Page 12 - Flathead Beacon // 2.3.16

NEWS
CITY BEAT
BROWNING
City Closes O ces Amid Financial Crisis
The city of Browning was closed on Feb. 1, nearly a week after the mayor told its seven employees he couldn’t a ord to keep paying them anymore.
On Monday, Browning Mayor William Morris told the Beacon that city o ces were closed that day but he declined to speak further about the nancial trou- bles his town faces. He said he did not know if or when the o ces would reopen.
In December, the town announced that it was on the verge of bankruptcy and has even considered disincorporation. In a press release posted online, town o - cials blamed the Blackfeet Tribal Busi- ness Council for most of its struggles, spe- ci cally on an ongoing legal battle over water and utility services in Browning.
For the last few years, questions have arisen about who owns the water system in Browning following a multi-million dollar expansion that was spearheaded by the town and the tribe. Unresolved lawsuits have been lodged from both sides in tribal and federal courts. Tribal o cials dispute the claims that they are at fault for the town’s troubles.
If the town does go under, it is likely that Glacier County would have to start providing services like plowing and street repair.
About 1,000 people live in Brown- ing, located in the heart of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
FLATHEAD
Opponents to Flathead Lake Bridge Seek Its Removal
The attorneys representing a group of citizens concerned about a bridge on the north end of Flathead Lake have written a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- neers seeking another cease-and-desist order from the agency.
In the letter to ACE Montana pro- gram manager Todd Tillinger, attorney Donald Murray asked the Corps to call for the removal of a road built in the land on the lake’s north shore, as well as the entire bridge that has been built from the mainland to Dockstader Island.
The bridge, built by Roger Sortino and his family, has become a source of conten- tion in the valley. The county approved the lakeshore construction permit in 2011, and that permit has been extended four times since.
Last January, the commission approved an extension that would last until June 1. The developers requested
LIBBY
Mayor, City Council Members Sue Political Practices Commissioner
The mayor of Libby and ve current and former city councilors have led a petition for judicial review against the Montana Commissioner of Political Prac- tices nearly a year after Jonathan Motl accused them of violating election laws.
The lawsuit, led in Lincoln County District Court last week, alleges that Motl misinterpreted state laws and unfairly targeted Mayor Doug Roll and ve coun- cilors when he accused them of support- ing a lawsuit against then-mayoral can- didate Allen Olsen in 2013. Vicky Law- rence, Bill Bischo , Barb Desch, Peggy Williams, and Robin Benson are named as petitioners, along with Roll.
In 2013, just weeks before the Novem- ber election, then-city attorney James Reintsma led a lawsuit against coun- cilmen Olsen who was running against Roll at the time. In the lawsuit, Reintsma alleged that Olsen did not live in the city of Libby and thus could not run for mayor. The election went forward anyway and Roll beat Olsen by just 13 votes.
During a trial in 2014, a Lincoln County judge determined that Olsen did indeed live in the city of Libby at the time of the election. Less than a month after the decision, former council candidate Arlen Magill led a political practices complaint against the city attorney, argu- ing that Reintsma broke election laws.
In May 2015, Motl issued his ruling
a new extension on May 15. On June 3, 2015, the commission unanimously approved the new permit extension, which will last until June 1, 2016.
The Community Association for North Shore Conservation (CANSC) led a law- suit in Flathead County District Court against the county and the commission, claiming the county unlawfully issued a permit for the bridge in 2011.
Murray, the lawyer for CANSC, said in his Jan. 20 letter to the Corps that the most-recent plan to come from Sortino is an 800-feet long, 16-feet wide gravel road from Holt Drive to the connecting point of the bridge.
Murray contends in his letter that the Corps should put a stop to any further con- struction due to the wetlands on the prop- erty coming to harm, as well as the piece- meal construction of the bridge having a greater a ect than each individual part.
In a di erent letter addressed to the Flathead County Planning and Zon- ing director and the Flathead County
that stated that not only had Reintsma violated the law but so to had Roll and ve members of the council. According to the lawsuit led last week, Motl o ered to settle the accusations for $5,000 from each person named in the decision.
In the petitioners’ lawsuit, they insist that they never directed Reintsma (who
Attorney’s O ce, Murray outlines rea- sons why he believes the county misin- terpreted the de nition of “lakeshore protection zone” in the county’s Lake and Lakeshore Protection Regulations.
FLATHEAD
County to Consider Formal Creation of Doughnut Zones
On Feb. 11, the Flathead County Com- mission will discuss adopting perma- nent text amendments and the creation of a new zoning district to account for the land surrounding the city of White- sh that is now under county regulation.
The land, referred to as the doughnut, came under county control after a state Supreme Court decision in 2014. Not long after the court decision, the county enacted interim zoning for the land that was previously zoned under White sh regulations.
Under emergency zoning, the county put in place the zones that matched most closely to those that White sh had put in
has since moved on to another job) to sue Olsen prior to the election. They also note that the lawsuit is the only way for them to respond since there is no appeals pro- cess for decisions made by the Commis- sioner of Political Practices.
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place while drawing up a new zoning map and text amendments for the area.
Since then, the county has held numer- ous meetings about the proposed zone and text amendments, leading up to the Feb. 11 meeting. During that meeting, the commission is scheduled to discuss the issue, as well as consider adopting a res- olution of intent for the text amendments to the Flathead County Zoning Regula- tions as well as creating the Rural White- sh Zoning District.
A resolution of intent indicates the direction the commission would like to go with a certain issue, and by passing one, the county typically starts a com- ment period on the issue. This means the Feb. 11 vote won’t be the nal decision on the amendments and new zoning district, but the process is drawing to a close.
The commission is scheduled to meet at 10:30 a.m. at its o ce in Kalispell to dis- cuss the resolutions of intent. For more information, visit www. athead.mt.gov.
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ZINKE TOURS APPLIED MATERIALS
Scott Osterman, right, strategic marketing director at Applied Materials in Kalispell, discusses business
with U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke. In addition to Zinke’s visit to Applied Materials, the congressman also met with juniors and seniors at Flathead High School and attended the Veterans Winter Warm-Up event, which collects blankets and winter coats for homeless veterans. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
NEWS
COUNTY BEAT
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FEBRUARY 3, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM