HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – Officials from various departments for Hill County gathered on Wednesday morning at the Courthouse for their monthly meeting.
The meeting began with a discussion of cleaning up the hiring process for the county to eliminate redundancies and ensure everyone is on the same page. No action was taken on this at the meeting.
“This is going to be a big policy change, which is why we’re not rushing, said County Attorney Lacey Lincoln. “This is just kind of step one.”
Lincoln says he wanted to give an opportunity to get feedback from everyone on this proposed change, and there is no timeline on when it will be completed.
Hill County Commissioner Diane McLean stated that bids for various projects using ARPA funds are coming in higher than expected. This includes the projects to rehabilitate the lift stations for RSIDs 21 and 29/30. Bids have been awarded for these projects, but they are awaiting on materials. The project to replace the HVAC system for the Courthouse may go to bid by early fall.
Building Manager Joe Smith said they are working on switching the HVAC panels at the Detention Center from pneumatic to digital. Parts are on order and installation is expected around September.
McLean said that Marci Bergren has been named Interim Director for the Council on Aging in the wake of Don Kenny’s resignation. A job posting has been listed as they search for a permanent replacement.
County Attorney Lacey Lincoln says her office has hired a Victim Witness Coordinator but they are still seeking Deputy County Attorneys and a Legal Secretary. She says they are seeing a higher number of cases as of late.
“It has been a busy summer,” said Lincoln. “I’m sure the Sheriff would agree.”
Sheriff/Coroner Jamie Ross says his office is working on battling crime, which is up from last year. He said the ongoing staffing shortage means that some Deputies that are supposed to work on the street have been asked to work at the Detention Center. He said from his department’s perspective, the Great Northern Fair went well, with relatively few incidents.
Superintendent of Schools Victoria Proctor said she would like to get a digital presence created for rural schools, as this is a requirement to apply for many grants. Proctor said that enrollment at Davey and Gildford Schools has filled up, and Cottonwood is filling up. She said school budgets have been tight due to the high cost of materials. She also stated that on August 12th at Gildford School, North Star Paramedics will be conducting AED training that is open to the public.
Weed and Mosquito District Coordinator Terry Turner says they recently used a helicopter to spray 590 acres of Sage Creek to eliminate noxious weeds, a project which is grant-funded. He also said that grasshoppers are being found “pretty much all over,” adding that there were vast swaths of them when he recently visited the Sweet Grass Hills. Turner says it is only a matter of time before swarms of grass hoppers make their way to the city of Havre.
