Officials hear update on local senior citizens issues

Hill County officials held their monthly meeting Wednesday, where they discussed a variety of county needs ranging from use of American Rescue Plan Act funds to addressing elder abuse in the area to COVID-19 vaccinations.

Hill County Public Health Director Kim Berg, also the county health officer, said case numbers in the area are coming down but her department is still working on getting as much of the county vaccinated as possible.

Berg said the percentage of the eligible population with at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine was over 60 percent until the Pfizer vaccine was approved for children 5-11, which brought the number below 60 percent again.

Of 5- to 11-year-olds in the county, she said, 4 percent have gotten a vaccine so far, and all other age groups are above 50 percent.

She said her department will being holding vaccine clinics in Gildford and Rudyard today.

Also at the meeting was Marci Bergren of the Hill County Council on Aging, who said open enrollment for her organization is in full swing, and she’s signed up more than 200 people since it began.

She said the council’s meals-on-wheels programs are going well and she’s continuing to urge the public to make sure the seniors they know are looking at their Medicare Part D, as there have been a lot of recent changes.

Council on Aging Director Don Kenny also attended the meeting and said the community will be offering a free Thanksgiving dinner again this year, but only by takeout and delivery.

Kenny said anyone interested can call the North Central Senior Citizens Center at 406-265-5464 between now and 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 24, to sign up for delivered meals.

He said they are also working on expanding services to Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, which he said seems like it’s having a significant problem with elder abuse and neglect, not unlike Hill County as a whole.

He said the council is working on trying to get some American Rescue Plan Act funds to establish a program to address the issue and he’s also looking into trying to hire three more people.

Bergren said she’s dealing with three cases of elder abuse in the area at the moment, but it’s important to note that those are just the people that were brave enough to call them, and there’s likely a lot more and the council need more support to deal with this issue properly.

Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson said he and his fellow commissioners are also working on ARPA- related projects including a number of local water projects.

Peterson said the Milk River Levee survey has been completed and planning for improvements and updates are ongoing, as they are with local lift stations.

Hill County Commissioner Jake Strissel said the commission is also working with Bear Paw Development Corp. to find funding for improvements and repairs to the Beaver Creek Park Beaver Lodge at Camp Kiwanis as well.

Strissel said they are also continuing to look for people to fill various board positions throughout the county, particularly the Great Northern Fair Board, which has been without a quorum for months.

He said a second round of interviews with applicants to that board is coming up soon.

He said the county is also coordinating with the state on implementing procedures and policies in preparation for the legalization of marijuana in January.

Strissel also said interim-Hill County Attorney Brian Lilletvedt is looking at a reworded version of the social host ordinance that the commission has been discussing off and on for the past few months.

He said they worked with the Substance Abuse and Misuse Coalition on the rewording, which will be presented for first reading at an upcoming meeting of the commission.

Hill County Superintendent of Schools Vicky Proctor said she’s mostly been working on Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds which a lot of schools in the area are looking to make use of.

Montana State University Hill County Extension Agent Colleen Buck said 4-H enrollment is wrapping up and they signed up 85 new Members.

Buck said this is slightly less than last year, but they got quite a few new families involved this year, so, overall, it’s about on par with a normal year.

She also talked about some community education classes she’s been working on through Havre High School, the one coming up next Monday being about planting and caring for succulents.

The class will be from 6-8 p.m. at the high school library and can be signed up for by calling 406-395-6716.

Buck said her fellow extension agent Kati Purkett will be doing similar classes in the near future.

Hill County Treasurer Sandy Brown talked about an ongoing shortage of metal used for license plates, which she believes is poised to cause significant problems in the county.

Brown said because of the shortage her department can’t issue many license plates and will instead have to give out the reflective layer printed on the metal plates instead.

Brown said she suspects this situation will be difficult to deal with for just about everyone and discouraged anyone from requesting personalized plates in the near future.

Hill County Human Resources Legal Assistant Brittany Pfeifer said the county is still accepting applications for the job of Beaver Creek Park administrative assistant, deputy county attorney, and a part-time clerk position for the Hill County Auditor’s Office.

The next monthly meeting of Hill County officials will not be until January.