Havre City Council elects Lilletvedt new council president

Havre City Council moved to accept the resignation of council member and President Andrew Brekke and voted member Terry Lilletvedt as its new president Monday during the council meeting in Havre City Hall.

Council member Karen Swenson moved to accept Brekke’s resignation and the motion was passed unanimously by the council.

Lilletvedt said losing Brekke on the council is a loss to the city and the council. Information Brekke has shared from his years of experience on the council and his service to the community is irreplaceable, she added.

“I hope that if people see him they will thank him so much for his service,” Lilletvedt said. “I certainly thank you, Andrew, for all the things that you’ve taught me these last five years and I couldn’t have done it without you, and I sure hope your door is open.”

Mayor Tim Solomon said he believes everyone is thankful for the years Brekke has served on the council.

Council member Ed Matter moved to appoint Lilletvedt as the new council president, which was unanimously approved.

Solomon said Lilletvedt, as council president, will lead the search to find a new council member.

The council discussed advertising the position and the deadline for the application. Finance Director Doug Kaercher said he will publish the advertisement twice within the next month and publish the application questions online for applicants to create their own applications.

The applications will be for Ward 4 and must be hand-delivered to Havre City Hall before Nov. 27.

The council also approved October’s claims and manual warrants.

During the public comment period, Swenson said she received a complaint from a caller in her ward about a cat that was “on the loose” in the caller’s neighborhood. The caller added that the cat was not a stray, Swenson said.

Havre Animal Control Officer Peter Federspiel said the policies with cats being outside of the owners’ property is the same as for dogs and the animals need to be under the owners’ control. He added that the caller should contact the Havre Police Department or Havre Animal Control to resolve the issue.