City Council approves new officer, gives ambulance to Rudyard ambulance service

Havre City Council passed the confirmation of Marc Oberweiser as a patrol officer for the Havre Police Department Monday at the council’s monthly meeting.

Havre Police Chief Gabe Matosich said Oberweiser will be completing his one-year probationary period Tuesday, Dec. 31, and has met all of the necessary requirements for the position of a full-time police officer.

“Marc has been doing an exceptional job and has proven to be a very solid and dedicated officer,” Matosich said. “I believe he will be a great asset and addition to the Havre PD.”

Oberweiser said in an interview that he is excited to be a full-time police officer and that the other officers in the department have been a great help and encouraging during his probation.

“It’s exciting, I really don’t have the words for it,” he said. “… It’s a dream. …“Starting from the bottom like this, there is only one way to go but up.”

Oberweiser said his father, Tom, started his career at the Havre Police Department.

“Following in his footsteps, it makes me feel like I’m doing him proud,” Marc Oberweiser said.

His father started his career in Havre before he transferred to Billings, where Marc Oberweiser grew up, Oberweiser said. He added that when he saw a position in Havre was open he jumped at the opportunity to start his career where his father started his career.

“It’s a wonderful town, I really love it here,” he added.

The council also approved a resolution donating the 2002 Medtech Ambulance, which was taken out of service after the Havre Fire Department received it’s new ambulance, to the Hill County-Rudyard Ambulance Service for the purpose of serving Rudyard and Hi-Line communities.

At the end of the meeting Solomon said he also wanted to thank council member Erik Meis for his time on the City Council.

Meis lost his bid for re-election in November to Derek Eldridge and Monday was his last council meeting as a member.

“Thank you for your service,” Solomon said.

Meis said he has enjoyed his time on the council and learned a lot, as well as gained a greater appreciation for how the city works and the challenges the city faces with the limited funds the city has available.

“I enjoyed the past year,” he said.

“We are the community,” Meis added. “… I’ll be here a long time.”

The council also approved a resolution to adopt the recent changes to international building codes.

The Havre City Council Ordinance Committee met directly after the Havre City Council meeting Monday and approved changing the ordinance pertaining to the hiring of police officers.

The change in the ordinance is similar to the change in the ordinance for the Havre Fire Department, removing the age restriction for applicants. The change was also rewritten to include a requirement for officers to registered city voters, which requires officers to live within city limits, unless permitted by the city. This addition is to allow officers to quickly respond in case of emergencies if needed.