City Council names committee members

Many of the laws and policies in the city of Havre begin their lives in various specialized committees. With three new council members sworn in this month, those committees are seeing changes and beginning new lives of their own.

At Tuesday night's Havre City Council meeting, Mayor Tim Solomon announced the new committee lineups for the next two years, crafted by his appointment.

There is one committee that has met for the past two years, but is no longer on the list, the Planning and Development Committee.

Planning and Development was not a standing committee, like many of the others are. It was formed shortly after Solomon was elected, and was chaired by council member Janet Trethewey, who was also new at the time. It was mostly meant to deal with medical marijuana concerns and the annexation lawsuit between property owners west of town and the governments of both Havre and Hill County.

Both of those issues have entered waiting periods as their eventual fates are discussed in courtrooms over the next year or two.

Some of the freshman council members, halfway into their first month on the council, are already being given chances to step up into chair positions.

Former Sunnyside Intermediate School Principal Brian Barrows has been appointed chair of the Labor Relations committee.

Fellow Republican newcomer Rick Dow was appointed as chair of the Street and Sidewalk committee.

Committee appointments for 2012

Labor Relations: Barrows, Brekke, Woodwick

Finance: Woodwick, Veis, Brekke, Barrows

Street and Sidewalk: Dow, Woodwick, Trethewey, Barrows

Water and Sewer: Veis, Brekke, Parenteau, Kaftan

Ordinance: Brekke, Trethewey, Dow, Woodwick

Fire and Police: Veis, Kaftan, Parenteau, Barrows

Parks and Recreation: Kaftan, Dow, Parenteau, Veis

Safety: Trethewey