Hill County moves out of fire restrictions

At 12:01 this morning, Hill County moved out of Stage 1 fire restrictions and into a burn ban, effectively moving back to the restrictions that were in place before the Eagle Creek Fire broke out in September.

Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson said this change comes at the request of area fire chiefs.

Commissioner Diane McLean said the primary effect of this change is that it allows people to have campfires again.

The commission also discussed progress on a survey that retraces the property boundaries around the Milk River Levee, which is part of the county’s ongoing efforts to ensure the structure is certified by the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers.

If the levee isn’t certified by the corps, people determined to be in the floodplain, including much of Havre and the surrounding area, could be required to buy flood insurance, an expense many cannot afford.

The matter of the survey was tabled until next week at the suggestion of Hill County Clerk and Recorder Sue Armstrong as the official report wasn’t scheduled to arrive until early next week.

Commissioners said they are eager to get this done, as it is a significant step forward for the project, one that will allow them to address the encroachments that, in part, cause the corps to refuse certification of the levee.

“This is a big step,” McLean said.

The commission also discussed an annual $3,000 grant the county received for safety equipment through the state’s WorkSafe Champions Program.

McLean said everyone who submitted requests for the use of the money should get at least some of what they asked for, and they were able to come within a few dollars of using the full $3,000.

She thanked Hill County Commission Executive Assistant Sheri Williams for getting them the grant during the time she was the county safety coordinator earlier this year, and the current safety coordinator Britany Pfeifer for following through on it.

Williams, a Democrat, is running against McLean, a Republican, and independent Les Odegard for McLean’s seat on the commission in the upcoming election.