Havre City Council hires new attorney

For as long as city officials can remember, the law firm Bosch, Kuhr, Dugdale, Martin and Kaze has represented the city of Havre.

But City Council voted Monday night to replace the firm.

Instead, the council named the Lorang Law firm as the new counsel.

The Lorang firm bid $40,000 a year for three years, the lowest of the three bids for the work.

Lindsay Lorang, in the audience at Monday night’s meeting, thanked the council members for their support and said she was “flattered” that her firm had been chosen.

Bosch Kuhr bid $54,000 for the job. The bid was for one year with an option to renew, said council member Allen “Woody” Woodwick, chair for the council’s Finance Committee.

A third bid was submitted by Tamara Barkus, who already handles the city’s prosecutorial work. She wanted $48,000 a year.

Woodwick said the Finance Committee debated the issue “long and hard,” but said members could not get past the fact that the Lorang bid was lower and the terms better than Bosch Kuhr offered.

The city asked for three-year bids, he said, and Bosch Kuhr offered a one-year deal.

Council unanimously agreed with the Finance Committee’s recommendation.

After the meeting, Mayor Tim Solomon told a reporter that it is likely the city will have to pay Brian Lilletvedt of Bosch Kuhr, who has been doing most of the city’s legal duties, to finish up work that he is presently involved in.

Lilletvedt is handling some complex work on the proposed annexation of land west of the city.

Lilletvedt’s wife, Terry Lilletvedt, is on city council representing Ward 1. She was absent from Monday’s meeting.

Barkus submitted the lone bid for the city court prosecution work. She submitted a $60,000-per year bid for three years.

In other business at Monday’s meeting:

Meeting on police salaries

Council referred to its Police and Fire Committee a proposal by Police Officer Brian Cassidy to hold a meeting with council members about a study he performed.

The study showed that Havre officers are paid considerably less than officers in similar departments.

Council member Pam Hillery, who said she was sympathetic to the officers’ plight, suggested that the matter go before the Police and Fire Committee. Other council members could attend the meeting, she said.

Mayor Tim Solomon said that if council were to agree to meet with police officers, they ought to offer a similar meeting to other union members.

“That’s only fair,” he said.

Council member Andrew Brekke noted that discussions about pay are dealt with in collective bargaining talks, which were just completed with the police union. But he said officers did have the right to meet with other council members.

Police and Fire Committee Chief Terry Lilletvedt was not at Monday’s meeting, but Solomon said he would bring the matter up with her.

Cassidy said he wanted to meet with council members so he could explain how the pay difference are affecting the city.

He said in recent years, 34 officers have left the department, almost always for better paying jobs.

“I don’t want to see Havre be the training ground,” he said.

“We have a good group of people here, and I want to keep them here,” he said.

Police chief interviews

Solomon said he and members of the city’s police commission will interview candidates for the police chief position today.

All of the candidates are from within the department.

“We should be having something on that soon, maybe by the next meeting,” the mayor said. The next council meeting is in two weeks.

Gabe Matosich has been acting chief for almost 20 months, and Havre resident Bill Lanier has asked at each of the last several meetings when a permanent chief will be named.

Lanier raised the topic again Monday night.