Commission supports city manager for Havre

There is a consensus on the three-member Study Commission reviewing Havre’s form of government that some kind of city executive is needed to run the day-to-day operations of the city.

That’s the thought of commission chair Dave Brewer, who spoke at Tuesday night’s meeting.

He said the executive would either be a city manager who would work at the direction of the mayor and the city council or an executive who would work under the mayor.

The commission met with representatives of the Local Government Center at city hall. The center operates out of Montana State University in Bozeman and works with local governments around the state.

Dan Clark, the center’s executive director, said the panel has wide latitude in creating the executive position.

He provided members with work done by cities which have created manager’s positions, such as Polson, Lewistown and West Yellowstone.

The Study Commission hopes to finalize its recommendations by the spring. Lawyers will then put together the final product so it can be submitted to the Hill County Clerk and Recorder for a referendum in the Nov. 8 election.

The commission will meet at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 2, at Havre City Hall, to go over their thoughts and come up with a general plan.

Various public meetings will be held to get ideas from the public, but Clark suggested it might be wise to come up with a general plan for the public to comment on.

Clark said the city manager could cost more money in that he or she would have a higher salary, but could save money in the long run by coming up with creative solutions to municipal problems,

For instance, the city of Troy has basically set up a municipal power plant using windmills and solar tiles, used to power the city street lights, saving the small municipality tens of thousands of dollars.

The commission is also considering changes in the structure of City Council.

Presently, two people are elected from each of four wards.

Brewer said he was looking at a hybrid system under which one would be elected from each of the four wards, while four would be elected at large.