Page 12 - Flathead Beacon // 10.12.16

NEWS
Legislature to Consider Adding Fifth District Court Judge in
Flathead County
State o cials say growing caseload too much for judges but local court clerk says new cases are actually declining
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
The 2017 legislature is expected to consider adding ve new district court judges around the state, including here in Flathead County.
State o cials said a fth district court judge is needed in Kalispell because of a growing caseload facing the judges. But a local court o cial said they’re looking at a di erent set of numbers that actually show the number of new cases is on the decline.
Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court Mike McGrath said the district court judge caseload in Flathead County has increased by nearly 20 percent since 2009. That year, the four judges handed 4,703 new and reopened cases. In 2015,
that number increased to 5,638 cases. “These numbers are the basis for our request,” McGrath said. “There’s an obvi-
ous need.”
The last time the state added a dis-
trict court judge in Flathead County was in 2009. A recent state analysis of the court found that the county would bene t from at least two new judges, but McGrath said the judicial branch would only ask for one now.
However, Flathead County Clerk of Court Peg Allison said a di erent set of numbers tells a di erent story and she believes the Legislature will have a hard time making the case for a new judge. She said that the number of new cases led in district court has actually dropped by 3
percent, from 4,595 in 2009 to 4,441 in 2015. Through Oct. 1, there have been 3,123 new cases led in court this year.
“The judges are busy, there’s no ques- tion about that, but I don’t know if the Legislature can justify a fth judge,” Alli- son said.
But Supreme Court Administrator Beth McLaughlin said it’s important to count both new and reopened cases, because reopened cases can take just as much work as new ones. If you do count reopened cases, the workload is increasing.
District Court Judge Heidi Ulbricht has been on the bench since 2013 and said she has noticed an increased case- load since taking o ce.
“There doesn’t seem to be enough
hours in the day to deal with all of the cases we have,” Ulbricht said.
Ulbricht said Flathead County’s increasing population might be one reason the court is dealing with more cases on an annual basis, however she believes that the valley’s growing drug problem is the pri- mary culprit. According to state judicial o cials, the number of new and reopened criminal cases has increased by 22 percent.
If approved by the Legislature in 2017, the ve new judges would be elected in 2018 and take the bench the following year. The judicial branch is also asking that the Legislature consider adding new judges in Yellowstone, Missoula and Cas- cade counties.
jfranz@ atheadbeacon.com
application. It typically takes 30 to 40 days to prepare this application, Keysor said. A review committee that assem- bles on the nal Thursday of each month will then look at the application during their next scheduled meeting. The com- mittee can deny the application, or add additional conditions, often related to environmental or engineering concerns. Angela Martinez, the EDA regional grand o cer based in Denver, will make the nal call on the approval of funds.
“It’s a competitive process,” Keysor said. “(A successful application) depends on what applications ... it goes up against.”
clare@ atheadbeacon.com
Columbia Falls to Apply for $1 Million Grant for
Industrial Park Development
Plan for public infrastructure development yet to be detailed
BY CLARE MENZEL OF THE BEACON
After an Oct. 4 meeting with U.S. Eco- nomic Development Administration rep- resentative Kirk Keysor, Columbia Falls city manager Susan Nicosia says the city plans to move forward with an applica- tion for a $1 million Economic Develop- ment Assistance grant.
“The plan would be to use the funds for public infrastructure in the Colum- bia Falls Industrial Park,” Nicosia wrote in an email.
The 110-acre industrial park sits just north of BNSF Railway’s rail line through Columbia Falls, and city o cials hope the
area will foster economic development. In the wake of recent Weyerhaeuser clo- sures, the park is becoming an increas- ingly central piece of the town’s economic plan for the future. It needs paved roads, a working sewage system, and re hydrants to ourish, Nicosia said last year before the city established the zone as a Targeted Economic Development District (TEDD).
Though Keysor said he couldn’t com- ment on the full merits of the project without seeing more details, he did say he thinks it “would be competitive based on what we talked about (on Oct. 4).”
The EDA grants funds in order to pro- mote innovation and competitiveness,
preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. To be eligible for the grant, the area des- ignated by the application needs to have a 24-month unemployment rate higher than the national average, per capita income 80 percent or less of the national average, or recent layo s of at least one percent of the civilian labor force. Based on census tract information, Columbia Falls quali es on all three counts, according to Nicosia.
During the two-step application pro- cess, the city will rst submit a proposal, and about two weeks later, they’ll either receive a notice that the project is not eligible, or an invitation to submit a full
LET’S
DEVELOP
As full-service developers, let Bridgewater guide your vision, investment or project to completion with professionalism and quality.
LEARN MORE HERE: BRIDGEWATERHUB.COM • TALK TO US HERE: 406.270.2121 • [email protected]
LET’S BUILD • LET’S CONNECT • LET’S SELL • LET’S BUY • LET’S DEVELOP • LET’S BUILD • LET’S CONNECT • LET’S SELL • LET’S BUY
SPRINGHILL SUITES | KALISPELL MT
DEVELOPED BY BRIDGEWATER • CIRCA 2016
•
LET’S
DEVELO
P
12
OCTOBER 12, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM