County commissioner

Ronan local files as write-in candidate for county commissioner

By Kristi Niemeyer for the Valley Journal

LAKE COUNTY — Paul Guenzler, a Ronan-area cattle rancher and chairman of the Flathead Irrigation District, filed Sept. 2 as a write-in candidate for District 2 county commissioner, just four days shy of the filing deadline of Sept. 6. Although his name won’t appear on the November ballot, he’s running against incumbent Steve Stanley.

Guenzler made the move after a contentious town hall meeting on Aug. 30 between county commissioners and irrigators, who were largely opposed to the commissioners’ resolution to quit billing, collecting and dispersing operation and maintenance fees for the Flathead Irrigation Project.

That resolution, which would have gone into effect for the 2022 tax year, was amended a week later to take effect in 2023. In the meantime, commissioners and irrigators vowed to seek a legal opinion from the state attorney general on who is responsible for collecting the fees, and to streamline the process.

Guenzler acknowledges that the commissioners’ resolution partly spurred his decision to file for office. Collecting irrigation fees “is something the county has been doing for 90-some years,” he says. The decision to quit doing so “might have swayed me in to moving forward” with his candidacy, “but it’s not my only thing.”

He also believes farmers and ranchers need more of a voice on the three-member commission. “I just think agriculture is a big part of the Mission Valley, and it would good to have more representation on the commission board,” he says.

Guenzler is serving his third four-year term with the Flathead Irrigation District. He runs a cow-calf operation west of Ronan on the same land his great grandparents homesteaded in 1910.

“I thought I had a lot to offer as an independent business person who’s been ranching all my life.”

Guenzler notes that he and another Flathead Irrigation District commissioner have been working with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes toward a joint management agreement for the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project. He describes the conversations so far as “exciting and hopeful,” and believes his efforts to forge an agreement with the Tribes could be a plus for the county commission.

“We can both win – we’ve just got to work together,” he says. “I have experience in that and an open mind to help get us moving in that direction.”

Guenzler also voices concerns about the influx of newcomers to the Mission Valley, and the impacts of growth on local communities.

“We’ve had a lot of people moving in because they like what’s here,” he says. “One of my concerns is to do the best we can to try to retain the values our community has had.”

He realizes that filing as a write-in candidate will be a handicap in the general election, especially since his name won’t appear on the ballot, but remains committed to campaigning.

“I’m really serious or I wouldn’t have gone in and done it,” he says of filing for the commission seat. “I think I have a lot to offer to the people I would represent.”

COURTESY PHOTO

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We all want our health to last - and planning plays a big role in making that happen. In honor of Healthy Aging Month, take a minute to schedule your Medicare Annual Wellness Visit. This proactive discussion with your provider allows you to review the state of your current health and plan for your future wellbeing. Don’t let your care needs fall behind due to COVID. Keep them on track by scheduling your Medicare Annual Wellness Visit today! Schedule with your provider or visit The Heart of Healthcare in the Mission Valleystlukehealthcare.org to learn more.

Polson City Commission discusses changes

By Kristi Niemeyer For the Valley Journal

POLSON — The Polson City Commission approved modest increases in park-use and golfing fees for the coming year during its regular meeting Sept. 9. The only significant hike was for golf-cart storage, which jumped 20%.

Parks and Recreation director Pat Nowlen told commissioners that city parks were bursting at the seams this summer, with use of the picnic shelters almost doubling from 2021. “People were definitely out there recreating more,” he said.

Groups wanting to reserve shelters at Boettcher and Riverside Park will see a $5 increase for the most popular picnic areas, with higher rates for weekend reservations.

At Polson Bay Golf Course, the season pass went up $35 to $750 for adults. According to Nowlen, fees are slightly more than Larchmont in Missoula and Mission Mountain in Ronan, and considerably less than Canyon River in Missoula and Whitefish Lake Golf Club in the Flathead Valley.

“Our goal is to sit in the middle,” Nowlen said.

In other business: - The commission unanimously denied a request for a zoning variance from homeowner Dana Deranleau, who had sought permission to add a storage shed to his property on 5th Ave. E. An aging relative is planning to move to Polson, and he hoped to build an above-ground shed, measuring 60-by-20 feet, to store her possessions. He purchased the property in 1977 with a 900-square-foot house, and has since added an expansive porch area, a 30-by-30-foot garage, and a tool shed.

During a public hearing prior to the commission meeting, city planner Rob Edington explained the planning staff’s recommendation to deny the variance. The area is currently zoned for 40% land coverage and Deranleau’s existing structures already exceed that allowance. Even though several other landowners in the area have also exceeded the coverage limits, he noted that such issues should be addressed by a change in zoning regulations rather than a variance.

“This is a lovely property, one of my favorite in Polson,” said commissioner Carolyn Pardini of the hacienda-style house. “But I think it’s really important to keep lot coverage down. The biggest reason is storm drainage – the more concrete you put down and the more coverage there is, the less percolation you have.”

Prior to voting against the variance, commission Laura Dever urged Deranleau to work with the planning department to come up with a more acceptable solution.

