Hill County Commission discusses social host ordinance

The Hill County Commission approved a social host ordinance on first reading and will hold a second reading April 1.

The ordinance would make it a violation for the social host of a party or event who knows, or reasonably should know, that underage people are drinking alcohol to not make reasonable attempt prevent it.

The ordinance states that the host does not need to be present for the law to apply and could result in a misdemeanor charge.

A similar ordinance has been in place Havre for over 10 years, and Susan Brurud of Bear Paw Development Corp., who spoke in favor of the ordinance at the meeting, said it has been beneficial in Havre and has been proven to help reduce underage drinking.

Montana State University Northern criminal justice professor Jack Bieger, who previously worked in law enforcement, said it is a tool he wishes he had back in his day and will make the jobs of Hill County sheriffs easier as well.

They said the ordinance is designed to make it harder for social hosts who obviously know what is happening on their property to claim otherwise and avoid accountability.

However, they said, the primary utility of this ordinance is as an educational tool.

Bieger said the ordinance can be used to bring charges, but for the most part that is not how it has been used, at least for initial offenses. Instead he said officers use it as a way to educate social hosts on the dangers of underage alcohol consumption and the possible consequences of what they are doing.

He said there’s a good reason officers don’t give tickets to everyone speeding.

Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson agreed and said with his experience in law enforcement, zero tolerance practices tend to make thing worse, not better.

He said if the ordinance is used in the county as an educational tool first and foremost he’d be happy to support it.

Brurud assured him that was the case.

“It’s not for beating people up,” she said.

Hill County Commissioner Jake Strissel raised the concern of farmers and landowners with large properties being held liable for people drinking on their properties without their knowledge.

Brurud said under Montana state law landowners can be held liable for things that happen on their properties, but the ordinance doesn’t change that.

She said it’s not used against land owners who clearly had no idea what was going on so they should need to be overly concerned.

Hill County Treasurer Sandy Brown, who also attended the meeting, said she had nothing against the ordinance but she’d concerned that the public hasn’t been sufficiently noticed or educated on the ordinance.

She raised concern that the notice in the Hill County Commission’s agenda for this week was not sufficiently informative for the public and she was caught somewhat off guard.

Peterson said that is why the commission will be holding a second reading April 1, for the public to voice their concerns or endorsement.

The commission also briefly discussed the three new open seats on the Great Northern Fair Board and a new open seat on the Hill County Council on Aging Board, all of which are being advertised for.

The commission also discussed the possibility of switching offices with Montana State University’s Hill County Extension Office.

Hill County Commissioner Diane McLean said the commission office is stressful to work in, and lacks private offices for the commissioners.

“Frankly I’m feeling pushed to operate well in the space that we are provided,” she said.

She said the Extension Office would afford the commissioners some privacy and it doesn’t make sense to give it to non-county positions that often see vacancies.

She said Extension has other spaces they can work in the area and have used office space outside the courthouse before.

Brown said her department has been looking for an office upgrade for years and said her employees are working in a much-too-small space that is extremely cramped, with people practically working on top of each other.

No official decision was made regarding this potential change in offices.

At the Hill County officials meeting that preceded the commission meeting, Strissel said the commission is also working on finalizing the courthouse security system contract and is working on the Milk River Levee Project with The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bear Paw Development and Great West Engineering.

McLean said many county departments are working on grants and she is impressed by the work they’ve put into the complex and often exhausting process.

Hill County Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Amanda Frickel said two days ago there was a five-gallon mineral oil spill on Airport Road but her department was notified and got the spill cleaned up.

Hill County Public Health Director and Health Officer Kim Larson said 21 percent of the county’s eligible population has been vaccinated, and the trends of COVID-19 in the area are looking good.

She said vaccination clinics continue to be run every Thursday and starting April 1 the vaccine will be available in Hill County to anyone 18 and older.

McLean, during the public comments section of the meeting, said Cascade County recently rescinded its mask mandate having reached less than 10 new cases of COVID-19 per day per 100,000 residents for two consecutive weeks.

Larson said Cascade County actually rescinded all of their COVID-19 restrictions, which had included business capacity limits and restrictions on gathering sizes.

Officials also discussed the recent hiring of a new Hill County Extension Agent Colleen Buck, previously the Extension agriculture agent from Sheridan County.