Council approves Festival Days road closure

The Havre City Council voted on a number of routine ordinances, resolutions and requests Monday before addressing the concerns of a city resident regarding her desire to use her home as an Airbnb.

The council approved a request by the Heil family to close Third Street between Second and Fourth avenues within city limits Sept. 16 for this year’s Steve Heil Memorial Car Show, part of Havre Festival Days.

Council member Andrew Brekke, who ran the meeting in the absence of Havre Mayor Doug Kaercher who was not feeling well, said this is a request they receive every year and it passed unanimously.

An ordinance to amend Havre City Code regarding concealed carry in public places also passed unanimously.

Brekke said this amendment brings them into compliance with recent laws passed by the state legislature allowing for concealed carry in public lands, but not public buildings.

After these votes the council also heard a request from Havre resident Samantha Brownlee, who said she wants to use a room of her house as an Airbnb, but has run into trouble.

Brownlee said her home is in a zone that prohibits such things and she was hoping to talk to the council about perhaps finding a way to allow her to do it.

She said she understands if the council wants to put some restrictions on such operations but she wants to see if they’d be willing to allow it.

Brekke said he would call a meeting of the council’s ordinance committee to address her request.

Before adjourning the meeting he also said the council would be meeting Aug. 12 at 7 for a second reading of an ordinance to put a question on this year’s ballot on whether Havre should move to a council-manager form of government.

He said the council would also be meeting Aug. 15 for a budget hearing.