students, while Williston State College has a full-time enrollment of 505 students and part-time enrollment of 406 students. Along with these two schools several nearby towns have Interactive Video Studios, which offer degrees and classes from surrounding universities and colleges, including: University of Great Falls, Rocky Mountain College, Montana State University-Northern, and Dawson Community College. 

Most of these colleges will offer training and classes suited to meet an employer’s needs. The job service and local high school also offer public programs such as welfare to work, school to work, on the job training, and pre-employment skills training. 

The following information about age and race distribution, income, and educational attainment is just for the Town of Culbertson. However, most of the area’s workforce commutes an average of 50 miles to work, which is only about a 45-minute drive. Therefore, to get an accurate measure of the available workforce the statistics for the 50-mile radius should be used. The 50-mile radius does include a portion of North Dakota. 
 

Age Distribution	Race Distribution
Under 20 years: 190	Caucasian: 93%	Asian: 0.3%
20-29 years: 41	American Indian: 5%	Black/African American: 0.3%
30-39 years: 83	Two or more races: 3.1%	Other: 0.8%
40-54 years: 161
55-64 years: 76	Income
65 years and over: 165	Number of Households: 290
Median Age: 43.1	Median Household Income: $30,000
Number of Grades Completed	Number of Families: 187
By Adult Population in 2000	Median Family Income: $38,750
Less than 12 Years: 19.1%	Number of Non-Families: 103
12 Years: 35.0%	Median Non-Family Income: $18,359
Some College, No Degree: 24.7%	Per Capita Income: $15,393
2 Year College: 4.6%
4 Year College: 11.7%
Post Graduate: 4.8%

	% of Total Employed	Average Annual Wage
Executive and Professional:	25.3%	$52,230
Sales and Office:	24.0%	$24,540
Service Personnel:	20.1%	$17,610
Trade and Labor:	30.6%	$29,337

The average annual salary for Roosevelt County is $21,444. In Culbertson, the major employers are Roosevelt Memorial Medical Center and Nursing Home with 83 employees, Culbertson School with 50 employees, and Montola Growers Inc. with 25 employees. The nearest call center is 80 miles away in Ray, North Dakota. The call center has approximately 100 employees, and the starting wage is $7.50 per hour with a generous fringe benefit plan. 

Labor Legislation:

Montana labor laws follow the federal laws with some exceptions where they have enacted guidelines to protect the employer or employee more than the federal laws do. Although employment at will is presumed by statute, Montana has enacted a comprehensive Wrongful Discharge from Employment Act making Montana not really a true employment at will state. In most cases, state law prohibits public and private sector employers from conducting random blood and urine tests on employees and applicants, except when: the business involves a hazardous occupation; the primary responsibility is security, safety, or one of confidence and trust; the job involves intrastate commercial transportation; or an employee is subject to driver qualification requirements. 

Montana has no restrictions on applicant testing, but the employer must be able to show a given selection test is appropriately and adequately related to the requirements of the job. Montana law adheres to federal law, which under the Electronic Communication Privacy Act bars electronic monitoring, unless one participant in a conversation consents to intercepting or taping it. A disclaimer statement that the call may be monitored for quality control must be stated clearly and before the conversation is begun. 

The Montana Wrongful Discharge from Employment Act sets guidelines an employer must follow to discharge an employee. The Montana Wage and Hour Laws states that an employer should immediately notify the employees, affected employee organizations, affected local governments, and newspaper of general circulation in the county that a plant is closing. Montana also has enacted the Montana Safety Culture Act, which provides guidelines for safety in the workplace. 

A training wage is permitted for employees under 20 years of age. They may be paid $4.25 per hour during their first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment; certain restrictions do apply. In Montana, striking workers are not entitled to unemployment insurance, and mental stress is not permitted in worker’s compensation claims. As with all laws and legislation, there are exceptions where the laws may or may not apply, so each case must be considered individually. 

