City Council: Winter Prep has Begun, Departments give Quarterly Reports

The Tuesday, October 22 meeting of the Malta City Council opened with the pledge to the flag. Mayor John Demarais and all four council members, Laura Pankratz, Bill Hicks, David Rummel and Bonnie Wiederrick were present.

Also in attendance were PWD Jim Truelove, City Rec Director Sally Wright, Davy Conlon, Heidi Sjostrom, Molly Sjostrom, Max Sjostrom, Gemma Wright, Amanda Carnahan, and Jamison Carnahan. Sheriff Jerry Lytle joined the meeting at a point in time, as did Deputy Jordan Arthur.

After the floor opened for public comment and there being none, Demarais stated he had no communication to share and the meeting progressed.

Hicks moved to accept the minutes as presented, seconded by Rummel; motion passed. Pankratz moved to accept the agenda for the meeting, seconded by Wiederrick; motion passed. Wiederrick moved to accept the claims for payment, seconded by Pankratz; motion carried.

PWD Truelove opened his report by providing an update on the work completed by the City crew. The sprinklers have been blown and are winterized, the restroom bathrooms are closed and the lagoon has been winterized.

Truelove said the leaves are being bagged and he plans to have the downtown area done before winter sets in. He added the crew is still blading alleys, as well.

The order Truelove placed for hot patch has yet to arrive, it seems to be in high demand at this time.

Truelove said work will begin on the alleyway between the Senior Citizen Center and the VFW. There is a three to four inch shift and difference in the concrete slab levels, creating a hazard for the public, especially the elderly that use the Senior Citizen Center and the Food Bank.

City Clerk Lorie Bond provided the council members with the packets for the meeting.

The first department with a report was that of Law Enforcement and it was provided by Sheriff Lytle who handed out a print out of the last quarter of action for his office. His office had responded to 1,063 calls, with 49.48% of those being in the city limits. His officers had received 214 hours of training through various means.

Contained in his report were Service Calls for the City of Dodson: 109; City of Malta: 526; City of Saco: 55; City of Whitewater: 8; and City of Zortman: 37.

In the City of Malta, calls responded to included: criminal possession of drug paraphernalia; one and two vehicle traffic crashes; partner or family member assault; revocation of a suspended sentence; probation violation; forgery; sexual intercourse without consent; arouse or gratify sexual response; privacy in communication; possessing intoxicating substance while under the age of 21; sexual intercourse without consent, victim under 12, incest; coroner case; criminal defamation; violation of a protection order; sexual; abuse of children, victim under 16; false reports to law enforcement; and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The City of Whitewater had a coroner’s case and the City of Zortman had assault with a weapon case.

Lytle stated he has one new deputy and still has two openings to be filled. Suzie Johnson was hired to fill the advocate position for youth and presently has an office in the Business Center. The advocate will cover an extensive area, covering multiple counties.

Deputy Jordan Arthur joined the meeting and went around the room shaking hands and introducing himself. He stated that he has enjoyed his time in Malta. It was the hunting that brought him here; he and his wife have two daughters and one on the way.

Demarais mentioned the request that Lytle had made for additional funding for his office. Lytle said he won’t be able to hire or keep officers at the pay scale that is in place now. The possible candidates are drawn to a better salary.

Sally Wright, programs director for the Parks and Recreation Department reported on activities from her work. The activities with the largest attendance was the summer tumbling and gymnastics with 75 students; Martial Arts – 22 students; youth soccer had 69 and soccer camp included 33 kids.

Youth basketball now has 71 kids.

Moving on to new business Rummel moved to appoint Laura Pankratz as the Council contact for the Hi-Line Futures Foundation. Motion was seconded by Wiederrick, and motion passed with a 4-0 vote.

Rummel moved to approve Draw 2 of $20,000 for the SFR Loan – Trafton Force Main Project, seconded by Hicks. Motion passed 4-0.

Wiederrick moved to accept Resolution 1368, a Resolution Adopting the 2023 Montana Central Region Hazard Mitigation Plan; seconded by Pankratz and this motion passed with a 4-0 vote.

The council discussed Option 1 and 2 in the options available for the City of Malta Floodplain Map Choices and Rummel provided a motion to accept Option 1, seconded by Wiederrick and this motion passed 4-0.

Youth from the Malta Mustang Wrestling Club were on the agenda to inquire as to using the Event Center free of charge for their upcoming season. Speaking on behalf of the wrestling club were Gemma Wright, Max Sjostrom and Jamison Carnahan. Hicks and Pankratz provided the motion and second to allowing the use of the Center at no charge, and the motion passed.

Mayor Demarais presented each of the youth with a challenge (memorial) coin.

Wiederrick made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Hicks and the meeting closed.

The next meeting of the council is set for Tuesday, November 12, at 5 p.m.