Downtown parking discussed at city Ordinance Committee meeting

Tom LaFond, owner of Tom LaFond State Farm, told the Havre Ordinance Committee during the public comment section of its meeting Monday that the city has a shortage of parking available in the downtown area and the city does not have clear signage indicating two-hour parking spaces and 15-minute parking spaces in the downtown area.

"I don't know what the right answer is for that," committee Chair Caleb Hutchins said. "It's an issue that every city deals with."

LaFond said he built a new building in the downtown area, and a number of his employees and tenants are having issues with all-day parking. He said the city has no clear indication on two-hour parking and 15-minute parking spaces, which causes issues for where his employees are allowed to park.

He added that the ordinance which outlines the boundaries the city has in place regarding two-hour parking spaces and 15-minute parking spaces are unclear and are not noticeably outlined in the area. A number of new businesses have moved to the downtown area, some have constructed new buildings in the area, and invested in the community, LaFond said. He said that downtown Havre is growing and the city has to adapt to the change to help people in the community and businesses operate better.

Mayor Tim Solomon said that the past ordinance was written in 2015, and downtown Havre has changed since then and has grown. The ordinance was written after a long discussion with downtown businesses and the Ordinance Committee, and the city may have to take another look at the parking situation. He added that the city also has to looking at how to better indicate two-hour parking spaces and 15-minute parking spaces in the downtown area.

Solomon said that he would suggest the Ordinance Committee look at inviting downtown business owners to future Ordinance Committee meetings to further discuss the issue.

Hutchins said that the issue is a symptom of a growing downtown, and, although it is an issue, it is a good sign Havre is growing.

Committee member Lindsey Ratliff said that many other cities have a similar issue.

"It's a good problem to have," Ratliff said.

Solomon said during the public comment section that he would be interested in the City Council look into changing how the council's monthly meetings are conducted. He said that the city could hold a council meeting where the city votes on agenda issues and hold a working meeting later in the month, rather than a second council meeting.

The council now meets on the first and third Mondays of each month for regular sessions. 

The council meetings often are short meetings due to a small amount of agenda items, he said. Some agenda items could be voted on at different times, and he has seen a number of other cities do something similar.

He added that the council meeting would include all of the agenda items for the month and the working meeting would be an open meeting committees could hold to discuss a variety of committee business. The working meeting would not include all of the committees, only the committees that have business that needs to be discussed. He said that if the council needs to have a second meeting to approve agenda items the city has the ability to schedule a second meeting.

"I think you would get more public involvement in meetings," Solomon said.

He added that the working meeting could also be used to hold more community informational meetings, like the meeting about special improvement districts held last month. He said that by reorganizing the meetings more community members may be able to attend to voice their concerns. 

Solomon said that the city has discussed reorganizing the city meetings for a number of years, but has never made any formal motion.

Hutchins said that he is interested in the change and it is something the council should discuss.

Solomon added that with Havre entering the winter months, the city wanted to remind people to shovel their sidewalks. Homeowners, landlords and tenants have a responsibility to shovel the public sidewalks to allow people to safely travel. Unshoveled sidewalks are hazardous and could result in people falling and being injured.

The committee's only agenda item, a change in the hiring process for Havre Police Department, was tabled. 

The change in the ordinance would be similar to the change in the ordinance for the Havre Fire Department, removing the age restriction for applicants. The issue was tabled so it could be rewritten to include a requirement for officers to live within city limits, unless permitted by the city, to allow officers to quickly respond in case of emergencies.