Average annual salary for total employed population: $25,392

Major employers in the vicinity and number of employees:

1. Roosevelt Memorial Medical Center and Nursing Home with 83 employees
2. Culbertson School with 50 employees
3. Montola Growers Inc. with 25 employees

Nemont Telephone Cooperative, which is locally owned and operated in Scobey, is the principal supplier of telephone, internet, and cellular service for Northeast Montana. Nemont is a major local and long distance telephone carrier and provides unlimited local dial-up internet access and ADSL. Nemont's wireless network is a reliable and extensive cellular and PCS network in Montana and northwest North Dakota. Wireless phones can be used throughout the US and Canada. Nemont Telephone Cooperative is fully equipped for every business’s needs. Please call Nemont Telephone Cooperative, Inc. at 1-800-636-6680 for further information or special requirements.

The State of Montana does not use sales tax to generate revenue. Montana also does not tax water use, electric power, sewer, natural gas, heating oil fuel, local telephone calls, long distance telephone calls, toll-free telephone calls, membership sales, or direct mail lists. However, Montana does have a state wage tax based upon one’s income at a graduated rate of 2-11 percent. 

Montana does not have a commercial rent tax, but the Town of Culbertson as well as the State of Montana collect a property tax. The property tax amount is based on the market value of the property times the taxable value set by legislation times the mill-levy amount set by school officials and city council. 

The average weekly unemployment insurance rate for the State of Montana for May of 2000 was $187.20. The average worker’s compensation premium rate for Montana is a minimum of $245 per year. The rate is based on salary, type of business, type and number of employees, and gross earnings of the company. Premiums are figured by taking a varying rate from 50 cents per 100 employees to $81.55 per 100 employees times the gross earnings of the company. 

The primary insurance carriers for Northeast Montana are Blue Cross Blue Shield, Montana Medical Benefits, John Alden, Intermountain Administrators, EBMS, and independent insurance carriers. Because insurance rates and premiums vary so much with different types of businesses, number of employees, and kinds of coverage, each carrier must be called for quotes. Managed care is not yet available in this area, but it should be offered soon. 

Many incentives are available in the State of Montana for new businesses. State funded pre-employment training is available for new and expanding industries. This service is either free or partially free to companies depending on the business. Through the Department of Commerce up to $5,000 per employee with a total of $400,000 per company in aid is available for training in a new business. The company must go through a competitive process in order to receive this aid. Montana offers no state income tax credits for new capital investment or new jobs created. However, industrial revenue bond financing is available. 

Another incentive available for businesses in Montana is property tax abatement for land, buildings, non-production machinery and equipment, standard computer software, specialized computer software, and office furniture and equipment. The company may be taxed at a lower rate that is increased incrementally each year until the full rate is paid. In order to receive these incentives, the business must fulfill the requirements laid out by the State of Montana. 

Special incentives are also available for designated industries as well as larger companies. Larger companies can obtain special financing assistance if qualifications are met. 

Grants are also available for new and expanding industries. However, certain requirements must be met in order to receive grant money. The employer must pay a starting wage of $7.15 per hour plus benefits. The maximum amount available per project is $5,000 per job up to $400,000 per business.

The US Small Business Administration has designated all of Roosevelt County as a HUBZone, which is a "historically underutilized business zone." Certified HUBZone companies are eligible for a 10 percent advantage in bidding for federal contracts. HUBZone businesses are expected to fill federal contracts at an increasing rate each year. Also, small businesses located in HUBZone areas can qualify for higher government guaranties on surety bonds for construction and service contract bids. Companies can register as a HUBZone company electronically or manually by calling 1-800-776-9144 extension 2 or visiting http://www.sba.gov. The certification is then approved on the federal level in Washington D.C.

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit program offers employers a credit against their tax liability for hiring individuals from nine target groups who have traditionally had difficulty obtaining and holding jobs. Employers must apply for and receive certification from their state employment security agency that their new hire is a long-term welfare recipient or a member of one of the WOTC target groups. Most of Roosevelt County is located in an "Enterprise Community" which is one of the nine groups that qualify for WOTC. 

The cost of living index for the State of Montana is 101.8. However, Culbertson would be much lower than this average. For instance the average cost of a single-family house in Culbertson ranges from about $20,000 to $55,000. 

While only one building is actually for sale in Culbertson, the status of a few empty buildings downtown as well as a few bare lots is negotiable.

