Polson city council axes overtime

POLSON — For the upcoming fiscal year, City of Polson workers will see a wage freeze. Along with that freeze, will be an overtime freeze where no worker will be able to work overtime in order to balance the 2010-11 final budget.

During the Polson City council meeting last Wednesday, the council evaluated the budget.

There are, however, a couple city workers that are taking on more responsibility warranting a wage raise.

City manager Todd Crossett said that all over time will be erased, except in emergency situations.

This will have an effect on Polson police who work overtime during the summer months to patrol during Hoopfest, the Cherry Festival and busy weekends.

Polson police chief Doug Chase expressed his opinion on this new tactic to balance the budget. 

“I will not take responsibility of police chief of this city if I cannot look our city manager and council and tell them that I can do my job,” he said. “I cannot be police chief of the city of Polson under the conditions I have heard tonight. That is a bold statement, but it is a true statement.”

Without overtime, the police department will not be able to patrol the streets and work the extra time on the weekends and uphold a sense of safety.

“I have been working for 45 years strong,” Chase said. “This just does not make sense. It is eight minutes from Mission Bay to downtown Polson. Plus, I turned back $24,000 to the budget.”

Council member Ron Boyce asked about setting money aside to fix Polson streets.

“We can't wait for the federal government to do everything,” he said. “We have to do something. They are going to fall apart. We have to develop something.”

“I'd like to see a fund set up,” council member Jon Campbell said.

In other business, the council voted to extend ordinance #658 to renew interim medical marijuana zoning ordinance. This will give the council one more year and more time to react what the state legislature decides to do this upcoming session.

Crossett also mentioned that the fire department has six applications for new volunteers.

“That's a lot of volunteers,” he said. “Our [fire department] seems to be doing well.”

He also provided an update that the Main Street project is on schedule and on budget. Workers have torn up sidewalks up to Fourth Street, only hitting groundwater a couple of times.

“We are budgeted for that,” he said.

Also on schedule is preparations for Skyline Drive. Crossett said Stelling Engineering is getting close to points where final decisions need to be made, including elevation of road and intersection points.

“So far, they've come up with some pretty creative solutions to the problems,” Crossett said. “If we stay on this direction, we will definitely meet deadlines.”

The money from the TIGER grant has to be committed 11 months.

Parks superintendent Karen Sargeant said that the parks department has started a recycling program in the schools and delivered boxes last week.