Information session set on $30M streets plan

Havre City Council will hold a public information session on the proposed $30 million plan to rebuild streets throughout the city.

The session will begin at the end of the City Council meeting at 7 p.m. meetings usually take about one-half hour.

A PowerPoint presentation will show the details of the project, said Councilwoman Terry Lilletvedt, a supporter of the plan.

The proposal will be explained. The tax rate will increase about $200 annually on a home assessed at $100,000.

A total of $1.5 million will be spent for 20 years.

Lilletvedt said the city has already compiled the top 10 projects to be undertaken, but there could be changes if emergencies pop up.

This year, she said, the streets around St. Jude Thaddeus Church were badly damaged by the changing temperatures over the winter. The city had to spend a lot of money to repair them.

She encouraged people to come to the meeting and learn about the details of the plan.

Voters will decide on the question in the Nov. 3 elections. Ballots will be mailed out Oct. 15.

Mayor Tim Solomon, Public Works Director Dave Peterson and City Clerk/Finance Director Doug Kaercher will explain the details of the plan and answer questions.

Council voted 7-1 to put the proposal on the ballot. Only Andrew Brekke voted against it, saying while he saw the need for street repairs, he didn’t think a tax hike of that magnitude was “sustainable.”

Other council members say they hear similar reactions from constituents. There is little argument that the streets need massive repair, he said. But they are worried about that kind of tax hike.