Commission Minutes – May 13 – May 17, 2024
MONDAY, MAY 13, 2024
9:00 AM CONVENE
PRESENT: Steve Baldwin, Chairman; Kevin Braun and Roy Rost, Members; Megan Slagter, Recording Secretary
FALLON COUNTY COURTHOUSE
The Pledge of Allegiance was held in the Commissioner’s Office to start off the week.
9:00 AM AGENDA/NON-AGENDA ITEMS – PUBLIC COMMENT
No one appeared for Public Comment.
9:15 AM PERMISSION TO RECALL SEASONAL OUTSIDE MAINTENANCE CREW HAND/
Robbie Christiaens, Maintenance Supervisor; Julie Straub, HRM
Robbie was unable to attend the meeting. Julie stated that Robbie would like to recall Rory Lingle for his fourth season.
Commissioner Rost made the motion to recall Rory Lingle as a Seasonal Outside Maintenance Crew Hand. Chairman Baldwin stepped down to second the motion. Commissioner Baldwin asked for any further discussion; being none. 2 Ayes. 0 Nays. 1 Absent. (Commissioner Braun)
9:17 AM Chairman Baldwin ended the discussion.
9:30 AM DISCUSSION ON BOILER OPERATOR CERTIFICATION/ Derrick deHaan, Maintenance Assistant
Derrick was unable to attend the meeting.
9:43 AM DISCUSS OLD DOCUMENTS REGARDING ROAD EASEMENT ON SECTION 15-9-60/ Chad Follmer, Landowner; Bobby Wiedmer, Road Superintendent
Chad is looking for clarification on who should be maintaining the easement on section 15-9-60. Commissioner Braun asked what Chad would prefer. Chad stated he would like the County to blade and mow the easement if there is indeed an easement. Discussed previous owner not wanting the county to maintain the easement which led to the road department never going back. Discussed maintenance that needs to be done to the road. If there is documentation that the road has been abandoned, then Chad is okay with how things are but if the current easement is still valid, he would like the County to maintain the road going forward.
9:52 AM Chairman Baldwin ended the discussion.
9:56 AM ROAD/SHOP UPDATES/ Bobby Wiedmer, Road Superintendent; Mitch Overn/Carl Overland, Shop Mechanics
The Road Department moved the new tractor out to the cemetery; the road crew will do maintenance for the tractor going forward. Carl is still waiting for the ambulance intake manifold. The road crew was able to blade some roads west. Discussed options for gravel road mixtures to help the roads last. Bobby will get a quote for the mixture.
10:09 AM Chairman Baldwin ended the discussion.
11:00 AM Jeff Frank, Manager of Landfill Operations joined the meeting.
11:00 AM DISCUSSION ON EXXONMOBIL PERFORMING AN AUDIT ON THE LANDFILL – CONFERENCE CALL/ Cory Cook, SC&A Senior Field Scientist
ExxonMobil would like to perform a waste facility assessment on Coral Creek Landfill. Commissioner Braun stated that the landfill is government county owned and regulated by the State of Montana. Discussed items ExxonMobil would like to review to maintain their approved waste list. Commissioner Braun asked if the county landfill is approved by ExxonMobil, would the county be able to increase charges or does ExxonMobil indemnify the landfill. Cory will send over contact information to the Commission to ask any further questions. Permission to proceed as needed. Cory’s on-site visit will be around June 13th or 14th and will need three weeks to gather information.
11:10 AM Chairman Baldwin ended the discussion.
11:45 AM DISCUSS FAIRGROUNDS GRANDSTAND SPRINKLER SYSTEM/ Debbie Wyrick, Deputy Clerk & Recorder; Jade Boggs, Insurance Store
Jade spoke with Travelers Insurance and they are in agreement with blowing the line to the grandstand sprinkler system in order to mitigate the loss. Jade believes there will be future discussion on it with different team members; he will request it be noted in the underwriting file that the insurance company agrees that the grandstands do not need a sprinkler system. Commissioner Braun stated that the State Fire Marshell could verify that the fairgrounds can remove sprinkler system or have a viable option to replace it. Jade stated the State Fire Marchall would not be involved in claim issue. Discussed options for a fire suppression system. Commissioner Braun will ask the Fire Marshall why the wet system was required by the Travelers Insurance.
11:58 AM Chairman Baldwin ended the discussion.
