HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – Numerous department heads convened in the Timmons Room of the Hill County Courthouse on Wednesday for the monthly officials meeting.
The topic of County credit cards was brought up again, with many officials speaking out on the need for them.
Currently, many employees have to charge work-related expenses to their personal cards and wait to get reimbursed.
Among those to call for a change to the policy of the county on Wednesday were County Attorney Lacey Lincoln, Weed and Mosquito District Coordinator Terry Turner, and Sheriff/Coroner Jamie Ross.
“We need a credit card,” said Lincoln. “We don’t need it often, but we do need it. We’ve gotten, I don’t know if lucky is the right term, but I’ve just gotten here, but if I have to bring witnesses in, I have to buy them plane tickets, I have to buy them hotel rooms. Things like that have to get paid for and they need a credit card. We usually wait until the very last minute to make those purchases, because we don’t want to waste the county’s money. But I need to be able to get that done usually in kind of a two day window. At least that’s what my experience in other counties has shown me. So without a credit card, things become very, very difficult for me when it comes to those trials that we have, where I’m asking people to come in from other locations. So I can say personally, it’s something that we need. I’ve seen it done in different ways in my own experience. One where I was actually given my own personal credit card and then one where there was a credit card for the office. And I saw both of them work successfully.”
“I’ve spoken with the Commission about the need for my office to have a card,” added Ross. “So you’re all aware of that. One thing that was said was you don’t want people buying things before they are approved. I buy things all the time before they are approved. I buy them, I get my receipt, I fill out a claim, I send it down to the Commission. It’s no different then a credit card. That’s all I have to say about that.”
“We need one during the season, we do mailing (insect collections) and stuff … We’re taking cash out of our own pocket or using our own credit card. It’s on a weekly basis that we mail that out,” said Turner. “So a County credit card for our office would be very, very helpful.”
Commission Chair Diane McLean said they understand the travel concerns but need to ensure accountability.
“People are having to foot that bill themselves and get reimbursed. It isn’t a good look for (that) to happen that way. But at the same time, we have to have accountability, we have to have a way to be sure that credit cards are used appropriately. And if you get so much credit card activity going on – who is that going to increase the work load for? … I think it will increase the work load, especially for your auditor’s office.”
McLean said a draft policy has been written up by Auditor Kathy Olson, who was unable to make the meeting. Once the policy is ready to go, McLean says they will move forward with potentially issuing credit cards.
“It is our intention to try to follow through with something,” said McLean. “We are realizing that the constraints are considerable. It’s just not ready at this moment to go forward, but it is our intention to follow through with something.”
Other topics discussed at the meeting:
- The Commission says work continues on fixing deficiencies in the Milk River Levee, as tree cutters are trimming edges along the levee. The Commission is also working with the Substance Abuse and Misuse Coalition on finding a workable Social Host Ordinance for the County, and they are also in the process of looking at taxing the sale of marijuana in the County, which would need to go up for election.
- Road Department Supervisor Jim Bedwell says new stringers have been installed on the Cottonwood Bridge.
- County Attorney Lacey Lincoln said that they are hoping to receive applications for two open Deputy County Attorney Positions. She also passed out performance review guidelines to the other officials in attendance, reminding them that it is important to conduct reviews on employees at the expected intervals. She said the reviews may not have been complied with in recent memory and she wants to change that.
- Building Manager Joseph Smith said they would like to change the lighting in county buildings to LEDs, which would save the county electricity costs. He is looking into a program through Northwestern Energy that could help provide rebates.
- Weed and Mosquito District Coordinator Terry Turner said they are updating old safety policies and procedures and will soon be looking to post a job opening for a drone pilot for their mosquito and weed treatment program. He added that Hill County’s District has been named the 2021 Outstanding District of the Year in Montana.
- Sheriff Jamie Ross said they have numerous job openings in their Department they are looking to fill.
- Planner Amy Ferguson said the landfill is seeking someone to fill the full-time position of Litter Control Officer. Turner and Ross expressed concern about littering by the landfill and loads that were not tarped. Ferguson said she will look into placing signs around the landfill to discourage people from that practice. Ferguson added that they hope to have Sanitarian Clay Vincent back in early March. Vincent is semi-retired and is currently in Arizona. He has expressed his intent to retire but the county has been unable to find a new Sanitarian.
- A report read by the Commission from MSU-Extension said they are working on setting up a Youth Aware of Mental Health program at Havre Schools in March. This program was previously led locally by Jasmin Carbajal, and Extension Agent Kati Purkett has been working to bring it back. Purkett also recently helped teach FCS at North Star Schools.
- A report read by the Commission from Health Director Kim Berg said that the rate of new COVID cases has decreased as of late, as has the demand for testing. Berg said they are working on a way to make rapid COVID tests accessible to people throughout the County. This could include driving the Department vehicle to rural areas to drop off tests.
The next County Officials meeting is scheduled for 9 AM on Wednesday, March 16th.
