Governmentese
We try to use clear language on the City of Great Falls web site, but sometimes an abbreviation or acronym slips into our text because that's the way City employees talk to each other. The following is a list of common abbreviations and acronyms that show up on the City of Great Falls web site.
- ACIR
- Advisory Commission on International Relationships — an advisory board to the City Commission
- ACM or AHGC
- Anaconda Hills Municipal Golf Course
- ADA
- Americans with Disabilities Act — ADA states requirements that must be met to ensure access to those with disabilities.
- adm
- Abbreviation for "administration"
- AFB
- Air Force Base
- AFSS
- Automated Flight Service Station
- BEDI
- Brownfield Economic Development Initiative
- BID
- Business Improvement District — "BID" can refer either to the district itself which is in downtown Great Falls or the Advisory Board that "oversees the functions, operations, management and administration as necessary to carry out the purposes and objectives of the Business Improvement District."
- CAD
- Computer Aided Dispatch or Computer Aided Design — 911 dispatch uses CAD to more quickly and efficiently send help, and city engineers use CAD to make their drawings more precise.
- CAFR
- Comprehensive Annual Financial Report — The CAFR is the City's end of the fiscal year report.
- CAPER
- Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report — The CAPER is a report to the Federal Government describing how federal funding, including the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME) funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other sources of funding were used in cooperation to work toward the goals of the Consolidated Plan.
- CC
- Civic Center — CC is most often used in financial documents. When used with the word "Events" as in CC Events it really means the Mansfield Center For the Performing Arts.
- CDBG
- Community Development Block Grant — Ok, this one makes it onto the site a lot. CDBG is a federal grant program. On the site, it can mean either the grants themselves, or the division of Community Development that administers them.
- cert.
- Abbreviation for "Certificate."
- CIP
- Capital Improvements Program
- CMR
- Charles M. Russell — CMR can refer to the artist/museum or the high school. Usually the word "museum" follows if the reference is to the museum. Alone, CMR usually refers to the high school.
- COGF
- City of Great Falls
- CRC
- Community Recreation Center or City Recycling Center — Most of the time CRC means the Recreation Center on the web site.
- CTEP
- Community Transportation Enhancement Program — CTEP provides federal funds to improve or enhance our community's roadways through the installation of landscaping, acquisition of scenic easements, construction of bicycle paths and sidewalks, preservation of historic buildings, and other related projects and activities.
- DNRC
- Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
- ECP
- Electric City Power — The City's electric utility.
- ECWP
- Electric City Water Park — Great Falls' coolest hot spot!
- EF
- Eagle Falls Golf Club — EF is a municipal golf course.
- FAQ
- Frequently Asked Questions — Many of the departmental web sites feature a FAQ.
- FFY
- Federal Fiscal Year — The Federal Government’s FY runs October 1 - September 30.
- FY
- Fiscal Year — The City's FY runs July 1 - June 30.
- GF
- Great Falls — As the following definitions show, GF is used more often than COGF.
- GFFR
- Great Falls Fire Rescue — GFFR is the City Fire Department. Observant visitors will notice that the "parade unit" still says GFFD for Great Falls Fire Department.
- GFHA
- Great Falls Housing Authority — GFHA manages public housing in Great Falls.
- GFHS
- Great Falls High School
- GFPD or PD
- Great Falls Police Department
- GFPS
- Great Falls Public Schools — The City and the school system are separate in Montana.
- GFT
- Great Falls Transit — GFT is the mass transit system in Great Falls. Mass transit in Great Falls consists of busses.
- GIS
- Geographic Information System — GIS is used to relate data to its physical location on a map so analysis can be done.
- GTF
- Great Falls International Airport
- HUD
- Housing and Urban Development, Department of
- IT
- Information Technology — The IT Division of Fiscal Services is responsible for the City's network, computers, GIS, and web sites.
- LCIC
- Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center — The LCIC is not related to the City, but typing LCIC for agenda reports for building permits, etc. takes a lot less time.
- MAFB
- Malmstrom Air Force Base — Great Falls is proud to have MAFB at the east end of town.
- MANG
- Montana Air National Guard — Great Falls is home to Montana's only Guard fighter group and the Red Horse Squadron.
- MDT
- Montana Department of Transportation
- MRUCIA
- Missouri River Urban Corridor Inventory and Assessment — The MRUCIA is part of the Missouri River Urban Corridor Plan.
- MRUCP
- Missouri River Urban Corridor Plan (8+M PDF) — The MRUCP presents a vision and strategy for redevelopment of riverfront properties through the Great Falls Urban Area.
- MSU-COT
- Montana State University College of Technology
- MSUGF
- Montana State University Great Falls
- OCCGF
- Official City Code of Great Falls or Official City Code of the City of Great Falls — The OCCGF is the compilation of the laws we live under in Great Falls.
- O.F. or OF
- Office File
- Ord.
- Abbreviation for Ordinance.
- PH
- Public Hearing — Public Hearings are opportunities for the City Commission to hear the public's concerns and views about resolutions and/or ordinances in front of the Commission.
- Res.
- Abbreviation for Resolution.
- RFP
- Request For Proposals
- SID
- Special Improvement District — SIDs are assessments on particular areas of town to pay for an improvement like streets or sidewalks.
- SILD
- Special Improvement Lighting District — See SID above. SILDs are SIDS for street/alley/parking lot lights.
- SLD
- Special Lighting District — See SILD above.
- SME
- Southern Montana Electric Co-op — ECP is part of SME.
- ULRRWSD
- Upper/Lower River Road Water and Sewer District
- UGF
- University of Great Falls
- VIC
- Visitor Information Center — The VIC is under the Big Flag at Overlook park.
- YMGFG
- "You Make Great Falls Great!" — YMGFG was a project that taught area third graders about City Government and services. Although the program was cut, there are still references to it on the site.