City council approves officers, event road closures

At its monthly meeting Monday evening, Havre City Council confirmed new police officers, heard updates on committee discussions and approved road closures for upcoming events .

Havre Police Chief Gabe Matosich introduced Buck Easley and Sean O’Connell and said both of them had made it through their probation periods and would be assets to the department.

Matosich said Easley performed exceptionally well in his time at the department so far and has demonstrated a willingness to sacrifice his personal time when the department needed help.

As for O’Connell, he said, he believes that ideal officers must exhibit exemplary work ethic, a wide range of skills and a talent for engaging effectively with fellow officers and the public and O’Connell has all three.

Both were confirmed unanimously.

The council also approved requests by the American Legion Riders to close Second Avenue from First Street to the alley entrance for their Street Dance and Motorcycle Show and Shine.

Council members also approved a request by Independence Bank to close Third Street from Fifth Avenue to just east of the bank’s drive-up exit for its Community Appreciation Barbecue.

They also ratified a collective bargaining agreement with the local American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union and approved a resolution affirming their active participation in the Bear Paw Economic Development District.

During the meeting the council also heard updates from the council’s committees, including the Ordinance Committee, which met last month to gather public comments on a proposal to allow ownership of chickens inside city limits.

In recent months, Havre resident Al Garver has asked the council to consider allowing people in the city to own chickens, gathering over 400 signatures in an online petition, around 250 of which were from people living inside city limits.

While some members of the council have indicated a desire to put the matter on a ballot for voters to decide, Garver has said he doesn’t understand why they can’t just do an ordinance instead and has expressed frustration with the council’s resistance to the idea.

Members of the council in turn have expressed frustration with supporters of the proposal for not showing up to meetings, including the last meeting of the ordinance committee which drew only one supporter of the proposal along with six who opposed it.

Garver could not attend that meeting due to requirements of his job that required him to be at another event.

At Monday’s meeting council and ordinance committee member Andrew Brekke said they still haven’t heard anything from Garver since the meeting and that, along with the lack of support at that meeting indicates to them that there is not as much support for the proposal as the petition may indicate.

He said he’s not sure there is a need to move forward on the matter, but they have taken the comments they received at the meeting under advisement and will tell the council if they decide to hold another meeting.

The council also heard from the Streets and Sidewalks Committee about plans to put stop signs at the intersection of 9th Street and 11th Avenue and at the intersection of Second Street and Montana Avenue along with a more visible crosswalk and blinking sign for the latter.

Council and committee member Denise Brewer said the city’s legal team is looking over the plans now.