12:05 PM Commissioner Braun made the motion to recess. Commissioner Rost seconded the motion. Commissioner Baldwin asked for any further discussion; being none. 3 Ayes. 0 Nays. The motion carried unanimously.
NOON RECESS
1:15 PM RECONVENED
PRESENT: Steve Baldwin, Chairman; Kevin Braun and Roy Rost, Members; Megan Slagter, Recording Secretary
FALLON COUNTY COURTHOUSE
1:15 PM AGENDA/NON-AGENDA ITEMS – PUBLIC COMMENT
No one appeared for Public Comment.
1:30 PM COUNTY ATTORNEY WORK SESSION/ Darcy Wassmann
1. Resolution/Contract for the Indigent Burial Policy.
No discussion at this time.
2. Burial Application form.
Darcy presented the new burial application.
3. Baker Senior Center transfer of ownership/lease.
Discussed process to transfer ownership; Darcy will write up a deed and a lease. Will add that offices and the Community Cupboard are not included in the lease. Discussed duration of the lease and notification.
4. Vacating plats from County COS.
Darcy will research more on the procedure to vacate plats.
1:50 PM Cindy Irgens, Recording Clerk joined the meeting.
Discussed KLJ creating an affidavit for the COS. Discussed public comment period if a resolution is needed to vacate the plats.
5. Agricultural easement for Randy Tunby.
No discussion at this time.
6. Resolution for Fair Board reimbursement.
No discussion at this time.
7. Updated Baker Chamber MOA.
No discussion at this time.
8. Review Parkview & Public Health cleaning agreement.
The cleaning bid has been published in Fallon County Times, will wait for submissions to review agreement.
1:59 PM Chairman Baldwin ended the discussion.
2:00 PM WEED DEPARTMENT UPDATES/ Sara Berger, Weed Control Coordinator
Discussed prepping an automatic pickup for spraying roads; reported on locations to begin spraying at. New hires will be starting orientation and training soon. 6th Grade Education Day is Wednesday the 15th with Extension, NRCS and the Conservation Districts. Drone demonstration is Thursday the 23rd.
2:08 PM Chairman Baldwin ended the discussion.
2:17 PM SALARY COMMISSION MEETING – DISCUSSION/DECISION ON FY25 SALARY/ Brenda J. Wood, Clerk & Recorder; Debbie Wyrick, Deputy Clerk & Recorder; Barbara Ketterling, Treasurer; Jerrie Newell, Clerk of Court; Julie Straub, HRM; Christa Alford, Payroll Clerk; Trenton Harbaugh, Sheriff; Darcy Wassmann, County Attorney; Kyle Medearis, Public Member
Jerrie was unable to attend the meeting. Kyle joined the meeting via telephone. Kyle asked for clarification on where the County stands financially. Discussed applying COLA to elected official’s salary. Kyle stated giving elected officials a fair COLA would be better than losing your employee, then hiring someone on for a higher salary. Barb explained that inflation is affecting businesses and having COLA would help keep the money in the community. Trenton stated that 3% is a compromise; discussed budgeting and difficulty hiring new employees. Commissioner Braun updated Kyle on the new base salaries and longevity that were implemented. Discussed what percentage of COLA would be a fair amount to give to elected officials.
Barb made the motion to set the elected officials COLA at 3%. Kyle seconded the motion. Commissioner Baldwin asked for any further discussion; Trenton stated that it is 1.1% lower than suggested. Darcy asked if the workforce years of service is over 10 years; 10 years is average. 5 Ayes. 2 Nays. Motion does not pass due to lack of Commission vote.
Trenton stated that he would not want to go below 2%.
Barb made the motion to set the elected officials COLA at 2.75%. Kyle seconded the motion. Commissioner Baldwin asked for any further discussion; being none. 5 Ayes. 2 Nays. Motion does not pass due to lack of Commission vote.
Darcy would like to do the full COLA, to prevent employees from going backwards and to avoid falling behind again. Commissioner Rost stated the COLA is the reason why we had to raise some base pays. Discussed where Fallon County stands compared to other counties.
3:00 PM Chairman Baldwin recessed the meeting for thirty minutes.
3:38 PM Julie Post, Deputy Treasurer joined the meeting.
Chairman Baldwin stepped down to make the motion to set the elected officials COLA at 2.75%. Barb seconded the motion. Commissioner Baldwin asked for any further discussion; being none. 7 Ayes. 0 Nays. The motion carried unanimously.
3:48 PM Chairman Baldwin ended the discussion.
