Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
DELAY IN PLAY: During the August Town Council meeting it was disclosed that the future Whitehall playground, located in Legion Park, has hit a roadblock with unforeseen expenses. Clerk Kennedy Kleinsasser said that about $26,500 is needed to pay for concrete footings, installation, and several other items. If you are able to donate to the cause, please reach out to the Town Hall at 406-287-3972.
The August Whitehall Town Council meeting, held Monday, August 21, completed the process of establishing a legal Purchase Order (PO) Policy for the Whitehall Town Council. The Council, up until last month, believed their PO process was legal. However, after queries regarding the Mayor’s installation of a 4-way stop sign, the non-ratified PO process was discovered. Now the PO process that has been used for years is now legal and was signed into effect immediately as of the meeting.
In short, the process is as follows:
• Originator (as dictated in the list of qualified originators) completes a purchase order with item descriptions, prices, dates, and reasons for purchases.
• For all POs over a $100 threshold, a council majority must sign towards approval.
• Emergencies are where circumstances dictate the immediate purchase of an item or service, that will affect any operations or any users of the town utility services. In these cases, items may be purchased as the emergency dictates, but a PO must be submitted within 48 hours, and submitted as in the normal purchase cycle. It should be noted on the purchase order that the purchase was made under emergency circumstances.
In other news, Visionary Communications, out of Gillette, WY, presented its fiber-based internet option that they plan to bring to the Whitehall area in the Spring of 2024 after engineering is completed this winter. Visionary received an ARPA-based grant for broadband and plans to have the vast majority of the fiber installed overhead. Visionary added that they want to be good neighbors and working partners with the Town and the existing internet providers, and asked for rights of way agreements to utilize existing access points.
CONSENT AGENDA:
• Planning Board applications were approved for the following: Will Austin - container application, Bernice Nicholson - gazebo, carport, and variance request, Shawn McClure - gazebo and variance request, Rosalea Figgins - fence.
• A business license was approved for Continental Fence and Supply.
• $295,000 of ARPA Pot A funds were allocated to the Liberty Place annexation project.
• Jody Climer was approved as a volunteer for the fire department,
• Council voted to cancel the September 12, 2023 primary election.
The next Whitehall Town Council meeting will be held Monday, September 18, 2023, at 7 PM in the Town Hall Chambers.
Reader Comments(0)