Polson council votes on annexation motions

POLSON — It was difficult to find a seat at Monday night’s city council meeting as homeowners in the Cougar Ridge Development filled the room, although no public comments were made after two pertinent motions were seconded.

The first motion was to annex 24.74 acres in the development from county rural residential zoning to the city. The second motion was to rezone 4.74 acres of the annexed property to transitional zoning and 20 acres of the annexed property to low density residential zoning districts. The two motions unanimously carried.

“This is complicated,” councilman Jules Clavadetscher said. He proposed that a single agenda item for the Cougar Ridge Development be split in two separate agenda items: one being the annexation and the second being the rezoning.

Clavadetscher also proposed a work session with the Polson Volunteer Fire Department. He said he wanted to get to know them.

“It will give us an opportunity to talk to the volunteers,” he said, adding that interim city manager and city attorney James Raymond’s interest in the “bling” of the fire department’s equipment is more than his.

Councilman Fred Funke also expressed an eagerness to meet with all the firemen.

“It will give us an opportunity to thank them for all they do,” Funke said, eager to schedule a get-together. A set meeting was not determined, as the fire chief is away on training, however it was agreed by the council to take place on either the second Tuesday of this month or the next.

Polson Police Chief Doug Chase approached the board with a proposal to hire an additional police officer through the Federal Stimulus Grant, which pays for the officer’s base salary and benefits for three years.

Chase said that due to the high turnover rate at the department, when the officer’s three years expire there will probably be a vacancy for him to fill.

When asked if the addition would take care of the overtime, Chase admitted that it would not as there are several, various reasons for the overtime. Chase said he would go into further detail with the council members at their request, noting a few reasons when questioned.

“Every time we start getting ahead we slide backwards,” Chase said.

A motion to hire an additional officer for the three-year paid period unanimously carried.

As the city is at the end of its two-year contract with Thomas Dean and Hoskins Engineering Consultants, Raymond asked that the city stay with the firm for an additional six months instead of an additional year as originally planned. He said that although it is an undesirable time to go without a city engineer, the pricing could possibly be better.

“In six months if we don’t like the costs we’ll get a procurement,” Raymond said.

Joyce Weaver, the city’s zoning and planning official, joined in the council’s discussion and said the fees the engineer collects are from the applicants. She also noted that engineer Shari Johnson does a fantastic job on the billing, as she gives a reduced rate when other engineers within the company work on the city’s projects.

The Water and Sewer Department’s Tony Porrazzo joined the discussion as well, noting that the current city engineer is a “senior” and knows the ins and outs of engineering.

“We’ve got a good, acting engineer,” he said.

Raymond said the engineer’s rates are $120 per hour, but added that the rates were not increased in 2008.

The council granted the six month renewal to Raymond.

Also on the agenda was a request to “authorize city staff to negotiate binding bargains with annexable properties including exceptions to otherwise applicable rules.”

Funke said that as Raymond currently does this, he would authorize Raymond to continue but took an issue with other city staff doing the same.

“My point is to cut you all out of the day-to-day negotiations,” Raymond said.

Dick Blumberg told the council that he had “real problems” with the resolution’s wording and said the “binding bargains” take the council completely out of the picture. He said it was a transfer of an excessive amount of authority.

Tom Lipko lives 5 feet from the city boundary, and said he is weary of annexations and the bills that come with them.

“I don’t want to be annexed and then have somebody say ‘You have to pay today,’” Lipko told the council, adding that he is against giving an individual “blanketed approval to negotiate.”

Porrazzo chimed in stating that although everyone is “learning,” they have to start somewhere.

“Trying to go back and forth with you is just insane,” he told the council.

Even though it was understood by several that the negotiations need the final approval of the council, Funke asked that the motion be clarified to reflect this.

“We can add that to make people feel better,” Funke said. The motion unanimously carried.

Other business at the meeting: council gave Raymond permission to purchase a cooler to be installed in the restaurant at the golf course, not to exceed $10,000 and gave permission for deck repair and maintenance on the deck, not to exceed $4,000; a public meeting to gain public input about ways to spend the federal stimulus money will be heard on April 20; a motion by councilman Jim Sohm to restrict city council members from serving on other boards in a voting capacity did not carry as only Mayor Lou Marchello and councilman Clavadetscher were the only votes in support.

“Shame on us,” Sohm told the board, “we’re violating what the population voted for.” He said the vote to go to a citizen form of government would be furthered by more citizens serving on boards, eliminating the “double dipping” that he said currently goes on.