Board Refuses to Answer Questions

Seeley Lake Sewer

SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board refused to answer questions brought by the public at their Sept. 21 meeting. Also at the meeting the board was updated by their manager on the status of funding and progress toward the next step. The district also voted to retain an attorney and discussed their inter-local agreement with the county and the health department’s refusal to pay for water testing.

During “Public Comment,” Don Larson asked who made the decision and what the rational was behind using the Seeley Lake Regional Plan instead of tax rolls for determining commercial versus residential customers and what the procedure will be for protest purposes.

The board refused to answer or discuss the questions.

“Not at this time,” said Board President Mike Boltz. “Public Comments are for comments not questions.”

There was no “Public Questions” section on the agenda.

This is the first time in recent years that the board hasn’t allowed questions during public comment. Questions haven’t always gotten answered but they have always been discussed.

Board members regularly express their frustration with the public being misinformed and suggest that if people would come to the board meetings they could get their questions answered.

In fact, less than two minutes after the board refused to answer Larson’s questions, the board was discussing a letter they had received with “misinformation” in it and a board member said it again.

“If they want to find out the truth they could come to a meeting,” said Board Member Bob Skiles.

District Manager Greg Robertson thanked the board for accepting the revised Letter of Conditions from Rural Development at their special board meeting. He has received word that the funds have now been fully obligated towards the sewer project by RD.

Robertson is working toward getting the project ready to go on to the notice and protest period.

“I have not had the opportunity to go through in detail the revised Letter of Conditions,” said Robertson. “I’ve been kind of involved in a few other things not related [to] sewer but will be working on it tomorrow and next week.”

Robertson informed the board that the county attorneys’ office told him they would no longer be offering in-kind services such as reviewing district contracts. They have too much workload to be offering help to the district.

As a result, Robertson recommended that the board retain an attorney. He recommended Beil Law Firm because he has dealt with them in the past and felt they could do the job well.

The board discussed the retainer and noted that the retainer states that Beil Law Firm is also representing the district’s engineering firm, Great West Engineering. It could be a conflict of interest if the district ever had legal problem with Great West.

Robertson didn’t think it would be a conflict. Robertson said he thinks the county attorneys’ office is obligated to defend the district if the district is ever challenged by any actions it takes.

The board voted to retain the legal services of Beil Law Firm.

The sewer district’s inter-local agreement with Missoula County is up for renewal.

The current agreement provides the district with a General Manager (Robertson) and general support including office space for district records, grant writing, grant management and legal services.

The agreement also provided the district with approximately $110,000 in loans to use for matching grants.

Robertson said the county attorney is currently writing up a revised agreement for the board to consider at its next meeting.

The Missoula County Health Department had previously agreed to take over paying for the sewer district’s water testing. However, the health department is now refusing to pay for parts of the testing. The district has unpaid lab bills from March and June of this year.

Robertson said he felt that the Seeley Lake Water District that contracts to do the sewer district water testing has upheld their end of the agreement with the health department and that the health department needs to “step up to the plate and live up to their end of the agreement.”

Though he feels the health department should pay the bills, Robertson recommended the board pay the lab. The lab might refuse to do the next quarter’s testing if they are not paid.

The board voted to pay the invoices.

The next sewer board meeting is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19 at the Missoula County Satellite Office located at 3360 Highway 83.

 

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