Valley residents got a chance to preview some Christmas ornaments produced locally, but according to national standards, that may be placed upon “the People’s Tree” that will grace the lawn in front of the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. this winter. The tree, which was provided by the Bitterroot National Forest this year, will begin its long and circuitous journey to the Capitol from right here in Stevensville on November 4. A parade and other festivities are planned.

Since 1964, when the tradition of having a 60- to 70-foot-tall tree on the Capitol lawn first started, Montana has been asked once before to provide the big tree. In 1986 the Kootenai National Forest was asked to participate, but this year the honor goes to our very own Bitterroot National Forest.

Besides the big tree for the Capitol lawn, the state of Montana will also provide an additional 60 to 70 smaller trees, ranging in size from 25 to 6 feet, for a variety of government offices throughout Washington, D.C. These trees will be provided by forests throughout the state. Ornaments for the tree are also being provided by citizens throughout the state. The government has solicited close to 5,000 handmade ornaments for the Capitol tree. They must hold up to wintry conditions and be visible from a distance of 70 feet. Workshops have been formed throughout the state to provide the ornaments. School children, 4-H clubs, scout troops and other organizations often join the workshops.

Here in Stevensville, where the road to the national Capitol begins, the North Valley Public Library sponsored the Stevensville Ornament Workshop. It is comprised of members of the library Friends group, St. Mary’s Historic Mission volunteers, members of the Stevensville Art and Sculpture Society (SASS), and other community members.

“We have been hard at work designing, making, painting, glittering and spraying ornaments to specific measurements and in keeping with the official theme ‘Sharing Montana’s Treasures’,” said Beverley Helrich, co-sponsor of the workshop along with Cathy Atkinson. She said that some of the Montana participants were from as far away as Miles City. Out-of-state visitors were also allowed to participate and some did from five different states, including Alaska.

The plywood bases for the ornaments were crafted and provided by Arlo and Betty Mayes, and Georgia Hall. Nine-year-old Hunter DeBrito and her eight-year-old sister Hudsyn, won blue ribbons at the fair for the ornaments they produced in the workshop. Hunter painted a Fireweed on her ornament and Hudsyn a Bald Eagle.

Nola Edgar is also donating some of her wheat ornaments to be used on inside trees. The ornaments are constructed of natural wheat, some from the farm where she grew up in Ohio, some from the Bitterroot Valley where she currently resides. Edgar has been making ornaments out of wheat for 25 years and more than 150 of her wheat ornaments are in the archives of the Smithsonian Institution.

Council to pick new mayor from its own ranks

By Michael Howell

Council President Jerry Steele served as acting Mayor at the September 2, Hamilton City Council meeting, in the absence of Mayor Jessica Randazzo whose resignation took effect that same day, according to City Attorney Ken Bell.

Bell also issued a memorandum on September 2, clarifying Steele’s “status” in that role. According to Bell, Steele will remain a City Councilor and remain the President of the Council, even though he will also be officiating as acting Mayor.

“He will preside over Council Meetings, and he will vote as a Councilperson, but he will NOT break ties (in other words, he may only vote once),” wrote Bell.

The Council must fill the vacancy by appointing a mayor within 30 days. Bell interprets that to mean 30 days after September 2, 2008.

“The first day of the 30-day period is September 3rd, and the last day is October 2nd,” he wrote. The Council, he says, can appoint a mayor at anytime during those 30 days.

At the meeting of September 2, Councilor Joe Petrusaitis made a motion to appoint Councilor Steele as mayor. But the question was raised about the lack of an agenda item to that effect. Nonetheless Petrusaitis tried repeatedly to formulate a motion to the effect that Steele would be appointed mayor.

Finally, a motion was made to adopt a process by which the mayor would be appointed. They had been instructed by Bell that a new mayor could be selected from among the council or from among the public at large at the Council’s discretion.

A motion was made to select a mayor from within the council and not advertise the position to the public at large. The motion passed unanimously. Appointment of a new mayor has been set as an agenda item for the September 16 meeting, according to City Clerk Rose Allen.

