by John Dowd
Questions about the mayor’s authority over town employees, plans for a new downtown Halloween event and the proposed purchase of a used police vehicle were among the issues discussed during a recent Stevensville Town Council meeting.
Former Stevensville Mayor Bob Michalson raised concerns during the public comment period about Mayor Jim Crews’ decision to temporarily reassign the town’s parks manager.
According to Michalson, the reassignment should have gone before the Town Council. “He overreached his authority,” Michalson said.
Michalson cited Stevensville Town Code Article 3 section 2-57, which states, under “Prescribing duties and compensation of municipal officers,” that “The council has power to fix compensation, and to prescribe the duties of all officers and employees of the town, subject to the limitations mentioned in MCA title 7.” That provision addresses the council’s powers but does not specifically define the mayor’s authority to make temporary personnel assignments.
Michalson also accused the council of not doing their due diligence to stop the mayor from doing this.
In an interview after the council meeting, Crews said he believes his actions were within the law. It should also be stated that the Stevensville Town Code is mostly silent on this matter. Crews cited the Stevensville Town Personnel Policy Manual, specifically, Section 9, Authority for Personnel Action, quoting “ The mayor and/or their designee will execute personnel actions at their discretion.” Interestingly, that refers only to “Personnel Action,” as in cases of relieving employees of duty.
However, in Montana State Law, which neither cited, because the town falls under the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) 7-4-4303, defining the powers of the mayor related to municipal officers, personnel and citizens, it clearly states that the mayor can “supervise the discharge of official duty by all subordinate officers.” Under the clause, the mayor can do this unilaterally and does not need the approval of the council for temporary assignments.
In other words, Montana law provides that a mayor has the power to supervise the discharge of official duties by subordinate officers. The law also addresses the council’s role in the appointment, suspension and removal of certain municipal officers.
Crews said the parks manager’s reassignment was not intended to be permanent. He described it as a temporary assignment to the mayor’s office that would allow him to learn more about the town’s parks operations and identify potential concerns.
Crews said he discussed the idea with former Public Works Director Stephen Lassiter. The assignment placed the parks manager more directly under the mayor rather than the public works director, Crews said.
Crews later reversed the assignment before that evening’s council meeting.
Another concern raised by Michalson involved the town’s purchase of a new vehicle for the Public Works Department.
It is public knowledge, from past council meetings and multiple witnesses, that the department’s existing vehicles were in poor condition. According to Crews, “I’ve spent a lot of time, as mayor, trying to improve these guys’ working conditions.” In a later interview, Crews pointed to other improvements made for Public Works employees, including the installation of eyewash stations and repairs to several sensors.
The council also discussed purchasing a used truck to replace the Stevensville police chief’s current vehicle. Police Chief John Boe said the existing truck has not been replaced in years and is in rough condition.
During this public comment, Michalson questioned the use of town funds for the purchase. He said the money had been set aside as a capital asset fund for water and sewer projects and should not be used for a police vehicle. “It wasn’t a slush fund for police vehicles,” Michalson said. “Our infrastructure is failing, folks.”
Town Finance Officer Robert Underwood said using the money for the vehicle would function essentially as an internal loan. According to him, the town’s major water and sewer projects, including improvements to the wastewater treatment plant, are multimillion-dollar projects that will require outside funding such as government grants. He said the capital fund would not be sufficient to complete those projects on its own.
Under the proposed arrangement, the police department would repay the money to the town with interest and “the interest goes to the water and sewer. It’s kind of a win-win,” Underwood said.
The police department has also been raising money for other equipment upgrades through fundraisers, including their annual chili cook-off event.
The council ultimately moved forward with the purchase of a 2020 Chevrolet with approximately 65,000 miles for $38,000.
The vehicle is being purchased from a business that refurbishes used emergency vehicles and prepares them for smaller departments. The truck already has several modifications required for police use, as well as additional non-required factory add-ons, which officials said would otherwise have cost the town thousands.
Council Member Wally Smith said the purchase represented significant value because of the equipment already installed on the vehicle. Smith said a similar vehicle without the police-specific upgrades could cost the town at least $45,000. “All in all, this is a very good deal,” Smith said.
The council also heard from Stevensville Civic Club President Eli Madero, who presented plans for a new community Trunk-or-Treat event.
Madero said the goal is to bring several Halloween events from throughout the area together at a central downtown location, rather than having individual events scattered among churches and other locations.
The event is intended to emphasize what Madero called a “community gathering.”
Madero said residents sometimes express a desire to bring the Creamery Picnic back into the center of town. While he understands that interest, he said moving the picnic downtown is not feasible because it is the town’s largest event and draws thousands of people.
The Civic Club’s proposed Trunk-or-Treat is intended, in part, to bring people downtown and near local businesses. “I wanna bring some life to Main Street,” Madero said.
He described Stevensville’s Main Street and downtown as beautiful but said the area is not being used to its full potential. “We want to utilize the amazing Main Street that the town has,” Madero said.
The proposed event would include one or two food trucks and portable toilets. Some streets will be closed during the event, with local law enforcement assisting with traffic and pedestrian safety. Council member Melissa Baby raised concerns about children crossing roads in certain areas, but the Civic Club’s plan seems sound.
After discussion, the Town Council approved the event.
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