By Michael Howell
The Stevensville Town Council adopted a $780,000 Sewer System Revenue Bond Resolution at its June 27 council meeting. Although not specifically listed as an item of business, the bond resolution was discussed at a previous council meeting in early June. At that time the town’s bond counsel asked the council if he could have permission to discuss the Town’s collection procedures and the status of collections with the Town’s utility clerk. He said he had concerns about the revenues actually being sufficient to support the bond requirements. According to Town Clerk Sue Gibson, those concerns were adequately addressed that same evening in a meeting between the bond counsel and the town’s Utility Clerk at which the Town’s collection policies and the status of current collections were reviewed.
The Sewer System Revenue Bond Resolution and bond revenue anticipation note for $780,000 was passed by unanimous vote with no discussion at the June 27th meeting.
At the end of the meeting the Council discussed the problem of angry residents confronting the Utility Clerk at her desk over utility bill collections. It was decided that a rope barrier may be placed to keep customers from going beyond the front counter and approaching the office desks. The Mayor and the Chief of Police both volunteered to intervene for the clerk if customers overstepped their bounds and made angry or rude remarks.
Mayor Lew Barnett told the Bitterroot Star that he has been doing collection duty for the utilities.
“Since I’m the top official and it is controversial, I’m doing the collections,” said Barnett. He said that the situation was created by past lack of enforcement so some people are very frustrated and some are angry. He said the town’s clerks should not have to take the flack.
Barnett said that in his efforts to date, close to a dozen residents have had their water service shut off in lieu of full payment of past due bills which for some is several months’ worth of bills. Barnett said that the town was not offering any payment plans because that option was tried last October and only one person came through with payments as scheduled. He said that one customer that had his water shut off told him that he would open it again himself. Upon inspection a few days later the water was found to have been turned on again. He said a citation was issued to the man.
He urged anyone who was feeling frustrated or angry over their utility bills to give him a call or take it to the council.
“The clerks should not have to be dealing with that,” he said.
“This has been a difficult time for a lot of people,” he said, “but we can’t be the banker any more. We can’t afford to lose that bond.”
In other business, the council:
• approved unanimously on second reading the Sewer Ordinance establishing a monthly billing process and collection policy
• approved on a 3 to 1 vote, with Councilor Desera Towle dissenting, to annex the John and Laurie Porter property at 213 and 219 Charlos St. Connection to the sewer line was waived until the septic system fails or the property changes hands.
Council to consider using daily paper for legal advertising
Councilor Pat Groninger discussed the possibility of advertising emergency meetings in the daily newspaper, the Ravalli Republic, “for the betterment of notifying last minute meetings.”
Town Attorney Keithi Worthington said that the town should develop a policy and procedure to ensure public participation and give adequate notice for its meetings
Town Planner Ben Longbottom said that he believed that the town had adopted a policy concerning advertising special meetings and he believed it was that notices of emergency meetings would be posted 48 hours in advance on the bulletin board at Town Hall, and perhaps the Post Office as well. He was not sure.
Groninger asked to have the issue of advertising in the Ravalli Republic placed on the next meeting’s agenda.