News you can use
Monday the Havre City Council appointed local business owner, Erik Meis, to the council and approved an insurance company selling warranties for water lines between publicly owned mainlines and residential private property water lines.
Meis was appointed to the Ward 4 seat previously held by Andrew Brekke, who resigned from his position last month when he moved out of Ward 4.
"I'd like to give back to the community," Meis said in an interview.
Meis, who was the only person who applied for the seat, told the council he is putting in for this position as a concerned local business owner who wants to take an active part in local government.
"Business owners always say they don't have enough time," Meis said, "and I'm willing to make the time."
When council member Caleb Hutchins asked Meis what his philosophy of local government was, Meis said, "I don't have an agenda."
Meis added that he wants to represent the people in his ward as well as local businesses.
"Because I'm new to this, it's going to be a listen-and-earn, for me, and that's the best I can do at this point," he said.
Meis said that, in the past, business owners had a different perspective of how local governments should be run, although they haven't "walked in the shoes" of City Council. He said he feels like he has a lot to learn from the other members on the council.
Council member Denise Brewer asked Meis what his perspective is, as a business owner, on the idea of having private businesses maintaining their properties, such as snow removal and sidewalk repair.
"I can only speak for myself," Meis said, adding that he maintains his property, as well as walking around town picking up litter.
He said he would like to see every business have a "nice looking" trash can in front of their businesses to help with a growing litter problem in Havre.
"It's up to the individual business owner how he wants to present himself," Meis said. "If he wants to have a sloppy place, that's his business. If it starts going against city code then something needs to be done. But to come in and say we want you to do this and this, there has to be some negotiation on that."
Meis said the biggest challenges in the Havre community are the streets, the sidewalks and the bridges. The funding is complicated but it is still good for the community because that is what people see when they come into town, he said.
"I think the solutions are always unpopular," Meis added.
The council also passed a utility-service warranty for the connection from residences to public mainlines.
The resolution said the program offers residents of Havre an affordable way to avoid the unexpected and often large expense involved with a break or other damage in the water line laterals between the publicly owned mainline and the connection to residential private property.
Mayor Tim Solomon said this is in relationship to the National League of Cities Service Line Warranty Program. The warranty program is administered by Utility Service Partners Private Label Inc.
He added that it is a monthly service insurance.
"It's actually great for some of the ideas that we've actually talked about here at the city to help out some of the homeowners, 'cause the city don't have the funds, but this is a way that people can pay, spread out their monthly fee," Solomon said. "... It is going to benefit the citizens."
He said the program is new and has just became available to Havre. Solomon added that the cost of the waterline service is $6.75 a month and the interior plumbing is $9.99 a month. He said he doesn't know the exact detail of the coverage so the company will have to explain it to each customer.
Solomon said the monthly city licensing fee of $0.50 charged to property owners should be amended so it is removed for the individuals who purchase the insurance, which the council approved.
Solomon said the policies available are not mandated by the city or a government entity but are endorsed by the city of Havre.
He added that this would be at no cost to the city.
Solomon said the company will be in Havre in the next couple of months.
The council took no action on the resignation of City Judge Virginia Seigel, which, along with a recommendation of City Court Clerk Tyson Bliwernitz for her replacement, she submitted during the public comment section of the council's Nov. 19 meeting.
Because consideration of her resignation and replacement were not on the agenda for that meeting, the council was not able to take action.
Solomon said this morning that Seigel's resignation will be on the agenda for the next City Council meeting.
Solomon added that Seigel's resignation will not be in effect until January and the council will approach the issue at the appropriate time.
Reader Comments(0)