Commissioners March 1, 2024 Minutes

The meeting was called to order at 8:30 by Commissioner Turley. Commissioner Pancratz and Commissioner Goffena were present.

Pledge of Allegiance.

Commissioner Goffena made the motion to approve the agenda for the day. Commissioner Pancratz seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Commissioner Pancratz made the motion to approve the minutes from the February 23, 2024 meeting as written. Commissioner Goffena seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Public comment:

Kennie Minnie and John Rae visited with the Commissioners regarding a buy-sell agreement. Theresa Doumitt was also present via GoToMeeting. The Commissioner are going to work with Snowy Mountain Development about grants and inspections. Commissioner Pancratz met a firm at the MACo conference that does abatements and did work in Butte that he is going to contact. Ms. Doumitt said there needs to be a funding strategy before anything is signed and they need to do their due diligence. There is a meeting with Snowy Mountain Development, the Commissioners and Ms. Doumitt Wednesday, March 6th, 2024 at 1:00. Hopefully the Commissioners will have more information next week. They will have a meeting with Mr. Minnie and Mr. Rae at 9:00 March 8th, 2024.

End of public comment.

Commissioner Pancratz made the motion to table signing the buy/sell agreement for the purchase of the Wier Building. Commissioner Goffena seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Commissioner Goffena made the motion to sign resolution 2024-11 Appointing Special Deputy County Attorney Burt Hurwitz for DC-20-32 submitted by County Attorney Larsen.

Commissioner Pancratz made the motion to sign the Mileage Certification Form for the SFY 2025 Yearly Tax Certification of Roadway Mileage submitted by the Montana Department of Transportation. Commissioner Goffena seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Board meeting:

Commissioner Turley attended the Refuse meeting Thursday February 29, 2024. There were 2 resignations. There was a call from a handicapped resident with a complaint. (The Refuse Board is looking for a Board Member and a Secretary)

All Commissioners attended the Mid-Winter MACo Conference in Great Falls. Commissioner Pancratz said there is a Sentinel Defense Program that is coming to the Great Falls and Lewistown areas and could create up to 3,500 jobs, target timeline 2028-2029 timeframe. Also, DES is working on a way for smaller Counties that can’t afford mitigation cost to get funding for their Hazardous Mitigation actions. The state is motivated to help counties fund mitigations from a cost-benefit perspective: for every $1 dollar spent in mitigation you save, or avoid, $6 dollars in disaster cleanup and recovery cost. Commissioner Pancratz was impressed with the presentation by DES. Justice Russel, Musselshell County DES Director, also presented and did an excellent job. Commissioners Turley and Goffena also expressed the were impressed with the DES presentations.

Sheriff Lesnik gave his weekly report to the Commissioners. A Deputy got a call for an unresponsive person. It was a 3-month-old baby that had an undiagnosed heart condition. The Deputy administered CPR until the ambulance arrived. After surgery the baby is expected to lead a full life. GREAT JOB TO OUR DEPUTY!! The cost of patrol vehicles has increased incredibly. The contract with the City of Roundup for Law Enforcement is coming up. They have hired a “conditional” new Deputy that starts March 13, 2024.

County Attorney Larsen met with the Commissioners to discuss the petition to close the last mile of Allen Road. After going over the Staff Report from WWC Engineering and legal counsel it was decided the Commissioners will be sending a Certified letter to land owners denying the petition to close the last mile of Allen Road.

DES Director Russell and Coordinator Rook gave their weekly report to the Commissioners. The Sheriff Department is gathering hours worked from when they were out at the FEMA spring flooding event for reimbursement. There were 2 fires. There were 3 new addresses, 1 actual address and the other 2 were fire hydrants for the water project. Multiple signs have been installed. Director Russell attended the MACo Mid-Winter conference in Great Falls. Coordinator Rook has started drone training.

Treasurer Hetrick gave her report to the Commissioners. The longwall at Signal Peak was in Musselshell County at the end of the year so we will be able to get personal property taxes. There will be a notice on the website regarding the extra tax. On March 17, 2025 the State of Montana will no longer supply any equipment for the motor vehicle division in the Treasurer’s office. The County is going to have to budget for the change.

