Sargeant steals the show at PCC meeting

POLSON — Parks department director Karen Sargeant was the star of Monday night’s city council meeting, earning various recognitions and giving a positive report on the city’s budding recycling plan.

In his city manager comments, Todd Crossett showed off a plaque, courtesy of the Polson Business Community, dedicated to Sargeant for her hard work on general upkeep of the town. He also announced a $500 donation to Sargeant’s park department courtesy of the Polson Farmer’s Market, which relocated to a centralized, downtown location for this past summer’s market season.

“They’re very happy with the move,” Crossett said.

Main Street, which officially opened with a party Nov. 5, has gotten rave reviews, Crossett said.

“We had a great turnout and a great party,” he said. “We hope to do the final walk through this week.”

Crossett said he’s received comment and feedback on various aspects of the new street, including the stop signs, parking spaces and sewer grates. Four-way stops are now at every intersection along the five renovated blocks of Main, some of which may only be there on a temporary, experimental basis.

“We’ve been getting positive and negative feedback,” Crossett said. “A lot has actually been positive, so we’ll wait and listen.”

Other concerns are that the angled parking spots lining the street are too narrow.

With golf season and the city-owned restaurant officially closed for the season, Crossett said the city is at about the break-even point, “which is right where we want to be,” he said.

Sargeant was on the agenda to speak on the city recycling program, which has exceeded expectations, she said. Begun in June at the four Polson schools and city parks, Sargeant said citizens have become proactive and excited about the program.

“We’ve almost become victims of our own success,” she said, noting the work at times is overwhelming. “Kids are getting their parents to let them bring things from home to recycle.”

The enthusiasm for the program has generated large weights of items recycled. Since June, Sargeant said she had recycled 10,675 pounds of cardboard; 335 pounds of aluminum; 635 pounds of plastic; 1,742 pounds of white office paper and 1,767 pounds of newspaper and magazines.

“I think it’s going to grow; it’s been very successful,” she said. “Polson is definitely recycling.”

Bins originally were planned for the parking lots of Super 1, Walmart and Safeway, but Sargeant said the bin might be put at the sports complex instead.

The council remained deadlocked on the passage of ordinance No. 660, which would effectively bill people’s insurance companies if they were involved in a car wreck that requires the response of the Polson Fire Department.

Sentiment seemed split on the ordinance because of various issues. Fred Nelson, chairman of the Polson Rural Fire Board, was on hand and said his board had yet to come to a decision on whether to implement such a policy in their response district. Nelson was adamant that regardless of whether someone carries car insurance (not doing so is a moving violation, he added), both parties should be billed for the response.

“Budgets are tight but I think there are other ways to fund the departments,” Nelson said. “What the city does, that’s your business, but the feeling of the fire board is to bill everybody or bill nobody.”

Trustee John Campbell said citizens already pay to fund the fire department through taxes and mill levies and in effect, the new ordinance would be double taxation.

“We don’t call it a tax but it is,” he said.

City attorney James Raymond said the city of Ronan has a similar policy and has found it successful. Trustee Judy Preston motioned to pass the ordinance but the vote was split, 3-3; trustee Fred Funke was not present.

“I just want you to know that however you all vote tonight, it doesn’t mean we’ll vote the same, one way or the other,” Nelson said.

After the motion died, mayor Pat DeVries said the council should wait and see what decision the rural fire board comes up with, and to possibly mimic it to have conformity in the area. Council will next meet Dec. 6.