Woodwick: Referendum could help street problems

Some streets in Havre are so bad off that they would be better off as gravel roads, City Council Member Allen "Woody" Woodwick said Tuesday night.

Woodwick told Hill County Democrats that a referendum that will be on the November ballot would solve some of the problems facing the city, but not all.

Woodwick provided a list of the Top 10 bad streets engineers have listed.

If the referendum is passed, he said, the city will get $1.5 million per year to repair streets.

The first year, he said, the city would have enough funds to repair the top two on the list, he said. they are:

Reconstruction of 4th Street from 12th to 14th avenues, at a cost of $300,000.

Rebuilding 16 Street from 6th to 12th avenues at a cost of $1,050,000.

Other projects, he said, would have to wait for later years.

People at the meeting could all list other streets that needed work.

"Personally, I can see both sides," said Woodwick. "I own four apartment houses, and I'm going to get hit."

But he added, "my renters are going to get hit as well."

"I'm retired and I can't afford it," said Karen Sloan, an active Democrat. "But I wonder about all the people who can't."

The problem, Woodwick said, goes back to the Montana Legislature, which in 1986 froze property taxes throughout the state.

The lack of funds has meant that the city has to struggle to keep its head above water and has no surplus funds to use for long-term maintenance on streets, Woodwick said.

The only way to raise taxes is to go for a referendum, he said, and city officials are reluctant to do that.

He said a referendum is the best way to decide the issue.

"You don't want eight clowns on the council making this decision," he said. "We need the entire city involved."