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Commissioners pass budget in heated meeting

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POLSON — The 2010-11 budget was the big issue at the Sept. 8 Polson City Commission meeting. After a budget workshop the last week of August and discussion on Sept. 8, Councilman Mike Lies moved to adopt Resolution #1016, the final budget for fiscal year 2010-11. However, Lies added some unexpected amendments and conditions. 

The amendments and conditions were: 

1. All wages and salaries are frozen to 2009-10 budget year, with the exception of two employees who moved to new positions. These employees would receive half of the pay rate increase between the old job and new job for the probationary period of six months. If their evaluations are satisfactory, then they would receive the second half of their wage increase. 

Also after two water and sewer people pass their test and become certified, they will receive their $1.50 per hour raise, an agreement the city has had for two years. 

2. The insurance package will be approved for this year and will be renegotiated next year in time for approval before the anniversary date. Individuals who already had insurance somewhere else receive $430 a month for the rest of the year due to misunderstandings during negotiation. 

3. All overtime for city employees will be eliminated except in cases of emergency, such as water and sewer problems that need immediate attention or any other emergency that has an affect on the safety of the general public.

4. Money saved from library to be put in capital improvement fund for the repair and replacement of streets in Polson.

5. The employee advancement fund of $5,000 be removed from the budget and placed in reserve fund.

6. The library/parks dept overspent their budget by  $22,889 during the 2009-10 budget for salaries; the salary budgets are to be returned to 2009-10 amounts. This extra money could go into the reserve fund.

During discussion, Mayor Pat DeVries said, “. . . The overtime thing I kind of have a problem with. I would assume the only time we have overtime is when we need it.”

Polson City Manager Todd Crossett said typically speaking the city pays overtime to police officers because they are first responders.

As far as the raises, Mayor DeVries said, “I look at them, most of them, probably all of those raises I agree with. Todd thoroughly discussed them before the meeting. Nothing until now was raised about them.”

Later in the discussion Commissioner Judy Preston said, “I believe in Montana the living wage is $12.”

Preston also said the figure might be two or three years old but when she looked at these wages, they are not that high, an increase of $1,628. But Preston also said the budget was already balanced.

“This year is a very poor year to start doling out raises here and there and everywhere,” Lies commented. “This is a year we have to stick to our guns and say no raises.”

Commissioner Ron Boyce brought up the North Lake County Library District and how it will function, particularly how the library would pay the city back once they receive tax monies in November. 

The motion carried with Commissioners Elsa Duford, John Campbell, Fred Funke and Lies voting for and Mayor DeVries and Commissioners Preston and Boyce voting against.

Mayor DeVries said, “So it looks like the motion carried. I guess the only thing is making sure that we understand exactly what that does. Now it’s all overtime.” 

Crossett answered, “No more police overtime so chief you’ll have to adjust your coverage.” 

Polson Police Chief Doug Chase said, “You know, you say it’s up to the police chief for an emergency. I don’t want to be second-guessed; I don’t want to be micromanaged. I have a city manager who gives me outstanding direction and support. We (Polson Police Department) turned back $24,000 this year at his request and we cut money out in the past at his request.”

“. . . Right now we have two officers on the street; it’d be one officer if I hadn’t got overtime,” Chase said.

“Who’s to determine an emergency?” Chase continued, “It’s 8 minutes from Mission Bay to the downtown business, Code 3. That’s one officer on duty if I’m not allowed to just fill in for the safety of my officers.” 

“I really want to be careful that I don’t say anything, but I cannot be police chief under the conditions that I heard tonight and answer to the public,” Chase said, “And I will not be. That’s a bold statement, but it’s a true statement. I have a reputation, 45 years strong — chief of police in Missoula, sheriff in Missoula County and up here for 8 years. This just does not make sense.”

Polson Parks Superintendent Karen Sargeant spoke about the four part-time park employees who were up for raises. Sargeant said one employee was living in subsistence housing, one is homeless, one of them is on food stamps and one lives in substandard housing.

“They make less that what I understand people at McDonald’s do,” Sargeant said. “. . . They do a heck of a job, we got lots of compliments from people on how the parks look.”

Sargeant added that for seven of the last seven years she has given money back out of the parks budget back to the general fund every single year.

“. . . My employees are making substandard wages; and that’s substandard for Polson,” Sargeant said, “I don’t care about Whitefish or Kalispell. They don’t live on the reservation, we do.” 

During city manager comments, Crossett brought up the following items:

• The Polson Volunteer Fire Department has six new applications for volunteers, and Fire Chief John Fairchild is very pleased about the new recruits

• The Streetscape Project is on schedule and so far on budget. Crossett said the Polson Street Department was doing a great job of directing traffic at 3 p.m. 

• The Skyline Project is ahead of schedule right now.

• Work on the Hwy. 93 corridor study and the Polson area transportation plan is just starting. The first meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the Polson City Library on Sept. 9. The project is due to wrap up in July of 2011.

• As part of the city’s recycling plan, Park Superintendent Sargeant has been getting the program started by distributing recycling bins to all the schools.

• Congressman Rehberg met with small business owners at noon on Sept. 9. The Polson Chamber of Commerce sponsored his visit.

• Next week Mayor DeVries and Crossett will attend an economic conference in Butte. 

• Regarding the Polson City Airport, the city received a new draft of a contract with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes to extend the lease for 20 years.

In other business, the commissioners passed:

• The second reading of Ordinance #658 to renew interim medical marijuana zoning ordinance #654 that will expire on Sept. 5, 2011.

• Transfer of license for an all-alcoholic beverage license from KwaTaqNuk Resort to S & K Gaming, LLC.

• Established a building easement on an existing house at 907 16th Avenue E.

The next regularly scheduled meeting will be held on Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. at Polson City Hall in the city commission’s chambers.

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