Council votes to form vacant property committee

The Havre City Council voted Monday to back Council President Andrew Brekke’s recommendation that Mayor Tim Solomon appoint an ad hoc committee to look at what can be done to address the issue of vacant properties within the city.

The recommendation came after a meeting of the Council’s Ordinance Committee last Tuesday to discuss a proposal by Havre homeowner Samantha Clawson, the wife of council member Caleb Hutchins, to create a vacant property registration ordinance, or VPRO.

A VPRO would require owners of vacant properties to register with the city. The registry would consist of the contac...