TOWN OF BROADUS
Regular Council Meeting
April 4, 2023 @ 6:00 pm
Present at the meeting were Mayor Chad Gatlin, Councilperson Lori Turnbough, Councilperson Wanda Smith, Councilperson Cody Morris, Councilperson Raevyn Slovek, Public Works Raymond Ragsdale, Public Works Cassidy Zimmer, Clerk Josie Morris, Guest Mary Alice Mangen.
Mayor Gatlin called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Mayor Gatlin asked if there were any questions or concerns on the previous minutes; no. Councilperson Turnbough made a motion to approve minutes; Councilperson Slovek seconded the motion.
Mayor Gatlin then addressed unfinished business regarding ARPA Funding and Range/ VantagePoint.
PB Ragsdale took the floor to inform the council that we have a conference call Wednesday, April 5th at 10:00 a.m. with Michelle McNamee to discuss the process of writing proposals, receiving and distributing funds, etc.
All projects completed with ARPA Funding require a separate proposal; all proposals are to be submitted by May 24, 2023.
With no questions from the council, PB Ragsdale then discussed his correspondence with Range/Vantage Point to get more details on the fiber optics project this year. Vantage Point Solutions Inc. is the company handling most of the tech on behalf of Range Telephone Cooperative, Inc. for this project and they were able to inform us that the fiber would be installed mostly with boring instead of trenching to avoid large scale surface disturbance.
They hope to start in July sometime and have given a 1 year warranty after installation where they will fix any surface disturbance issues that have not been settled due to moisture or other conditions.
With this information and approval from the council, Mayor Gatlin signed the application for occupancy on the right of way of city streets that was submitted to us by Vantage Point Solutions Inc. on behalf of Range.
Mayor Gatlin addressed new business with the council, starting with Mary Alice Mangen’s proposal for zone reclassification on block 8, lots 9 and 10 of the Trautman 2nd Addition subdivision that she owns.
According to the current zoning ordinance for the Town of Broadus, these lots are zoned as Residential A District and the proposal asks that Residential C District zoning be put into effect.
Councilperson Morris made a motion to accept her proposal; Councilperson Smith seconded the motion. With this proposal acknowledged and accepted by the Town Council, it then moves to the Town of Broadus Planning Board where a public hearing will take place before a change is finalized. All ordinances are on file at the office of the Town Clerk and can be reviewed between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Mayor Gatlin brought into question the community decay ordinance that went into effect in January 2023 and how the Town Council would help the community enforce this ordinance.
With the help of the commissioners as well as the county, the council would like to schedule a week where the dump would be free for the community on its normal operation days as well as the option for the garbage truck from the town to be available for pickups via scheduling with the town clerk. The council hopes to finalize plans and put an ad in the Powder River Examiner as soon as possible.
Public Works Ragsdale discussed his desire to simplify the town’s zoning ordinance in the future and presented a portion of Miles City residential zoning for reference. He then elaborated on his Montana Rural Waterworks training in Great Falls, MT on March 21-23. This conference provided continuing education for PB Ragsdale as well as presented opportunities to speak with multiple companies on the advancement of water/wastewater management.
Public Works Zimmer addressed the proposal from the Broadus Youth Soccer Program asking to use the grass within Cottonwood Park Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:00-6:00 p.m. April 4th, 6th, 11th, 20th, 25th, 28th and May 2nd, 4th, 9th, and 11th. Contact for this program is Stacie Ostendorf.
PB Zimmer was able to finish the cab cover work on the newer plow pickup, “Snow White” and informed the council of the old plow pickup, “Clifford” continuing to have issues and things failing. PB Zimmer has retired this vehicle for the winter due to the reoccurring issues. Quotes for a plow fitted to the newer pickup will be introduced to the council in May when the budget for 2023-2024 is in the works.
He was also able to fix two stop signs; one by the post office and one by the Sheriff’s office.
With no further business before the Council, Councilperson Turnbough moved to adjourn. Councilperson Slovek seconded the motion. Mayor Gatlin adjourned this meeting of the Broadus Town Council at 7:04 p.m.
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