3:49 PM COMMISSION WORK SESSION
1. Executive/Action Items:
a. Approve Shoreline Construction Permit for Randy & Jodie Hoenke.
Commissioner Braun made the motion to approve the shoreline construction permit. Commissioner Rost seconded the motion. Commissioner Baldwin asked for any further discussion; being none. 3 Ayes. 0 Nays. The motion carried unanimously.
b. Discussion/Decision on contribution to City of Baker’s mosquito control costs for supplies.
Commissioner Rost made the motion accept 50% of the mosquito control costs. Commissioner Braun seconded the motion. Commissioner Baldwin asked for any further discussion; being none. 3 Ayes. 0 Nays. The motion carried unanimously.
2. Old Business as needed
3. Approve Fair Contracts (as needed)
4. Appointments/Resignations to various boards (as needed)
5. Review & Approve Approach/Encroachment Permits
The Commission approved an encroachment permit on Coral Creek Road for Denbury.
6. Review Board Minutes/Agendas (Boards other than Commission)
7. Review Department/office reports/sign journal vouchers (as needed)
8. E-mails/Correspondence
3:50 PM Commissioner Rost made the motion to recess. Commissioner Braun seconded the motion. Commissioner Baldwin asked for any further discussion; being none. 3 Ayes. 0 Nays. The motion carried unanimously.
RECESS
TUESDAY, MAY 14, 2024
3:45 PM CONVENE
PRESENT: Steve Baldwin, Chairman; Kevin Braun and Roy Rost, Members; Megan Slagter, Recording Secretary
FALLON COUNTY COURTHOUSE
3:59 PM Julie Straub, HRM and Trenton Harbaugh, Sheriff joined the meeting.
4:00 PM INTRODUCTIONS & DISCUSSION ON PLEVNA SCHOOL INCIDENT/ Amanda Frickel, DES & 911 Coordinator; Baker Fire Department; Plevna Fire Department
Randy Hoenke, Fire Warden; Tom Bruha, Fire Chief; Bryce Kramlick, Assistant Fire Chief attended the meeting
Commissioner Baldwin wanted to clarify that this discussion will not involve the investigation. Commissioner Braun stated that it was under our assumption that when Amanda was hired, that she was going to meet everyone but that hasn’t happened. Going forward, the Commission wants proper communications to happen for an incident. Tom stated that he believes that Fallon County resources should be utilized first; Custer County Fire Chief contacted Tom regarding the chemical spill. Commissioner Baldwin apologized to Amanda for not introducing her to everyone she would be working closely with. Amanda stated that she called Cory from Custer County as an emergency manager. Commissioner Rost agrees with Commissioner Baldwin regarding the introductions and added that as a debrief this will help evaluate the situation. Commissioner Braun encourages everyone not to wait for the next incident to build a relationship. Julie asked if the Fire Department normally attends the LPC meetings; EOP could be updated and amended to help with communication. Discussed setting up an AAR meeting. Julie stated that she appreciates the urgency and thoroughness that Amanda demonstrated in trying to get resources there and get the children and teachers out during the Plevna incident.
4:15 PM Chairman Baldwin ended the discussion.
4:30 PM APPROVE MAY 6th – MAY 10th, 2024 COMMISSION MINUTES
Commissioner Braun made the motion to approve the May 6th – 10th Commission Minutes. Commissioner Rost seconded the motion. Commissioner Baldwin asked for any further discussion; being none. 3 Ayes. 0 Nays. The motion carried unanimously.
4:42 PM Commissioner Rost made the motion to adjourn after the tabletop exercise on Friday. Commissioner Braun seconded the motion. Commissioner Baldwin asked for any further discussion; being none. 3 Ayes. 0 Nays. The motion carried unanimously.
RECESS
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2024
ATTEND OPEN ENROLLMENT
8:30 AM BAKER LAKE & BERGSTROM HILL ROAD ON-SITE VISIT/ Shannon Hewson, Brosz Engineering; Jeremy Andersen, USACE Regulatory Project Manager; Sage Joyce, USACE Montana Project Manager
This meeting has been rescheduled by the Cory of Engineering.
FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2024
ATTEND RICHLAND COUNTY CRISIS INTERVENTION TABLETOP
EXERCISE & RESOURCE MAPPING – SIDNEY, MT
ADJOURN
s/ Steve Baldwin, Chairman
s/ Megan Slagter, Recording Secretary
ATTEST:
s/ Brenda J. Wood, Clerk and Recorder
