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By Buck Traxler
I-O Editor
On a 4-0 vote, council members moved to have the engineering firm of Morrison-Maierle, Inc., write up task order number 11 for the wastewater facility upgrade. The report will cost a little over $23,000.
The facility needs to be updated, a mandate set down by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), at a cost of approximately $1.7 million. The Montana DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) has been telling the city they need to come into compliance with new standards. While in all likelihood it won’t happen, the DEQ could levy fines of up to $25,000 for non-compliance. “Just about every month we’re in violation,” commented Public Works Director Richard Anderson.
Conrad has (on the books) the approval of a $750,000 STAG (State Tribal Assistance Grant) grant, which was earmarked for the project. However, it has not been “appropriated” and there is the possibility of losing it, Mayor John Shevlin informed the council.
That leaves a $500,000 TSEP (Treasure State Endowment Program) loan to help with costs. Should the STAG go by the wayside, the council will have to look at the possibility of raising taxes to help fund the wastewater facility project.
Meanwhile, the government has no problem in spending millions to monitor wolves or $4.5 million for DNA tests on Grizzly bears.
Various committee assignments were made. The mayor told council members, “I don’t know of any other way to do this, so speak up – jump in and say which one you want.”
In the end, committee assignments looked like this: Budget and Code Reform, all members; Park and Rec., Sandy Syvertson; Interlocal, Syvertson and Gary Brown; Library, Wendy Judisch; Port Authority, Brown-Shevlin; Zoning, Wally McHenry; Safety, McHenry-Shevlin along with Anderson and Pat Duffey. The Accident Committee will have members named at a later date.
A building permit for tearing down a warehouse at 418 S. Dakota was approved, along with granting the CofC permission to use three city dates at Norley Hall, one on Feb. 27 for their annual banquet and a labor and business meeting on June 27.
Attorney Mary Ann Ries presented the finished contract with Pondera County and Justice of the Peace Audrey Brown regarding her city judge position.
In her monthly report, Ries said she has been reviewing contracts and working with police officers in ongoing investigations.
It was noted that Senator Max Baucus (D) will be in Conrad at the Lobby on Jan. 13, tentatively at 11 a.m.
Anderson, in his monthly report, said city crews were working at the shop. He also noted that with power, gas and fuel rates going up – water, sewer and trash rates need to be raised. – “It’s something you got to look at.”
He had an estimate cost of $1.91 being tacked on utility bills for sewer rates if they were to go up three percent.
The city will have to hold a public hearing before utility rates could be raised. The council took no action at this time.
Monica Huffman was on hand to discuss with the council members the juvenile community service program.
She already runs the community service program for the county and was hired by the city last July to oversee their program.
Huffman told the council it takes about five hours per individual to track their time, and do reports for the local and state government. Each person has to have a mentor or be supervised by her.
She also noted that every kid who gets into trouble has to do community service, a mandatory 20 hours. Presently she has five honor students doing community service at the Hi-Line’s Help for Abused Spouses where she is also employed.
She requested $500 a month to run the city program. No action was taken by the council; it will be looked at again at the next regular council meeting.
The council meets next on Jan. 16, 7:30 p.m. That again falls on a Tuesday. Their regular meeting night, Jan. 15 is a holiday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. |