“I respect everybody’s decision,” said Deranleau. “It is a little out of compliance, but I’m just trying find a happy medium.” - Mayor Eric Huffine and commissioners Pardini and Tony Isbell reported receiving calls from several area contractors concerned about a recent change in the Polson building code.

“I’ve received about six phone calls on that from electricians and mechanical guys on how are we ever going to get the parts and pieces,” said Huffine.

City manager Ed Meece said the order, which he had signed in June, reflected changes in the state building code. “My understanding is we don’t have any choice in that matter,” he said. “We can’t have a building inspection program under the state of Montana and not follow state code.”

Isbell expressed his ongoing concern about the lack of affordable housing in Polson and its impact on businesses’ ability to hire employees. By making building codes more complex, “It’s almost like we’re fighting one side against the other,” he added. - City finance director Kim Sassaman offered a report on the Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district, outlining the funds awarded for five projects in FY2022. Approximately $1,035,000 remains in the fund, which is overseen by the Polson Redevelopment Agency. - Meece noted that Tyler Baker, a Salish Kootenai College grad who has served as a management intern for the city for the past year, was hired as special projects manager. His duties include overseeing communications and social media, updating the website, and authoring press releases, in addition to working with the water and sewer department. - Longtime citizen watchdog Lee Mannicke pointed out that a portrait of Polson’s first female mayor, Norene Mosely, who served from 1971-’77, was tucked under a table in the commission chamber, apparently due to some construction in the hallway.

“I think she should go back, in due respect, rather have her resting under a table,” he said. Similarly, he suggested a plaque bearing the names of former mayors be rescued from its spot under the table, updated and rehung.

“I think it’s really important to keep lot coverage down. The biggest reason is storm drainage.

- Commissioner Carolyn Pardini

News from the Office of Senator Daines

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines called out the CEOs of Visa, Mastercard, and American Express for agreeing to adopt a separate category of transactions for gun shops making it easier to track and report gun sales. The CEOs decision came at the recommendation of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which has no

Daines calls out credit card CEOs

authority over the affairs of American businesses.

“…This decision, which is already being hailed by radical anti-gun activists, is the first step towards backdoor gun control on law abiding Americans. Any change that seeks to impact a United States citizen’s ability to legally purchase a firearm belongs with Congress, not payment networks, international standard setting organizations, or the financial institutions that some of you serve,” Daines wrote.

“To be perfectly clear, your hand is not being forced. Creating a new merchant code for gun transactions is a choice being made by each of your companies. You are choosing the side of gun control advocates over the privacy and Second Amendment rights of millions of law-abiding Americans. You are choosing to insert yourselves into this political debate – which should only be fought at the ballot box and in Congress – and in doing so you are making clear that you are more than unbiased network operators seeking to maximize value for your customers and shareholders. You have become antigun activists yourselves, wittingly or not ...”

Senator Daines’ entire letter can be read at: https://www.daines.senate.gov/ imo/media/doc/V-M-Amex-Letter-onGun-Merchant-Code.pdf

Tester discusses recently passed bill

By Taylor Davison Valley Journal

MONTANA — In a press call on Sept. 22, Senator Tester explained the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act and in what way it would benefit Montanans.

“This is fiscally responsible legislation that will benefit Montanans now and into the future. By paying down our national debt across the board, we’ll provide working families with real relief and ease inflation rate pressures for the long term,” Tester stated.

The funding for the financial benefits, he went on, will impact taxes for average Montanans, but will instead impact billion-dollar companies. This is done through the creation of a 15% corporate minimum tax rate for corporations creating at least $1 billion in income. Stock buybacks by corporations will also face a 1% excise tax. The IRS will also receive an investment of $80 billion over the next 10 years to put toward tax enforcement.

“We have a number of billion-dollar companies in this country that pay zero, nothing in taxes. That’s not really right. So this is just going to hold folks accountable and I just think it’s the right thing to do,” Tester said.

Additionally, one of the most significant measures taken by the bill is capping the prices of certain medications, including insulin at $35. While the original draft of this bill proposed this cap be put into place for everyone, what was passed was a cap only for seniors on Medicare. Medicare recipients will have a $2000 cap on annual out-of-pocket prescription drug costs starting in 2025. This is something Tester stated he is working to expand upon.

The subsidies of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that lower medical insurance premiums were also given an extension with this bill. Instead of expiring at the end of this year, the subsidies will remain in place through 2025.

Finally, the bill will also invest in climate protection, including tax credits for families to offset energy costs and investments in clean energy production.

Although supporters of the bill, including Senator Tester, have stated the bill will improve inflation rates, some studies have shown it is unlikely to have an impact on inflation. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which provides budget and economic information to Congress, estimates that the bill will have a “negligible effect on inflation” in 2022 and 2023. However, they also estimate the bill will decrease the federal deficit by over $100 billion over the next decade.

“This is the greatest country on earth because everybody’s worked together to make it that way,” Tester stated. “We all have to pay our fair share, not too much but not too little either. (This bill is) how it’s going to do it.”

“We have a number of billion-dollar companies that pay zero, nothing in taxes. That’s not really right.”

- Senator Tester

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