Hwy. 93 plans

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Over the years, property owners and the city have debated who was responsible for what level of maintenance, repair and snow removal, in discussions that typically ended in a stalemate.

Meece, along with commissioners Carolyn Pardini and Brodie Moll, have been meeting with landowners over the past year. Their efforts culminated in the agreement to classify JB Drive as a city street and establish policy for its upkeep. Accompanying the draft resolution was a non-binding petition in its favor, signed by 18 property owners.

Both commissioners Moll and Pardini praised Meece for his leadership in resolving the longstanding conundrum.

In other business: • The commission supported a contract between the city and the Department of Health and Human Services that will help low-income residents pay their water bills. The Low Income Water Assistance Program is in effect Oct. 1, 2021 through Sept. 30, 2023. More information is available at City Hall or online at dphhs.mt.gov/hcsd/energyassistance/. • The commission rejected a proposed ordinance to standardize procedures for filling a vacancy on the commission. The language, authored by city attorney Skylar Bagley, called for a “secret ballot” cast by each member with the mayor voting only to break a tie.

A few commissioners objected to a secret ballot. “The public should know who I voted for,” said Pardini. Mayor Paul Briney worried that if only three of the six commissioners were present, a vacancy could be filled with just two votes if the mayor was only allowed to break ties.

“The city charter and Montana code are silent on the exact procedure for filling a vacancy,” Meece said. “That’s what we’re trying to get to with this ordinance.”

The ordinance was voted down, with the understanding that the measure would be rewritten and returned to the commission for its consideration. • Commissioners officially approved emergency construction of a connecting line between well no. 8 and the existing system. Construction of the line began during last summer’s drought, which led the city to declare a water emergency and limit water usage. While the state gave emergency clearance for the project, the commission’s approval was required to allow the city to exceed the $80,000 cap imposed on projects that aren’t formally released for bid.

Meece told commissioners that the current project cost is around $90,000 and said the well would be hooked up next spring.

Schedule, design plans for Hwy. 93 expansion shared

by Summer Goddard / Valley Journal

RONAN — Design plans and a preliminary construction schedule to widen U.S. Hwy. 93 from two to four lanes north of Ronan were shared last week during two virtual open houses held via Zoom.

A team of engineers and officials with the Montana Department of Transportation and KLJ Engineering provided project updates to the public Nov. 15 and 16. Originally called the Ninepipes Ronan project – part of the larger U.S. 93 corridor expansion from Missoula to Polson – the complex project, which involves a couplet through town, has since been separated into smaller pieces. The Ronan-North U.S. Hwy. 93 project, involving the stretch of highway from Lake’s corner north of Ronan to the stoplight at Round Butte Road, is the first piece to be completed.

The reconstruction area will widen the highway from two to four lanes and includes the initial portion of the couplet for the southbound lane, which until the Ronan-Urban project is started, will serve as a turning lane for Round Butte Road.

The couplet will begin just after Pizza Café and continues south through the former Boys and Girls Club location, entering Round Butte Road where Tribal Health offices are currently located.

The project includes a new traffic light at Old U.S. 93 and Third Avenue, the permanent closure of Spring Creek Road at U.S. 93 and a new shared use path that will connect Round Butte Road to the existing path that runs adjacent to the highway north of Ronan to Pablo.

During construction, traffic will be routed over paved surfaces as much as possible said Bob Vosen with the Montana Department of Transportation.

Questions from the public concerned access to businesses during construction as well as safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. Responses were that all accesses to businesses will be maintained during construction and new pedestrian features for improved safety are part of design plans. The walking path will cross the highway at the new light signal at Old U.S. 93 and Third Avenue and continue alongside the northbound traffic lane into Ronan.

The Ronan-North project is still in its design process as right of way acquisitions are made and utilities are relocated. Engineers anticipate awarding the construction contract in spring / summer 2022 with construction possible by summer / fall 2022. Project construction will shut down for the winter of 2022 / 2023 and resume during the spring / fall of 2023 until complete. Presenters noted the estimated schedule is subject to change and to check the website for updates: https:// mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/ronanurban

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF KLJ ENGINEERING

Ronan recount doesn’t break tie vote, city council to make selection

by Kristi Niemeyer for the Valley Journal

Although last Monday’s hand recount of ballots at the Lake County Courthouse failed to break a tie in the race to represent Ward 1 in Ronan, it did yield a couple of civic lessons.

First, voting matters. Incumbent Marilynn Tanner and opponent Ryan Corum each mustered 68 votes. The one ballot that might have decided the matter was an “under vote,” meaning whoever cast the ballot only voted for mayor and neglected to fill in an oval for council representative.

All voters received mail ballots for the three municipal elections and one county election held Nov. 2; ballots were mailed back or submitted in person and tabulated by machine. The recount helped affirm the accuracy of the voting system, since Monday’s recount matched the machine tabulation.

State law dictated a recount after provisional ballots were counted, and failed to break the tie.

On Monday, three election judges assembled to carefully separate and count the ballots by hand. Judges were county commissioners Steve Stanley and Bill Barron and former election administrator Katie Harding, who now serves as clerk and recorder. Tanner was also on hand to watch the proceedings.

