The Stevensville Town Council voted unanimously at its meeting on April 9th to schedule a first reading of the recently drafted ordinance prohibiting the use of tobacco products in town parks and recreational facilities.
The Council was approached last month by a local Girl Scout troop asking for a smoking ban in Lewis and Clark Park. The difference between a smoking ban and the banning of tobacco use products and other issues was discussed and the consensus was to broaden the prohibition to include all tobacco products and have it apply to all the parks.
Enforcement and penalties were discussed. Mayor Brandon Dewey emphasized that it would be difficult to enforce. He said the information that he has reviewed suggests that making it illegal and placing the signs did have a big deterrent effect, making it worth doing to reduce the behavior, but strict enforcement or heavy fines and jail time for offenses was not something he envisions. But some consequences must be considered, he said. He also said that the signage can be obtained at no cost.
The Council voted unanimously to hold a first reading of the ordinance at its April 23 meeting.
In other business, the Council approved an increase in employee health care benefits for fiscal year 2018-2019. Health care premiums had been forecast to be going up by 5% to 7%, according to Mayor Dewey, but the final increase under consideration is a 3% increase over the previous year. Last year the Town’s portion of the employee health care benefits totaled about $70,000. This budget knocks that up to about $73,000.
No increase was made in vision or dental premiums but a 3% rise in the basic premium payment will cost employees an additional $257 per month. The town’s portion of the premium payment would go up to $218.79 per month.
The Council agreed to the increase in the town’s portion of the premium payments and approved it unanimously.
The Mayor had placed consideration of a draft Electronic Communication Policy on the agenda but Councilor Bob Michalson moved to take it off the agenda without consideration. The other council members all agreed, and the item was dropped. Later in the meeting, Michalson scheduled a Committee of the Whole meeting for April 16 to discuss drafting a resolution to cover email and website administration.
Next on the agenda was the consideration of a potential opportunity to lease and/or purchase the building located at 201 Main Street and use it as a Town Hall. Mayor Dewey said he became aware of the opportunity and thought he should bring it to the Council’s attention. There has been ongoing discussion at the town among all departments about possible remodeling to better accommodate the mix of administrative, law enforcement and fire department activities.
Most of the comment from Council, staff and the public was negative. Concerns were expressed about the expense when the town was facing costly and more urgent problems like the leaky water system. Concerns about the impact on the town’s tax revenues and the need to keep tax-paying businesses on Main Street was shared by several who spoke.
The Mayor said that given the consensus, he would convey to the building owner that the Council has no interest in the property at this time.
Councilors Michalson and Stacie Barker had placed on the agenda an item to direct the Mayor to re-open the Town of Stevensville Fishing Access Site. The Mayor had recently closed access to the site at the town’s River Park following the opening of the traditional fishing access site next to the bridge. The Town’s site was opened temporarily for use while the traditional site had been shut down. The new owner and the
Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks have entered into an agreement and re-opened that site now.
Mayor Dewey said that he closed the Town’s site due to safety concerns about the high water that was already coming up.
Barker and some members of the public said they had not seen any contract agreement between the landowner and FWP and even if there was an understanding it could change.
Councilor Robin Holcomb wondered if the money that people had donated to get the Town’s site open would be refunded.
Mayor Dewey said that nothing was done to the site. It was still there. He just closed it to vehicle traffic due to high water and safety considerations.
Michalson said that the mayor was cutting the town off from $42 million in income in the valley from the fishing industry.
Darlene Grove said she was astonished that they were spending so much time discussing this when there were important things to get done.
She urged them to start cooperating with each other.
Several people said that it should go to the Park Board for recommendation. Former Park Board Chairman, now Councilor Raymond Smith, quoted the original Council decision which approved a “temporary” fishing access site at the park “to get us through the season.” He and other members of the public noted that it was always meant to be temporary.
Former Mayor Jim Crews disagreed. So did Michalson, who said, “Yes, temporary is right, but always in the process of being permanent down the road.” He agreed that it should probably go before the Park Board for recommendation and closed for high water, “but after that time why should the fishing industry be turned away?”
There was audible moaning in the audience when Michalson stated that it was always meant to be permanent down the road. Bill Perrin recalled the site visit and the controversy at the time and said that it was definitely agreed that it would be temporary. He said it was a concession at the time to even get the temporary site in, he said.
Michalson’s motion to order the mayor to open the fishing access site was defeated unanimously. Even he could not support it in the end.