County Commission meeting
 | Author:
Nancy Marks, Reporter
Nancy Marks: MT43 News Secretary and News Editor |
County Commissioners Wait on Decision to Add Second Clerk and Recorder Office Position
Nancy Marks
Reporter
Broadwater County Commissioners voted two to one to turn down the Clerk and Recorder budget amendment to provide for an additional full-time position in the Clerk and Recorder’s office. Commissioner Darrel Folkvord suggested they wait until work begins on the county’s preliminary budget to investigate whether the money will be available for next year. Preliminary budget work will begin in the next few weeks.
Broadwater County Clerk and Recorder Angie Paulsen presented extensive research on the costs of adding a deputy clerk position to her office at the commissioners’ meeting on April 19. The commissioners had asked Paulsen in a previous meeting to show her budget’s numbers including what effect the additional full-time position would have on her budget.
Paulsen pointed out that if she had another person to oversee elections, it would save the county on costs for contracting out election systems and software. When the clerk and recorder's office split from the treasurer’s office, Paulsen said she lost a half-time position. She expects the full-time position would be more than covered in her 2023-24 budget.
During public comment, Ed Regan asked what exactly would be the “payroll burden” for the full-time position. Commission chair asked Paulsen if she would be open to a half-time position. Paulsen said she felt the position needed to be full-time due to the increased security restrictions during elections, and more procedures to follow as well as the need to get election results out quickly.
Boyd Andrew Community Services Chief Operations Officer Dan Krause presented a request for use of State Alcohol Funds which are allocated to each county by the State Department of Revenue from alcohol sales taxes. Boyd Andrew Services has offered counseling since 2019 to adults who are chemically dependent on alcohol or drugs. The group works with Broadwater County Sheriff’s office and the court system for evaluation and training for people charged with felony driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI) or misdemeanors. Adults can ask directly for counseling as well. Currently, Townsend does not have a counselor in Townsend but will have a person as needed beginning May 15 in the courthouse. “Meanwhile clients can use Zoom or schedule an appointment for after May 15,” Clinical Director of Addiction Services Heather Hundtoft explained.
Public Works Director T.J. Graveley gave an update on the county road situation. He and the commissioners closed all county roads to heavy trucks until further notice because of the spring thaw. Drivers are plagued by upheavals, bumps and ridges on county roads currently. Montana Motor Carrier Services will not be policing county roads. “People will have to police themselves,” he said.
Roads with the most breakup are Lone Mountain, Muddy Lane and Ferrat Lane in the Crow Creek Valley. Flynn Lane is broken up mostly from the summer damage from pivot-end guns washing the roads. Ross Gulch is in bad shape he said, and Lippert Gulch was closed for about a week due to bad road conditions. In the Three Forks area, because the crews had put in new culverts, Rolling Glen and Price Road have done well. Both roads have had the new Permazyme put on them. “Our four grader guys started today (April 19) working on Indian Creek Road. They will be out every day from here,” he concluded.
Permazyme is a road hardener that is much safer to use than Magnesium Chloride because it contains no toxins. The cost for the Permazyme is comparable to Magnesium Chloride, Graveley said.
Commissioner Folkvord pointed out Broadwater County has 800 miles of county roads. “With only four graders that take six passes on a section of road to smooth up, plus maintaining road signs and culverts it’s a really big job to cover,” he said.
