Commissioners appoint interim city attorney; swear in new mayor

POLSON — Optimism for the future filled the room as Polson’s newest leaders swore to uphold the rights of their constituents in front of a crowd that spilled out of the chamber and into the hallway at Monday’s city commission meeting.

Change dominated the agenda as an interim city attorney was appointed and incoming and outgoing public servants swapped chairs.

Shortly after Polson’s new mayor Heather Knutson was sworn in, she took her place in the center of the podium.

"I definitely do not expect this to be an easy role, but I certainly feel that with respect and open minds and a sense of collaboration, together we can all work together and do really great things for our town," Knutson said.

In her first major decision as mayor, Knutson and the commissioners unanimously appointed Richard Gebhardt as the interim city attorney.

Polson city manager Mark Shrives recommended the council appoint Gebhardt for the next six months. The interim period will take the council to the end of the city’s fiscal year and offer continuity in the prosecution of court cases.

The agreement can be terminated on 30 days notice by either party, Shrives clarified, which will give the commission flexibility while the search for a permanent city attorney begins.

Gebhardt will work on an hourly basis to monitor how often the city attorney is required. Shrives stated that numbers gathered while Gebhardt is employed by the city will be applied in creating next year’s budget and the calculating the city’s need for its attorney.

"I think it’s a good chance to really see what our actual costs are, times needed. We can start budgeting for next year," Commissioner John Campbell said. "We’ve always just dealt with a lump sum. This will be some real numbers."

According to a document submitted by Shrives, Gebhardt was the city attorney for Ronan and the towns of Hot Springs and Plains. In these positions, he was involved in development, annexation, capital improvements, budgeting, finance and service planning. Gebhardt also served as the deputy county attorney for Missoula and Sanders Counties.

Todd Erickson, Ken Siler and Jill Southerland were also sworn in at the commission’s first meeting of 2014.

The new group of commissioners elected Campbell as acting chairman of the commission. Campbell’s role will be to take the lead in the event that Knutson is absent from future meetings.