Ronan council gives nod to meat-plant annexation

Ronan City Council voted yes in a 4-2 decision to allow the annexation of 31 acres on Mink Lane for a new three-acre meat processing plant, as long as the City of Ronan can enter a cooperative agreement with the tribal council.

City Hall’s small meeting space was packed last Wednesday during the discussion of the annexation, with community members voicing questions and concerns for over an hour.

Janet Camel, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes land-use planning director, helped to explain exactly what the plans for the plant are and why its proposed location is on Mink Lane, a street located on the western fringe of town.

Many residents voiced concerns about smells, animal parts contaminating the city water supply, and whether the processing plant could take business away from local meat processors in the area.

“It's a small plant again, seven employees,” Camel explained when talking about the plant’s capacity. “And, if we can't find enough butchers, we won't be processing that many animals either. We’ll keep scaling back to fit the needs.”

The full facility is proposed at 3,000 square feet and the entire operation would occupy three acres of the 31 acres that will be annexed. It would include facilities to process anywhere from 18 to 25 animals per week with a focus on processing wild game harvested in the area by tribal members.

The plant’ composting plan is to use fibrous wood chips for untreated waste. One of the concerns residents had with the facility had to do with potential waste entering the city water system. This composting method is designed to eliminate the waste and help reduce the odor, another concern brought up by Ronan citizens.

The Tribes are also applying for a grant to become USDA certified, a process that could potentially delay any progress on the project pending the outcome of the grant application.

Questions ranged from concerns about how the operations would work to how many jobs the facility would create.

However, the main point many took away from the night was the fact that this new meat processing plant could be built regardless of whether the City of Ronan approved annexation. Because the land in question is tribally owned, the Tribes can determine what kind of development to pursue there.

“I'm on the fence too, but I feel like it's within our best interest to get along with the Tribes,” said city council member Lindsay Myers. “They can do this with or without us.”

After over an hour of public discussion, council members took a break before casting the only vote of the night.

The meeting resumed with a conversation between council members. Councilman Calvin Hardy applauded Camel’s efforts to explain the project, and said he felt reassured but still uneasy about the location.

“I am riding the fence,” Hardy said. “I just think the location at the end of Main Street and that type of stuff really didn't fit well for me. And that's just me personally.”

City council member Marlene Melton also had concerns about the timeline for this plant and whether or not it would be sustainable once members of the city council had moved on.

This discussion eventually led to a slight amendment to the original resolution, requiring that a cooperative agreement between the Tribes and the City be reached before annexation occurs.

With the addition of the amendment, the council approved the resolution by a decisive 4-2 vote, with both Hardy and Melton voting against and members Lindsay Myers, Ryan Corum, Julie Moore and Ellen Kaphammer all voting yes.

“All I can say is I hope you prove me wrong,” Melton said after Camel thanked the council for their approval.

Each council member had closing comments with Hardy and Melton even explaining their confidence in Camel to execute this project, despite their own personal doubts.

The council also discussed a possible permit for owning chickens within city limits. Details are still in the works but some ideas included a yearly fee and a six-chicken limit per resident.

The next city council meeting is set for July 26.