Community leaders eye 2016 plans

The Hi-Line’s deteriorating infrastructure is the main thing most community leaders would like to see as a priority for 2016.

But issues ranging from the city’s annexation of areas west of the city, discussion about a Hill County tax increase, work on attracting businesses to the new industrial park, improvements to Highway 232 north of Havre and a religious spiritual explosion are among other things people would like to see during the coming year.

The Havre Daily News contacted a cross-section of leaders in the area to see what direction they thought the area should look at.

Nearly everyone mentioned some kind of comment about infrastructure.

Havre City Council President Andrew Brekke, an opponent of the failed 2016 referendum to spend $30 million to reconstruct city streets, said he hopes to have a modified proposal this year, one that would involve some tax increase combined with creation of special improvement districts and use of some existing city funds.

Other City Council members have proposed resubmitting the plan that was voted down in November or submitting a modified proposal that is funded along the same lines as this year’s.

Concern over decaying infrastructure is not limited to Havre, said Paul Tuss, executive director of Bear Paw Development Corp.

Every municipality along the Hi-Line has problem with sidewalks, streets, water and sewer lines, he said. There are lots of grants available to help municipalities improve parts of the infrastructure, he said, but there will never be enough to do the job.

He predicted that infrastructure repairs would be on the annual to-do list for a long time.

The biggest project in Bear Paw’s five-county, two-reservation area is the $10 million sewage treatment plant expansion, scheduled for completion this summer, Tuss said.

Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson said one of his goals is to work on improving Highway 232 from Havre north to Canada, an idea seconded by Havre City Councilman Brian Barrows.

Peterson said under present state construction timetables, the Montana Department of Transportation won’t look at improvements to Highway 232 until 2025, a delay he finds unacceptable.

County officials are eyeing grants that improve access to federal lands, even if the roads don’t directly touch federal lands.

Peterson also said he wants to see the county establish a policy that when new roads are built or old ones reconstructed, there should be a provision for walking, running or bike paths.

He said he is concerned about the safety of walkers and bikers.

The problem is particularly acute on Highway 234, south of town, he said.

Dating back to his time in high school, people loved to run uphill on Highway 234 to get in shape, he said. But there is no path for runners and walkers, he said, so they endanger themselves.

Barrows said neighbors in Alberta and Saskatchewan be solicited to help in the effort to support Highway 232 expansion proposal.

Peterson said the topic of county tax increases will have to be discussed this year.

County taxes haven’t been increased for 30 years, he said, while city and school taxes have gone up.

The county has largely cut back to the very basics now, he said.

Seeking voter approval to increase taxes will not be easy, he said, but the county has no other options.

Several years ago, he said, the county collected $$2 million on oil and natural gas leases, he said. This year it will be $200,000.

Any further cuts will mean that “people will have to stand in line longer,” he said.

“We have a lot of good people working for the county,” he said. But the county has to require employees to use outdated equipment and computers because the county can’t afford to replace the old equipment.

Brekke said he favors moving forward with annexation of land west of Havre into the city. The city and property owners in that area have been at loggerheads for years.

“That will be my number one priority,” he said.

“Council spoke very strongly on this,” he said.

Barrows. Peterson and Tuss spoke about efforts to attract industry to the county.

Peterson and Tuss said that the industrial park south of Havre is now ready for use.

Both said they hope to see the industrial park listed on the state website that advertises available industrial spots in Montana.

Barrows said he would like to see Hi-Line communities and southern Alberta and Saskatchewan work together to attract businesses to the area.

Canada’s involvement “would help with economic development and commerce.”

But Barrows, who is also pastor of Abundant Life Church, said he is hoping for a “spiritual explosion” along the Hi-Line.

He said all of the churches in Havre would have enough room for about one-third of the city’s population.

“We would like to see that expand,” he said.