Aiming for
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Increase on tap
by Michael Stafford
There was only one person at the public hearing on October 29 that voiced concern regarding the proposed water rate increase for the city.
That concern related to single-wide trailers and recent restrictions enacted by the city earlier this year.
“How much of this decrease is due to the fact that we’re not allowing trailers in our town? You’ve got a lot of open lots here that every one of those trailer locations would be paying for water,” said Pam Reighard, “you’re also not allowing tax dollars to come in by not having those trailers come into town, which have an effect on the water as well.”
However, even if single-wide trailers were allowed in the city without restrictions, Mayor Caleb Burton said that will not solve the problem of the water fund not bringing in enough money to cover expenses and running in the red as it has done now for several years.
The public hearing started out with Burton introducing the topic of the water rate increase stating that the council adopted a resolution of intent on September 4 to eliminate the negative fund balance. The proposed increase is a 30 percent increase across the board for the different after connections.
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Brian Bender said that the resolution of intent was the by-product of sessions between the city and Stahly Engineering when they were looking at starting to put in a new municipal well.
see A Low page 13
There was only one person at the public hearing on October 29 that voiced concern regarding the proposed water rate increase for the city.
That concern related to single-wide trailers and recent restrictions enacted by the city earlier this year.
“How much of this decrease is due to the fact that we’re not allowing trailers in our town? You’ve got a lot of open lots here that every one of those trailer locations would be paying for water,” said Pam Reighard, “you’re also not allowing tax dollars to come in by not having those trailers come into town, which have an effect on the water as well.”
However, even if single-wide trailers were allowed in the city without restrictions, Mayor Caleb Burton said that will not solve the problem of the water fund not bringing in enough money to cover expenses and running in the red as it has done now for several years.
The public hearing started out with Burton introducing the topic of the water rate increase stating that the council adopted a resolution of intent on September 4 to eliminate the negative fund balance. The proposed increase is a 30 percent increase across the board for the different after connections.
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Brian Bender said that the resolution of intent was the by-product of sessions between the city and Stahly Engineering when they were looking at starting to put in a new municipal well.
see A Low page 13
City and county talk creek cooperationby Michael Stafford
How will Powell County work collectively with the City of Deer Lodge master plan for Cottonwood Creek regarding flood mitigation and will they be willing to move bridges if necessary? Those were a couple of the questions on October 17 at the joint meeting of the city and the county, where discussion of Cottonwood Creek was one of the main topics of the evening. They touched on a number of different subjects regarding the creek including the possibility of the city engineers working up a plan for the creek and what role the county wants to play in that. The commissioners said they would be willing to work with the city regarding the bridges over the creek. Mayor Caleb Burton began by asking about the flood event earlier this year and wanted to know what the two entities could do to help with clearing away deposits of debris that the event had left in its wake. “I wanted to see what we all kind of could do in terms of assessing where it’s at, what we need to do to figure out moving forward, if there’s any repair or cleanup that needs to happen after this last flood event,” he said. see Plan page 13 |
New music business opensby Cathy Harding
When Dennis Mahagin had the chance to open a music store, he was quick to act. “It’s always been a dream of mine,” said Mahagin. “It’s been something I’ve always wanted to do, and the opportunity has presented itself. Seize the day.” That day was Saturday with the grand opening of Montana Music Company on the corner of Main and Milwaukee. Saturday’s grand opening generated much attention and interest from the community. Some people came to check out the musical instruments while others came to look at the records and CDs. Everyone was glad to welcome Mahagin and his music store. Mahagin raffled off a guitar to one lucky winner during the afternoon celebration. “I’ve been a musician for at least half my life,” explained Mahagin. “I’ve played in a lot of bands in the Pacific Northwest, Portland-area mainly.” Mahagin came to Deer Lodge to care for his mother who is in ill health. He’s played in a few bands in the area, and he hopes to bring more live music to Deer Lodge. see Store page 13 |
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