Miller appointed to Havre City Council

Havre City Council welcomed a new member in Josh Miller at their monthly meeting Monday evening, where they voted on a number of resolutions pertaining to local issues.

Miller was appointed to the council unanimously, filling the Ward 1 seat left by Kimberly Bolta, who won the seat in late 2021, after she moved out of her ward and became ineligible to hold her seat.

After seating Miller the council heard a request by Havre resident Jim Treperinas who once again asked the council to allow him to rezone a property of his on fifth Avenue, between 14th and 16th streets to allow for a new location for the Havre Food Bank.

Treperinas has been pushing for this change for months saying his desire is to give the Havre Food Bank a new, more central location to operate.

In last month’s meeting Treperinas said that District 4 Human Resources Development Council fully supported the effort and that their board had voted to proceed with the location, but HRDC has since clarified that no vote was taken and Treperinas apologized for the mistake.

At Monday’s meeting he said he’d still like to rezone the property in preparation for the possible move, and his son George Treperinas spoke in favor of the rezoning, as did Bob Sivertsen and former city councilperson Bob Kaul, who both said the Treperinas’ are supporters of the community and hoped the council would help them.

“He’s always looking for some way some how to promote Havre, to make Havre a better place,” Kaul said.

However, the rezoning was opposed by many members of the council including councilperson Lindsey Ratliff who said she admires Jim Treperinas’ commitment to the community but recent conversations she’s had make it impossible for her to support the rezoning.

Ratliff said she’s recently spoken with multiple members of HRDC’s board as well at the organization’s director who have made it clear to her that, while Treperinas’ offer was much appreciated, the location he’s offering is not one they can use.

She said she’s been told one of the reasons is because the food bank doesn’t bring in any revenue so it would be unable to lease a space and would need to build its own location, and the one they are currently looking at is between Oakwood Village and the old North Star Dodge location.

She said she appreciates Treperinas’ desire to help the community but she can’t support the rezoning in light of the lack of support from relevant stakeholders, as well as the fact that the zoning board recommended against it.

The rezoning was ultimately voted down 3-4. Councilpersons Miller, Denise Brewer and Heather Parker voted for the rezoning, with Ratliff, Ed Matter, Sarah McKinney and Derek Eldridge voting against.

Councilperson Andrew Brekke was absent from the meeting.

The council also approved a resolution calling for a public meeting to considering a municipal water and wastewater system rate increase.

Havre Mayor Doug Kaercher said the city’s wastewater will be out of compliance with the covenant for its bond by the end of the year and they need to do something to fix that.

“We don’t really have much of a choice but to get that rate up to meet that covenant,” Kaercher said.

He said the city is working on or looking at several projects to improve the system but they need more resources to continue.

He said users will be sent more information once a number for the potential increase is nailed down.

The meeting is scheduled for May 2 at 6:30 p.m. The council also approved a request by the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce for road closure within city limits for the 2022 Bear Paw Marathon.

After the meeting the council also held a hearing on Bear Paw Development Corp.’s Needs Assessment for a Community Development Block Grant the city is hoping to get.

Bear Paw Development Community Planning and Brownsfields Director Sara Strissel told the council it is a necessary step in the process of applying for the grant to make sure they identify any other potential projects the grant can be used for with the public’s help.

Strissel said the grant in question is for the construction and rehabilitation of infrastructure and facilities, but it does have significant restrictions, primarily that it must primarily benefit low-to-moderate income people.

She said the city itself doesn’t meet this qualification because less than 51 percent of its residents are below the poverty line, with the city currently sitting at 40.3 percent.

She said this eliminates a lot of potential projects, but they can work around this by focusing on ones that primarily benefit underserved communities within the city.

While Bear Paw Development is always doing needs assessments for various grants and programs, Strissel said, they are looking at possibly using this one to help the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line.

At the meeting Havre Police Cheif Gabe Matosich also took some time to honor one of his officers in Jordan Chroniger, whom he said went above and beyond in a recent investigation that drew the praise of one of Havre’s citizens whom he helped in his off hours.

“You have a good, caring officer in Jordan,” Matosich said reading off of a letter. “He not only took the time, but cared to care for the citizens he protects and serves. He’s a good man and well represents what a peace officer should be.”

He presented a certificate of commendation to Chroniger and a pin for his uniform.