Citizens press commission on courthouse

The Stillwater County Commissioners handled the following matters at their regular Tuesday morning meeting. Commissioner Dennis Shupak was in Helena and participated by conference call.
Courthouse matters
Citizen Shirley Keffer summarized talks she had with various community members about plans to renovate or replace the county courthouse. She called the former hospital building currently housing county offices as a “lost cause.”
Jim Movius presented the commissioners with a letter calling for the commissioners to “deliberate, determine and publish the timetable for decisions regarding the courthouse matter at your next week’s commission meeting.” He added, “My sense is that lack of action regarding courthouse issues after ample citizen input nearly three months ago may have more to do with the commission being out of a comfort zone than the press of other issues.”
He also noted that the Federal Reserve might soon increase interest rates by one-quarter percent, which could cost county taxpayers about half a million dollars more on a $15 million, 20-year bond issue. Delaying a decision on the courthouse project could cost taxpayers more, he said.
2015 Fire Season
Fire Warden Carol Arkell reported that she had discussed the fire danger in the county with fire chiefs and the consensus was that conditions do not warrant restrictions. She noted that the burn permit system was shut down that day because of weather conditions. She said lightning on Monday had started tree fires on Whitebird Creek and Countryman Creek roads. Commissioner Gerald Dell said he had 1 inch on his rain gauge at home on Monday.
Budget resolutions
The commissioners unanimously approved five budget amendment resolutions that Finance Specialist Joe Morse described as housekeeping measures.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursed the county $25,774 for damages caused by flooding in 2011, which was put into the county’s Emergency Disaster Fund. Medical costs for the county’s self-insurance fund were $156,757 more than expected, but the stop-gap provision provided $224,882 in revenue.
The county also recorded unexpected expenditures and revenues to its Alcohol Rehab and Mental Illness Fund, which receives funding from taxes on alcohol sales in the county; to its Fire Protection Fund, related to equipment purchases; and to its Bridge Project Fund, which receives grant funding from the state.
Contracts signed
The commissioners unanimously approved a contract with Diamond C Integrated Ag Services for spraying noxious weeds along the Stillwater River. The contract calls for two people at $100 per hour not to exceed $5,000 total.
The commissioners unanimously approved a $158,160 engineering task order with Morrison-Maierle for design work for the runway, taxiway and apron paving project at the Woltermann Memorial Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration will pay for 90 percent of the cost for the overall project, with the rest being divided between the county, the city of Columbus and the Montana Department of Transportation.
Subdivision plats
The commissioners approved a preliminary plat for a two-lot subdivision at the Davey Ranch, on Joliet Road about 1.8 miles east of Highway 78. Commissioner Maureen Davey recused herself from the final vote. The plat request was approved with nine conditions after receiving a positive recommendation from the county’s planning consultant and and the county planning board.
The commissioners unanimously approved a preliminary plat for a two-lot subdivision on the Viig property north of Centennial Road with eight conditions. The property is inside the Columbus city-county zoning jurisdiction and was recently rezoned.
There are no plans at this time to annex the property into the city. The county’s planning consultant and the Columbus City-County Planning Board gave the plat request a positive recommendation.