Hill County Commisssion discusses better outreach

The Hill County Commission had a long discussion in a working meeting Monday about how to better engage with the public and keep them informed of the county’s dealings, as well as the possible implications of a road name change.

The conversation about public relations was prompted by a letter from Montana Department of Transportation Havre Area Senior Engineer Project Manager Mike Moore, which said he was doing a survey in preparation for a presentation he will soon make.

Among the survey questions was one about how the county educates the public on what they are doing.

Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson said most people know they advertise and send out notices through traditional media, but they are still facing criticism about not keeping the public informed enough.

Peterson said he thinks this question merits a discussion about how the county engages with the public and what, if anything, they can do to improve, especially with the upcoming election which will feature a request for more tax money for the Hill County Road Department.

Commissioner Jake Strissel said he thinks they should hold meetings in the outlying towns in Hill County, similar to what they did when considering issues regarding ambulance service funding back in 2020.

Strissel said the complicating factor is the commission’s schedule, which is completely packed, making it difficult to do things like that.

Commissioner Sheri Williams suggested they try to schedule meetings to better accommodate people’s working lives, which often make it difficult to come to things they could be interested in, or have something to say about.

Hill County Levee Manager Clay Vincent, who was at the meeting, suggested the commission try to recruit prominent community members in those towns to help spread the word about issues which may help boost public interest and engagement.

Peterson said the county could create a designated web page specifically for keeping residents up to date on goings-on, but Vincent said that approach is too impersonal.

The conversation turned to the subject of communicating with the public about county roads specifically, which Williams said is the most consistent complaint she hears from residents.

Strissel said some school systems in the area track, or used to track, the location of their buses in real time, which was a real asset to parents trying to keep track of things.

He said he wonders if they can’t do something similar with road graders, which would not only let people know what areas may be difficult to travel at any given time, but will show people that work is being done, even if they aren’t seeing it.

Hill County Planner Julie Anez said the commission might consider getting involved with the popular local Facebook group Havre’s Questions, Comments & Concerns, which many people use to find out what’s going on locally or get questions answered.

Strissel said the county doesn’t really engage with social media much and doing so might help, an idea that most at the meeting seemed interested in.

During the discussion, Peterson questioned the validity of the criticism the county often gets regarding how they notice things to the public, pointing to the lack of attendance at various meetings.

“Is it our problem?” he said. “Are we just taking this problem on our shoulders, when it’s really that the public isn’t interested until it’s over and done with, and then they have an issue.”

During the meeting the commission also discussed a request recently made to keep bylaws for the county’s various boards on file at their office.

Williams said that is not a requirement of the commission and it might be easier to have all of those posted on the county’s new website instead.

At the meeting the commission also discussed a request by a resident to name a stretch of a road they live on, a road that was effectively an extended driveway to their house, but will soon have another house built on it.

The commission discussed the matter, with Peterson and Vincent expressing concern that the change could create difficulties in recordkeeping and potentially create a problem for local emergency services.

They said the addresses used in the county are assigned based on the location of the property which makes it easy for EMS to know where they are even if they don’t know the area.

Williams said the only change is the road’s name and she questioned whether the commission has the authority to approve the change one way or the other, as the road is private.

Vincent said the road is only privately maintained and said he’s not aware of any other body that could make that decision.

After some discussion, Strissel suggested they look into the laws and make sure that they are clear on what the commission can actually do.

Also during the meeting, Hill County Clerk and Recorder Lexis Dockter asked the commission to address getting a new outside auditing service, as they only have two months left on their current contract and will need a new one.

Dockter said that there are not a lot of firms that provide the service and they need to get moving on finding one, especially as prices are expected to more than double this year.

The commission also discussed a letter from local resident Bob Sivertsen asking them to facilitate a meeting between himself and Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., a matter that also led to some disagreement among the commissioners.

The letter says he has been trying to meet with Tester to discuss northern Montana and “Enhancing it’s Economic Future” (sic) in the wake of a lack of leadership from the state’s elected officials.

Peterson said he doesn’t believe the county should get involved in the matter, and that this is something that is between Sivertsen and Tester’s office.

Williams said the commission requests to speak with legislators all the time and she doesn’t see how this is any different.

No agreement on the matter was reached.