City Council Receives Grant for Growth Policy Update
 | Author:
Nancy Marks
Nancy Marks: MT43 News Secretary and News Editor |
City Council Receives Grant for Growth Policy Update
MT 43 News Staff Reporter
Mayor Mike Evans announced at a regular council meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 7 that the city had received a grant from the Montana Department of Commerce (MDOC) for beginning the process of updating Townsend’s growth policy. The $15,000 grant, matched by $5,000 from the city’s budget, will be used to open bids for consulting firms to do the update by December 2024.
Council members met with Broadwater County Clerk and Recorder and Elections Administrator Angie Paulsen at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15 at City Hall to officially canvas the November 7 city residents’ votes for Mayor and Ward III seats.
Mayor Evans read his letter of support for the recertification of the Montana Business Area Connection (MBAC). The council approved the letter of support. Councilwoman Vicky Rauser abstained from voting since she is an MBAC board member.
Council members accepted the final draft of a job description for the public works director position. The first job offering for the position was opened to current employees.
Mayor Evans discussed Townsend’s water rights which are involved in the preliminary decree before the State of Montana Water Court. Since many water rights’ owners have objected to the decree, Evans said, the timeline for settling the decree will be three or four years.
WWC Engineering senior planner Jeremy Fadness sent the Council an approval letter for the White Annexation project with conditions. The Council took no action.
Townsend City Fire Supervisor Shawn Simon reported the department has answered 36 calls this year, up from 8 or 10 in most years. The calls were mostly emergency calls. His volunteer force has dwindled so he will be advertising for new members. A fire department training class will begin in February of 2024.
Sheriff Nick Rauser reported on the recent attempted robbery at Town Pump. He noted his crew is making added traffic stops currently. Rauser said the department has purchased a canine trained to ferret out drugs. The two-year-old German Shepherd, Akai, is well trained he said. Chase Rasmussen is tasked with maintaining the animal. Funds used to pay for the animal came from their law enforcement training account.
Broadway Street homeowner Todd Rolfs thanked the city for help in slowing down traffic at the east entrance to Townsend. Between the fire department's barriers and the new “slow down” sign, traffic had slowed considerably during the city Halloween Stroll.
Townsend Tree Board’s report showed the crew had watered 72 trees within the city limits at a cost of $2,160 for the season. In a report to the council Tree Board Chair Patrick Plantenberg said the Tree Board spends between $8,000 and $10,000 on tree watering, most of which is funded by the city, the county or from Tree Board’s budget revenues which includes selling and planting trees in the community.