Amber Martinsen-Blake with Catalyst for Change met with the Commissioner via GoToMeeting to discuss a contract with the County. County Attorney Larsen was present also. Mental health in youth is the #1 concern. There is a suicide epidemic and they are trying to get resources that are assessable in the community. If the County agrees to the contract, they would have to take applications to hire a Community Health Worker (CHW). The CHW would work with Catalyst and would be working in the schools. The Commissioners and County Attorney Larsen will look over the contract. There is a private donor who has committed to funding the Cost for Catalyst and the CHW salary and benefits for one year as a pilot program. After the year, the commissioners can assess if the County believes there is enough benefit to the community for the county to fund the program to continue after the pilot year trial period.

Larry and Jane Stanfil met with the Commissioner regarding improvements to their road, North Gage. They feel everyone should have a right for safe travel. The Commissioner understand and will tell Road and Bridge Supervisor Stockert about their concerns.

There being no further business Commissioner Pancratz made the motion to adjourn. Commissioner Goffena seconded the motion. Motion carried.

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Commissioners March 8, 2024 Minutes

The meeting was called to order at 8:30 by Commissioner Turley. Commissioner Pancratz and Commissioner Goffena were present.

Pledge of Allegiance.

Commissioner Pancratz made the motion to approve the agenda for the day. Commissioner Goffena seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Commissioner Goffena made the motion to approve the March 1, 2024 minutes as written. Commissioner Pancratz seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Public Comment:

Theresa Doumitt was present. John Mintock was present via GoToMeeting regarding the Wier Building. Cathy Barta and Tonya Garbe with Snowy Mountain Development were also present via GoToMeeting. Mr. Mintock has inspected the Wier Building as an interested investor. His hope was to purchase the building. The structural issues in the back and the basement are the biggest hurdles. There shouldn’t be a new roof until the structural issue is resolved even for preservation. Ms. Doumitt mentioned there needs to be a “funding strategy”. The Commissioners are going to do a “structural assessment” and see what the report reveals. There is going to be a meeting with Greg Davis from Brownfield, Wednesday March 13, 2024.

End of Public Comment.

Commissioner Pancratz made the motion to table signing the buy/sell agreement for the Wier Building as they are continuing to try to get reports done. Commissioner Goffena seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Sheriff Lesnik gave his weekly report to the Commissioners. New Deputy Trevor Ernest was sworn in today. The department needs another patrol vehicle. The prices are incredibly high.

County Attorney Larsen met with the Commissioners to discuss the agreement with Catalyst for Change program.

DES Director Russell and Coordinator Rook gave their weekly report to the Commissioners. There was a Fire Council meeting Thursday March 7, 2024. They will be purchasing Class B foam for oil well fires. They are looking into getting 4 type 3 wildland fire engines from the DOD surplus list.

Ambulance Director Solberg met with the Commissioners. There will be a 2-week trial period for the new phone system.

The Commissioner did claims on March 6, 2024. Claims = $61,162.89

There being no further business Commissioner Pancratz made the motion to adjourn. Commissioner Goffena seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Monday March 11, 2024 Road Department meeting

Minutes were taken by Road and Bridge Secretary Newman.

Keggy Coulee update: They have installed a concrete culvert and hauled shale rock from the County East site. Tom has talked to Matt Roen about purchasing gravel for Keggy Coulee Road. We will be able to buy the gravel for $6.00 a yard. They will start hauling gravel from there to Keggy Coulee in the next day or two.

We need to start mining the COE site for more shale rock, then move to Gary’s Harris Pit and mine for North Gage Road repair on the hill approximately 1 mile from top to bottom.

Kathy from Stahly’s is working on SB 536, which involves repairs to Harvey Bridge, River Road Bridge, and Delphia Bridge.

The Freightliner in Billings is possibly a head gasket. We won’t know until the shop can look the truck over.

We discussed the Policy Manual and Comp Time with the Commissioners. They will go through the policy manual themselves. Cheryl Tomassi will add a Comp timeline on the Black Mountain Time Card to track Comp time earned and used.

We asked if residents received a copy of their encroachment permits after the Commissioners signed them. And yes, a copy gets mailed out.

A couple of residents from Homestead Road were already with the Commissioners when we arrived. They expressed their concerns and asked questions about Homestead Road. We were able to tell them about the joint maintenance agreement with Golden Valley County. They decided to stay awhile and listen to the Road Department meeting. They left with a better understanding of how limited the Road Department really is.