The troublesome annexation problem which started several years ago came to an end at Monday night’s Havre City Council meeting, after a few minutes of discussion and a unanimous vote.
The vote brought a legal settlement to the lawsuit filed by several landowners west of Havre in 2010 against the city to stop the annexation process.
The properties in question, if annexed, would have extended the city of Havre’s border from the bottom of the hill near the water plant and Ezzie’s Wholesale, where the limit is now, out over the hill near Walmart.
The settlement halts those proceedings and splits $14,000 from the city’s insurance company for legal costs and expenses among the parties in the lawsuit, freeing the city to begin again. The property owners promised in the settlement to not object when the city begins the annexation process again, if the city follows the necessary procedure.
The city now has to use the “provision of services” method of annexation, which allows a city to take in a property that already uses city services, like water and sewer lines.
Council member Gerry Veis questioned the $14,000 amount and explained that he would vote for the settlement, despite reservations. He objects to how insurance companies tend to keep cases out of the courts, that are supposed to make decisions, to try and save money.
Council member Allen “Woody” Woodwick, who has been a part of the now-ended annexation, said those savings would be good.
“I believe it would be cheaper for everyone if we just start over, ” Woodwick said. “It could have been two or three more years of legal costs. ”
Debbie Vandeberg, executive director of the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce, was the only person to speak against the settlement, explaining how the decision may save legal costs but would cost nearly $30,000 in tourism marketing and development dollars.
She explained how Havre launched a Convention and Visitor Bureau to encourage tourism in February 2010 that would be hamstrung by the settlement. A grant to fund the CVB requires that 22.5 percent of the proceeds of a bed-tax collected within city limits be more than $35,000 before the city gets additional money, according to Vandeberg.
“This will have a huge impact to encourage people to eat, see and do, ” Vandeberg said.
Though this settlement would cause the city to lose about $29,000, she said, which would have paid for programs planned for the next year that would “have to stop tonight. ”
Council Member Andrew Brekke said that wouldn’t be a problem for too long.
“There are issues... but I believe this is the right decision, and it gives us a way forward, ” Brekke said. “And when we do move forward, that money will come back.
“I think it could be within a year. ”
Council member Robert Kaftan said that it was good to end the controversy that has plagued the issue for the past few years and that the city has learned from it.
“It doesn’t mean someone else won’t take us to court, ” Veis said.
I suppose some of this would matter if there was a place to eat that actually would NOT end in intestinal distress, or being closed for health violations.
Or hotels that don't have brown towels from the filthy "water" that Woody thought was so cute as to make his precious comment about.
And if there were actually anything to DO in this town besides observe folks like "oldtimehavreite" here, that apparently have NOTHING better to do than be a thorn in the side of EVERYTHING. And apparently everyone, endlessly vomiting nothing but vitriol and general meanness. To EVERYTHING. And EVERYONE. CONSTANTLY. Good Lord, woman...get a life. Or a man. Or both.
Let's just be honest here. It's not as though Havre is booming economically or anything. The railroad, Wal Mart and a few other businesses susstain the cash flow here. Nothing has changed in a LONG time. With people like "oldtimehavreite" here running the show - it never will.
Oldtimehavreite, I've read your posts for a while now and I see you constantly attacking people and casting aspersions around as if you are somehow justified. But you aren't. You are not more than a common troll who has NO interest in seeing anything good come for or to this community. Which is precisely why it's circling the drain. Not to mention that you are simply sour and mean to your core. You need some LONG overdue THERAPY.
Think me wrong? Cite EXAMPLES that prove me wrong instead of your TYPICAL hate-laden venom speech. I BET you can't and I KNOW you won't. You'll just loose your forked tongue with more attacks and trash talk. Thus is the limit of your education. Sad, but true.
Start me up and we'll talk about the latet "extra-curricular activities" at the middle school. And why you might reconsider use of public toilets in the area. What IS a "rainbow party", anyway? That's just ONE of the wonderous things your children are doing under the (sarc) "watchful eye" of the public education system.
The other is frankly too grotesque to outline in civilized converstation. It involves a disease that never goes away and is at this time virtually untreatable. But it's also how your town's girls think they are dodging "losing their virtue". For HEALTH REASONS, you might want to look into this little gem of an issue. Alas I admit I could be wrong, but my sources are pretty danged reliable - and have YET to be proven wrong. NO ONE has DENIED this issue yet. Simply redirected the inquiries. Hmmmmm....
This town needs to understand that people are NOT blind to corruption and the "good old boy" way things have always been done. People talk. And they LISTEN. Maybe it's time to change the way things are done and those that are doing them. Obviously the leadership in this area has been measured and found wanting.
My time here is *this* close to being done. For that, I am thankful. For those that remain here - I weep for your futures should things here "just stay the way they've been."
Because that's worked out so well before.