Since listings are constantly changing, please contact a local real estate agent for up-to-date information:

Culbertson’s airport, Modern Air, is used chiefly for an ambulance service and private use. The airport, at an elevation of 1954 feet above sea level, is located within walking distance of downtown at N48-09.20; W104-30.23 with radio contact at 122.8. The lighted asphalt runway is 3800 feet long and 60 feet wide. Modern Air’s regular business hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Thirty-seven miles Southeast, the Sidney-Richland Airport is serviced by Great Lakes Aviation, with connecting flights to Billings (in late June or early July, 2008). Fifty-four miles to the West, Wolf Point’s airport is also serviced daily by Great Lakes Aviation, with connecting flights to Billings later this year. Amtrak also services Wolf Point daily from the East and West. Forty-three miles to the East, the Sloulin Field International Airport of Williston offers flights to Denver from United Express Airlines. Rental cars are available in Wolf Point, Williston, and Sidney. 

Even though the closest interstate, I-94, is 91 miles south in Glendive, Culbertson is a major crossroads of two main highways in Montana, US highway 2 and state highway 16. A public bus also travels through Culbertson once a week.

Canadian markets are very accessible from Culbertson. A 24-hour port of entry into Saskatchewan, Canada, is located only 63 miles North of Culbertson. The Port of Raymond is only 97 miles from Regina, which offers commercial air service, major shopping, museums, concerts, and an impressive science center. 

Culbertson’s average annual high temperature is 55.1° F, and the average annual low temperature is 27.5° F. It can get quite cold in the winter with January’s average temperature being 9.13° F, and an annual average snowfall of 21.6 inches. However, the school only has to close it doors about one day a year due weather, if even that. July’s average temperature is 69.49° F. The average rainfall is 13.26 inches per year, and the average annual wind speed is about seven miles per hour. The growing season in the area is about 120 days, from May to September. With Culbertson’s extreme weather one can enjoy a hot summer as well as a white Christmas. 

Roosevelt Memorial Medical Center and Nursing Home employs 83 people, including one doctor, two physician’s assistants, six registered nurses, seven LPN’s, and 15-20 certified nurse practitioners. The hospital has ten critical access beds available, while the nursing home has 44 available beds. The Town of Culbertson has its own ambulance, and emergency medical helicopter service flying out of the airport. The hospital also has available tele-med hooked to Deaconess Hospital in Billings, which allows doctors and technicians in Billings to review x-rays taken in Culbertson. 

Local suppliers provide Culbertson with many of its basic utilities. Montana-Dakota Utilities supplies the Town of Culbertson with its electrical power, while Sheridan Electric provides the rural areas outside of the city limits with their electricity. MDU has a base cost for a medium commercial user of $9.57 plus energy charges of 4.618 cents per kilowatt-hour for the first 2000 kilowatt-hours and 4.093 cents per kilowatt-hour thereafter. 

The demand charge for the first ten kilowatts is free, and over ten kilowatts is $6.85 per kilowatt. Whereas, Sheridan Electric has a base cost of $15.00 plus 6.08 cents per kilowatt-hour. MDU has an average of .274 outages per year, with an average time without power of 27.49 minutes. The natural gas for heating in Culbertson is supplied by the local gas company City Line. 

The City of Culbertson obtains it water for the town from the nearby Missouri River. The water is pumped to two reservoirs with a capacity of 11 million gallons. The water is then filtered and cleaned in Culbertson’s new water treatment plant constructed in 1985. The clean water is then stored in tanks. The first tank has a capacity of 125,000 gallons, while the second tank can hold as much as a million gallons. Culbertson has a lagoon for its sewage treatment. The lagoon has a capacity of 10 acres of primary cells and 20.4 acres of secondary cells. Presently the town is only using about half of the total capacity. 

Culbertson also has a volunteer fire department, sheriff, public library, chamber of commerce, and highway department. The town businesses include a weekly newspaper, two motels with a total of 32 rooms, RV park, four restaurants, four gas stations, a Ford dealership, hardware store, lumberyard, pharmacy, and community bank. 

As well as several businesses and five churches, Culbertson also offers many recreational facilities including: a senior citizen center, public pool, two public parks, partial golf course, fitness center with racket ball club, and two baseball diamonds.