Polson welcomes new commissioner
Kristi Niemeyer
Jen Ruggless
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
POLSON — Jen Ruggless got her first taste of serving as a Polson city commissioner last Monday after winning a three-way contest against Jenn Bagley and Scott Biggs for a Ward 1 vacancy.
Ruggless had sought the position in 2021 and lost to Jake Holley by 24 votes. She applied to fill a vacancy left by retiring commissioner Jan Howlett and received votes from commissioners Holley, Laura Dever and Brodie Moll.
Originally from Texas, she and her husband, Donald, moved to Polson six years ago when she was hired to manage the Walgreens store. She’s been employed by Walgreens for 26 years, moving from assistant manager to store manager, and serving as district photo supervisor of 40 stores for three years.
Ruggless credits Howlett with nudging her to run for office initially, and believes – with her business experience, urban background and pro-growth perspective – she can bring “fresh eyes” to city government.
Biggs, owner of The Shoe restaurant and a bison ranch in Valley View, received votes from Mayor Eric Huffine and commissioner Tony Isbell. He also attracted several supporters to the meeting who cited his strategic planning expertise and experience owning and operating businesses as pluses.
“Polson is a big business and we need a business person who can think outside the box,” Larry Ashcraft told the commission.
Bagley, who received a vote from commissioner Carolyn Pardini, is a mother of four young children and married to local attorney Skyler Bagley. “I want to see Polson flourish while maintaining its small-town charm,” she wrote in her application.
Ruggless, who will serve through the end of Howlett’s term in 2023, stepped into her new role immediately after the meeting for an hour-long preliminary budget hearing.
The proposed budget reflects estimated total revenues in all funds of $15,466,699 and estimated total expenditures of $16,224,120, and would leave a healthy reserve of over $1.2 million in the General Fund. However, city manager Ed Meece notes that the budget also reflects a gap between income and expenditures and emphasized the importance of “diversifying our general fund revenue stream.”
He estimates the city will receive an additional $60,000 in property tax revenues in FY23 and anticipates a gain of around $30,000 from the new voter-approved tax on recreational marijuana. The administration also continues to work on a proposed Safety Inspection Certificate that would raise funds to offset the costs of a robust fire inspection program.
The budget includes $282,000 in one-time capital expenditures, financed through CARES Act reimbursements. The list includes new equipment and vehicles for the police and fire departments, completion of a remodeling project at the fire station and repaving City Hall’s parking lot.
In the coming year, Meece says the staff plans to bring a few initiatives to the commission designed to address budgetary concerns and quality-of-life issues. At the top of the list is preparing information on a city-wide mill levy that, if approved by voters, would raise funds to repair, replace and maintain the city’s deteriorating streets and sidewalks. A comprehensive review of impact fees and recommendations for adjustments and revisions to the municipal fee schedule are also on the horizon.
The slow pace of improvements on city streets evoked the most conversation among commissioners. At least three expressed interest in revisiting a resort tax – a measure resoundingly defeated by voters in 2021.
Only cities with populations under 5,500 are allowed to pursue the special tax, designed to help smaller resort communities address infrastructure issues, and Polson’s population is now around 5,100.
Meece told the commission that a buy-in from the chamber of commerce and Polson Business Community would be essential before pursuing voter approval again. “We would need a commitment from those two organizations – without that, I don’t see a way to go forward,” he said. He also suggested a road assessment, which is in the works, could help make the case.
“If we do it again, I’d take a completely different approach,” he added, noting that the previous version, concocted before he came on board, “was very difficult to explain.”
Isbell said he would favor “starting over fresh,” and suggested that if compared to a citywide SID, “other ideas might be more appealing to the public.”
Pardini told commissioners she went door to door in the downtown business district last time around soliciting support for the tax and found none.
“To a person they were against it, for myriad reasons,” she recalled. “The fact is, a resort tax spreads the burden and a Special Improvement District concentrates the burden on local taxpayers.”
There was also a brief discussion about redirecting Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds toward infrastructure instead of using the bulk of it to improve private property within the TIF district. Meece suggested funding could also be used for housing and broadband projects.
