City water rates may rise higher, more quickly than expected
 | Author:
Linda Kent - STAFF REPORTER
MT43 News Correspondent |
City Projects Rising Water Rates
Linda Kent
MT 43 News Staff Reporter
City Council 03292024
Reporting on a meeting with the city’s bond counsel and Montana State Revolving Fund, Mayor Vickie Rauser told Townsend’s City Council on March 19 that planned increases to the city’s water rates may need to happen much sooner than planned. The final amount city water users could pay monthly will also likely increase, Rauser said, as engineers’ final estimates for costs associated with replacing the water tower and other needed water infrastructure improvements, are likely to increase as well.
“Rate changes have to be in place when the bond closes,” Rauser said. “We may not have the luxury of phasing them in over time.”
The council was hoping to phase in water rate changes to pay back the cost of bonds issued by the State Revolving Fund. As it stands, Rauser said, there’s a possibility that the bonds may close as early as October of this year, with the system to be in place in late December.
Council member JB Howick asked Rauser to confirm costs and dates as soon as possible.
Rauser said the city’s engineering firm hoped to have the revised estimates by the end of March. She added that she would advise the council to move forward with rate adjustments as soon as practicable.
Lacking final numbers, the council did not take action on rate changes on March 20. However, it is likely they will revisit the issue at the April 2 meeting.
Also at the March 19 council meeting:
● Al Christopherson of the Broadwater County Development Corporation (BCDC) presented a survey of Broadwater County trails, including those in and around Townsend. Through the mapping process, BCDC was able to identify a set of priorities for development, both for the county and city.
“This is a first shot at getting Townsend connected as a (transportation) system,” Christopherson said.
The goal for the work is to create a master trails plan, tied to existing county master plans, including those for the fairgrounds and Silos area, Christopherson said.
While “trails” might imply recreational use, Christopherson said that when it came to trails in Townsend, the group looked at federal grants, particularly those related to access to critical infrastructure, including government, business, health care, schools, and evacuation centers.
As part of the process, Christopherson said he “inventoried all the sidewalks in Townsend. I can tell you there aren’t many that go east and west.”
That becomes a problem in the event of a disaster requiring the community’s evacuation. The nearest evacuation center is at the Townsend Fairgrounds, which has no accessible pedestrian or bike route currently.
Sidewalks themselves were a central question for council members. Howick asked if Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance for sidewalks was included or planned in the review, as ADA does not allow for bicycles to be used on compliant sidewalks.
Christopherson responded that compliance was something to be looked at in a finalized plan.
Council members also inquired about the costs of installing and maintaining sidewalks, as current ordinances require homeowners to be responsible for maintenance. Sidewalk maintenance has been sporadic at best outside of the city’s main streets.
Christopherson noted that his group has discussed the possibility of developing endowments for maintenance, adding, “There are answers to do that”.
A preliminary list of priorities also includes improving the trail to and from Indian Creek Road Campground, specifically adding a pedestrian river crossing; the six-mile loop on Centerville Road; trails in the Silos area; access to Copper City; and city trails for Townsend.
Christopherson said he would be presenting the survey to several groups before BCDC proceeds with planning, including speaking to county Disaster and Emergency Services, the Broadwater County Commission, and the Prickly Pear Land Trust.
● Owners of the FishTale and Commercial Bar presented an application to close Broadway between Front Street and Spruce for their annual Broadway Block Party, on July 13. The party would begin two hours earlier than last year’s event, at 2 p.m., ending an hour earlier, at 1 a.m. After hearing comments from council members Howick and Angie Wintrow that neighboring businesses had not had the opportunity to provide feedback to the sponsors regarding changes to the closure proposal, the council asked the proposal be revised and brought to a later meeting with proof of support from affected business owners.
● Bob Ducker of River Oaks Communications spoke to the council via Zoom about considerations for putting telecommunications franchise ordinances in place for telecom providers using the city’s existing right-of-ways and infrastructure for cable lines or other uses. The presentation positioned River Oaks as a potential contractor for negotiating with telecommunications providers in developing any ordinances. The firm would work with City Attorney Peter Simon, leveraging River Oaks’ experience in telecommunications law and existing relationships with large telecommunications providers to develop ordinances.
With the county’s population continuing to grow as well as existing recreational draws, “There’s going to come a point when capacity is going to be maxed,” Ducher said. "Planning ahead for telecommunications companies to expand capacity is “proactive, not reactive.”
Developing franchise ordinances should be a “collegial” process, Ducher continued. Franchise ordinances generally include compensation for the use of city right-of-ways and infrastructure.
Mayor Vickie Rauser asked about using a model ordinance from another community instead of going to the expense of hiring counsel.
Ducher noted that, while the council could do that and might find ordinances that met Townsend’s needs, the risks of that approach include finding the right model in the first place and ensuring that telecommunications law hasn’t changed since it was written. While federal law surrounding cable franchises is fairly settled, Ducher said. Those surrounding telecommunications and internet providers are “really in a state of flux”.
“How common is it to have a consortium between a county and a city?” Howick asked.
“It would be ideal,” Ducher replied.
Wintrow asked if ordinances could be applied to providers if the cable has already been laid in the city right-of-way.
Ducher indicated that ordinances could not be applied retroactively. However, the city might be in a position to negotiate an agreement with that provider, should there be another provider who wants to compete in the market.
City Attorney Simon will continue to work on the franchise ordinances, and the council took no action on River Oaks’ informational presentation.
● The council received five applications for the open position of City Pool Manager. Interviews were planned to be held March 22-25. In order to open the pool, a manager would need to be in place by mid-April.
● Townsend Tree Board member Patrick Plantenberg updated the council regarding the hire of an independent contractor to water city trees. The council approved a contract for Teri Blahnik, who has maintained the city’s trees for the past several years. Plantenberg noted that Blahnik’s work could begin as early as the end of March, depending on the weather.