“I never imagined having a tie,” election administrator Toni Kramer told the judges as she outlined the recount procedure. Both she and Barron mentioned that Bozeman had also faced a tie in 2018, when the two candidates for clerk and recorder each tallied 4,965 votes. At least in Ronan’s case, the judges only had 136 votes to count, a chore they dispatched in about 15 minutes.

Judges opened the

KRISTI NIEMEYER PHOTO Recounting Ronan: Clerk and Recorder Katie Harding, Ronan Ward 1 incumbent Marilynn Tanner, Lake County Election Administrator Toni Kramer, and Lake County Commissioners Steve Stanley and Bill Barron were on hand for last Monday’s recount of ballots for Ward 1.

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sealed box of votes from the City of Ronan election, sorted out Ward 1 ballots, separated them into piles for each candidate, and as Harding read out names, the other two tallied.

The count again ended in 68 votes apiece, with one “under vote.”

“There’s one person out there in Ronan who has a lot of power and doesn’t realize it,” said Tanner.

Harding noted that during her tenure as election administrator she’d never presided over a tie vote. “It’s not very common,” she said.

Hand counts, on the other hand, are required after every federal election. Two or three precincts are randomly selected and hand-counted to make sure the numbers match those tabulated by machines. “So far, there’s never been an issue,” she said.

Since the recount ended in a tie, the Ronan City Council will select a winner. The matter was scheduled for vote at the Nov. 22 meeting. Results were not available by press time.

vj

Officials meet for infrastructure discussion

By Rob Zolman Valley Journal

POLSON — On Wednesday, Nov. 17, officials from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Lake County and the Montana Department of Transportation sat down at the Polson Red Lion Inn to discuss infrastructure concerns regarding Lake County roads.

Also joining the conversation were Montana Lt. Governor Kristen Juras and Director of Indian Affairs Misty Kuhl.

With the passage and implementation of the Montana Water Rights Protection Act (MWRPA) back in December 2020, the MWRPA permits the tribes to carry out specified activities related to the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project (FIIP), such as rehabilitating structures, upgrading irrigation facilities and restoring streams that are affected by such projects.

According to documents provided by Lake County, the county currently has 1,403 culverts and 68 bridges, the majority of which are infrastructure of the FIIP where it crosses and intersects with county maintained roadways.

Discussions focused on questions and concerns regarding the ownership and maintenance obligations of infrastructure under the MWRPA for which the county has historically been responsible for.

“I think at some point taxpayers will begin to question the use of taxpayer dollars to replace structures that they maybe do not own,” said Lake County Commissioner Gale Decker.

The county has requested a legal opinion from the office of the Montana Attorney General regarding ownership, responsibility for maintenance and repair of FIIP infrastructure.

As the county waits for a definitive answer, county commissioners offered a cooperative proposal to CSKT officials for their approval during last Wednesday’s meeting.

“This just starts the thought process,” said Lake County Commissioner Bill Barron. “This is a very draft framework of a possible agreement between CSKT and Lake County to keep the bridges safe and the roads open.”

Also addressed during the meeting were current road projects and possible funding opportunities for future projects by accessing different avenues of funding not currently available to both groups.

Another infrastructure meeting has been scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15. Location has yet to be determined.

County seeks volunteers for planning related boards

News from the Lake County Planning Department

LAKE COUNTY — Lake County currently seeks volunteers for the following boards. Positions begin on January 1, 2022. If you have questions about the area of jurisdiction for a particular board or to obtain an application, please check with the Lake County Planning Department. Please note that some meetings may be held via ZOOM given space concerns and COVID. Positions are open until filled.

Lake County

Planning Board

This board advises the Lake County Commissioners on planning issues. The board regularly meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. to review and make recommendations on subdivision proposals and to work on long range planning documents. Applicants from all parts of the county are encouraged to apply. Volunteers must reside in the area over which the Lake County Planning Board has jurisdiction.

Polson City-County

Planning Board

Lake County seeks volunteers for this board, who must reside within the county portion of the Polson city-county planning area. This board advises the city and county on planning issues, including subdivisions, special use permits, and zoning regulations, within the Polson city-county planning area. The board typically meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m.

Lake County Board of Adjustment

This board hears and decides on zoning-related issues such as conditional uses, variances, and appeals. Board members work closely with Lake County Planning Department staff and have the opportunity to interpret and apply zoning regulations for the citizens of Lake County. The board typically meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 3:30 p.m. Applicants from all parts of the county over which this board has jurisdiction are encouraged to apply.

Planning and Zoning

Commission

This commission is comprised of a mix of citizen volunteers and county officials who have the authority to respond to development applications in the Kings Point, Melita Island/Labella Lane, and south of Ronan zoning districts. Meetings are arranged at such time as there are items for consideration. Citizen member volunteers must be residents from one of the three zoning districts involved.

Please submit a letter of interest and a completed application for the specific board in which you are interested to Lake County Planning. The application form is available at http://www.lakemt. gov/planning/planning. html or through the contact information below. Volunteer positions are open until filled. If you have experience that may be relevant to review of land use or growth management, please include this in your submittal. The Planning Department may be contacted by phone 406-883-7235, fax 406-883-7205, or email planning@lakemt. gov.