A final issue addressed by City Attorney Ken Bell in his memorandum had to do with the effect of an abstention on council voting.

“My easy answer has been that the Council has always treated an abstention as a ‘No’ vote, a vote against the motion on the table. Robert’s Rules states that a ‘majority vote’ means more than half of the votes cast by persons present and legally entitled to vote, excluding abstentions, at a regularly-called meeting with a quorum present. In other words, with 6 Councilors present and one Councilor abstaining, a 3 to 2 vote in favor would carry a motion.

“HOWEVER, Roberts Rules allows for a different meaning to be assigned to ‘majority vote’ by the Council through the Council’s rules. The pertinent part…says, ‘The affirmative vote of a majority of the members present at a lawful meeting of the council will be necessary to adopt or reject any motion…’ In other words, with 6 Councilors present, a vote of 4 Councilors is required to pass a motion. If one councilor abstains, a 3 to 2 vote in favor will NOT carry a motion,” wrote Bell.

Hamilton Downtown Business Improvement District approved

By Michael Howell

The Hamilton City Council voted to approve the establishment of the Hamilton Downtown Business Improvement District at its last meeting on September 2. At a previous meeting on August 26, a motion to approve the BID failed on a 2 to 2 tie vote. That vote, however, suffered from what is being called a procedural error, leading two councilors to ask for a reconsideration of the issue.

At the August meeting a public hearing was held to pass upon protests to the establishment of the district. Five property owners protested the District, including Neil Miller, Tom and Mary Lund, Stephen and Linda Annin, Mick Iten, and Tom Stanford. Public comment was heard from supporters as well as protestors to establishment of a District. Following the public hearing a motion was made to approve the District. Councilors Al Mitchell and Joe Petrusaitis voted in favor of the District. Councilors Jerry Steele and Mike LaSalle voted against it. Councilor Hendrickson abstained.

The procedural error that was made, according to City Attorney Ken Bell, was that the Council should have considered the protests and decided upon their sufficiency before having a vote to establish the District. State law reads that if less than 50 percent of the property owners in the proposed district protest it, that is insufficient to stop the petition from being approved. Fifty percent or more would have to protest the petition in order to invalidate it. He said that the council should have made that determination, but didn’t.

As a result many supporters of the District showed up at the September 2 meeting to argue that the council had no recourse, under the law, but to approve the petition since it carried the names of 67 percent of the property owners in the district and a sufficient number of protests was not received.

Many speakers reminded the Council that the law states that if a petition is presented with over 60 percent of the property owners signing on, then the governing body “shall” approve the district.

“It doesn’t put in ‘maybe.’ It doesn’t put in ‘might.’ It doesn’t put in anything but ‘shall’,” said past president of the HDBID, Wayne Hedman. He said that the law does not give the Council any choice in the matter.

Mark Brintnal, of Bitterroot Furniture, said “To vote against this referendum is to ignore the wishes of the majority of property owners, and the welfare of the community, as well as going against the laws of the state.”

Attorney Gail Goheen backed up the business owners in their interpretation of the law.

In a written memo to the Council, City Attorney Ken Bell states that, “Ms. Goheen is not ‘wrong’.” But he goes on to offer another interpretation, “that authority may be found in (the law) for the governing body, the council, to have the last say, to hear protests in a public hearing and decide that it does not wish to create the district - it does not wish to ‘pass’ a resolution creating the district in accordance with the resolution of intent previously passed.”

“Without any authoritative interpretation to guide us, it may well happen that Ms. Goheen’s interpretation would be found to be the correct interpretation in a legal contest- and the suggestion of such a contest has already been heard. It has been my opinion only that where community members are to be taxed and the entity in question is a creation of City government, the Council should have the last say, after a public hearing, as to the creation of such entity,” concluded Bell.

The Council did in fact have the last say and approved the District.

