Lorett, McKinney and Pester face off in Ward 4

Lorraine M. Pester has lived in Havre since 1984, she said, and is running for Havre City Council as a way to contribute her viewpoint to the discussion about the issues facing the city.

"I've been through a lot of stuff, seen a lot of things and I thought maybe I could make a difference if I got on there and tried to help out," she said.

Pester will face Will Lorett and Sarah McKinney in the race for the Ward 4 seat now held by Matthew Boucher. Boucher did not file for re-election.

Ballots in Havre will be mailed out to voters Friday.

A mill levy proposal to fund repairs to city streets will be on the ballot and is something Pester said she thinks needs to be passed.

"There are a lot of bad streets in this town," she said.

The proposed mill levy would generate an estimated $15 million over 20 years or $750,000 annually to fund the repair of city streets.

If approved by voters, the levied increase would cost owners of property with a taxable value of $100,000 an additional $89.50 a year, and properties valued at $200,000 an additional $179.

Pester said though the city has patched some of the pot holes that riddle many streets, there are still many that need to be improved.

Whether to regulate or ban medical marijuana storefront dispensaries has been a subject many Montana cities have dealt with. In Havre, the council's ordinance committee has discussed whether storefront dispensaries should be banned or regulated.

Pester said she does not want storefront dispensaries in the city, but if they are present they should be regulated and shouldn't be able to advertise.

A Vacant Property Registration Ordinance, or VPRO, is something Pester said she supports.

There needs to be something in place, Pester said, where the owners of vacant properties let the city know what they are doing with vacant properties that need to be worked on. The buildings, she said, could help alleviate the shortage of available housing in Havre.

"Havre needs a lot more places for people to reside, and (the buildings) are just sitting vacant," she said.

Vacant parcels of land, however, are something she said she doesn't think needs to be further regulated.

Earlier this year, at the request of Council President Andrew Brekke, Mayor Tim Solomon established a five-member committee to look at how the city can address the problem.

The issue was raised by Samantha Clawson, a Havre homeowner and Montana State University-Northern grant writer and now member of the committee, who asked the city to look into creating a VPRO to discourage derelict properties.

Cities and counties are grappling with how best to meet expenses with existing revenue. If Havre was in such a situation, Pester said, she would be against cutting services. If more revenue was needed, though, she would be for raising taxes "a little, but not a lot."

Pester said other issues that need to be talked about are the shortage of affordable housing, combating drugs, encouraging more businesses and more safe places for children to recreate.