By Michael Howell
Stevensville Airport Manager Steve Knopp is resigning effective March 1, 2015. Knopp told the Council that he has enjoyed the time spent as a volunteer and believes he has completed his duties to the best of his knowledge and abilities while being employed full-time elsewhere.
“Unfortunately I do not feel that I will be able to meet the increased requirement on my time that this expanded position requires and feel that the Town of Stevensville’s airport and its users will be better served by someone with fuller commitment,” said Knopp.
Councilor Bill Perrin asked Knopp how much time he felt was needed to perform the job adequately so the Council would have some parameters when considering filling the position.
Knopp said a manager would probably need to put in at least four hours a day just to keep up.
“The airport by itself, if it wasn’t for the improvement projects, is fairly easy to look after. It’s the up and coming projects that make the workload,” said Knopp. He said that he would be glad to help any new manager get started and would supply a list of day to day things that need to be done. He said he would also be willing to work with the manager if needed when he could make the time available.
A resolution to establish an independent drug forfeiture account, called the Drug Fund, which was defeated at the previous council meeting, was reconsidered and this time passed with an amendment.
Councilor Jim Crews, who expressed concerns about the use of the funds at the last meeting, asked for the reconsideration and offered an amendment that would make it acceptable. Crews said that he voted against the proposal because of some confusion over the real purpose of the fund.
“We don’t want to change the focus of the police department from normal functioning to into a drug enforcement agency,” he said. He said he was concerned about the militarization of the domestic police force that was occurring elsewhere in the country where the police were acquiring military surplus weapons and vehicles.
Upon reviewing the matter, Crews said that he now recognizes that the fund is necessary for handling the proceeds from property that has been seized, forfeited and sold by the police department. He offered an amendment which the council accepted that would clarify that the proceeds deposited in the fund would not be used for the purchase of “military arms, military vehicles, or military equipment.”
Mayor Gene Mim Mack noted that the town has had a drug fund for a long time, but it was never authorized. The authorization was needed in order to collect and use the funds gained through forfeitures.
Crews agreed that the money could be used to purchase surplus weapons and equipment from the military if they were weapons that could be obtained by any citizen on the domestic market, such as the handguns currently used by the Police Department. He said what he wanted to prohibit was the purchase of machine guns, tanks, or armored personnel carriers that are generally not available to the public.
The resolution, as amended, was unanimously approved.
The Council approved on first reading an ordinance amending Chapter 10 of the town’s development code. Some changes in the code included adding a definition of agricultural land and some regulations concerning the use of solar power, which were not addressed in the code. The previous code also restricted the establishment of a casino within 600 feet of a church. This prohibition was removed, but casinos are restricted to C1 and C3 zones, which in this case mean that any new casino could only be established on Main Street or on the Eastside Highway. The amended code also establishes the position of Zoning Administrator who would be the person designated by the town council to be responsible for accepting and reviewing plans for buildings and applications for land use permits that conform to the town’s ordinances or interpreting the relevant ordinances. The Zoning Administrator would be in charge of enforcing or directing enforcement of those regulations. The amended ordinance was approved unanimously.
The Council approved on first reading a floodplain ordinance on a unanimous vote. Although the town owns no property in the floodplain, the ordinance would allow any residents of the town who do have property in the floodplain to qualify for flood insurance.
The Council approved a Special Event Permit for the Parade of Lights on December 5. Main Street will be closed for the parade from First Street to Fourth Street and traffic will be re-routed until 9 p.m. The parade is sponsored annually by the Stevensville Civic Club and culminates with the turning on of the Christmas lights that are strung above Main Street.
The Council discussed the possibility of creating a fund for voluntary contributions that could be used to help water and sewer customers who cannot pay their utility bills. Councilor Perrin brought the topic up after it came to his attention that someone was in dire need of assistance and that a town employee paid the bill themselves to keep the services running. He said it would be a fund that could be used from time to time by someone who really needs it and deserves it.
Mayor Mim Mack said that the legality of such a fund would have to be investigated to be sure that the use of such a fund did not violate existing laws. He said the trickiest part would probably be handling applications for the money. He wondered who would review the applications and who would have the authority to approve them.
Town Judge Ron Klaphake said that the money could probably not go to the Town, but the Town could collect voluntary contributions for a non-profit, like the Community Foundation, who would then handle and distribute the funds according to its own rules.
The Mayor was directed to investigate the matter further.
The Council received $9,760 in cash in lieu of parkland from the Missoula Federal Credit Union, for the Twin Creeks Subdivision development.