After some discussion, Councilor Mitchell finally moved that the Council approve the protests, although he had argued against it, since they constituted less than 50 percent of the property owners in the district. The motion was voted down unanimously. Following rejection of the protests, Mitchell moved to approve the district and reminded the Council that with 67 percent of the property owners signing on the law said that the Council “shall” approve the district. The Council then did so unanimously.

The District will have about a $35,000 budget for the coming year. Those funds will be collected through taxing those property owners within the District. Later in the meeting the council also appointed five Board members to oversee the District. They include Bunny Robbins, Russ Lawrence, Kathy Evans, Sandra Brown and Allen Foley.

Milless named Realtor of Year

By Chance Edman for the Bitterroot Star

Somewhere on the road between Great Falls and Three Forks, Larry Milless decided it was time for a change.

He called his wife Vinda from behind the wheel of his semi truck.

“I’m coming home,” he told her.

“For how long?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Milless replied, a smile crossing his face. “But find a place to take real estate and property management tests and whatever I pass, that’s what I’ll do.”

Milless came home to the Bitterroot Valley and passed both tests. Now, 10 years later, his hard work in the real estate industry has earned him the 2008 Realtor of the Year award for the Bitterroot Valley.

“It feels good to have a group of my peers recognize all the work I do behind the scenes,” Milless said.

He was nominated for the award by an anonymous person in the real estate industry and received the award over seven other nominees this June. Winners are determined by their participation in state, local and national Realtor groups like the Bitterroot Valley Board of Realtors, which functions as a policing force in the industry.

Milless is currently the president of the board.

Civic involvement is another consideration for the award and that’s where Milless prides himself.

A self-titled behind-the-scenes kind of guy, Milless is involved in bluegrass festivals, Creamery Picnic and the Senior Pro Rodeo and generally loves serving his community.

Last Friday, Milless smiled and laughed with friends outside his downtown Stevensville office as he and his family handed out more than 150 hot dogs for First Friday.

“I really believe in giving back to the industry and the community I work in,” he said.

Realtor of the Year is the first award Milless has received for his efforts. But this week, he is eligible for another.

The Montana State Realtor of the Year will be named this week in Helena. If he is chosen, Milless could be named the U.S. Realtor of the Year.

“There’s nothing more than a nice plaque and being Realtor of the year at any level,” Milless said. The awards come with pride and honor, but no prize money. Milless must drive himself to Helena for the awards ceremony this week, but couldn’t be happier about the opportunity.

Plus, Milless already has strong ties to Helena.

In January of 2008, he was appointed to the Montana State Board of Realty Regulation by Gov. Brian Schweitzer. It’s a task he takes very seriously.

“What it means to me is I help give back to my profession and help protect the public,” he said.

The board sets statewide rules for Realtors to protect them and their customers from fraud and scandal. For Realtors who violate those rules, the board serves as judge and jury by imposing fines or other penalties.

Since the beginning of his career in 1998, Milless has been thrust to the forefront of the real estate industry.

Shopping in the grocery store one day, he ran into his friend Teri Polumsky.

The two chatted for a while about real estate before Milless said he’d serve on the Bitterroot Valley Board of Realtors if he was needed, never thinking Polumsky would follow through.

She did.

Milless joined the board and continued to grow his family-based business in Stevensville with his wife Vinda.

The two will celebrate their 39th anniversary later this year. He married Vinda after winning a $5 bet with a buddy that he could get a date with her back in Ohio. Four children later, Milless still hasn’t collected his winnings.

Starting with Milless’ abrupt career change in ’98, Vinda’s support has helped him to this point in his career and he credits her for his recent award.

Looking ahead, Milless says he can’t think past this week with the state Realtor award on the line.

But it takes only a handshake to realize that Milless usually lives in the moment. It’s part of his philosophy on life. His greatest joys come from helping his clients find what they’re looking for, whether it’s a friendly greeting or the home of their dreams.

One mystery Milless can’t explain is how his clients seem to disappear.

They start as clients, but somewhere between Milless’ grin and jovial nature, they turn into friends. And for Milless, that’s worth more than any award he could achieve.

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