Page 17 - Flathead Beacon // 12.24.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS UPLIFTING RIDE
DECEMBER 24, 2014 | 17
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Skiers ride the Olympic chairlift on opening day at Blacktail Mountain Ski Area.
GREG LINDSTROM FLATHEAD BEACON
Municipal Matters
A recap of recent city council and county commission meetings
KALISPELL
•The city council last week voted unanimously to expand the light maintenance district to include all properties in city limits. The ex- pansion, which will amount to the first rate increase in the district since 2003, will raise an addition- al $149,000 that city officials say is necessary for street lights through- out the community. The expansion will mean all properties within 300 feet of a city maintained street light will be charged $0.0033 per square foot of property, and prop- erties not within 300 feet of a city maintainted street light will be charged $0.00165 per square foot. The increase will mean an average household near a street light will be charged an additional $2-$3 annu- ally, according to city officials.
• The city council once again tabled a proposed ordinance that would require pawn shops and other sec- ondhand stores to file items elec- tronically with the police depart- ment in an effort to combat thefts. The council disagreed over the punishment for those that fail to comply with the requirements. The ordinance will be discussed at a lat- er meeting.
FLATHEAD COUNTY
• Recycling in Flathead County will be consolidated now that the Flat- head County Solid Waste District has decided to phase out recycling bins at green box sites at Ashley Lake, Coram, Bigfork, and Lake- side. The blue bins at Columbia Falls, Creston, and Somers’ green- box sites will remain. The changes go into effect on Jan. 1. The Bigfork site is shutting down until the new green box site is built.
•Local and state public health of- ficials are seeing a significant in- crease in the number of confirmed influenza cases being reported across the state, the city-county health department announced last week. As of Dec. 12, almost every county and tribal health depart- ment has reported cases to the state health department. This signals an early start to influenza season for Montana. A similar pattern is be- ing seen across the country with several states reporting outbreaks and an increase in hospitalizations. Montana has seen this as well with 38 reported hospitalizations so far. Early data from the Centers for Dis- ease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that the 2014-2015 season
could be severe and public health officials are reminding everyone to takes steps to protect themselves and others. The best protection against influenza continues to be vaccination, county officials said. Depending on the vaccine an indi- vidual receives, protection against three or four types, or strains, of in- fluenza is included. Although there is concern this year that one strain being seen is not a perfect match with the vaccine, public health of- ficials remind everyone that more than one strain is circulating and even a less than perfect match still offers some degree of protection for vaccinated persons. Vaccination protects against severe illness and hospitalization.
COLUMBIA FALLS
• The city council unanimously agreed to send a letter to Gov. Steve Bullock and the state Department of Environmental Quality seek- ing the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company plant site be placed on the National Priorities List for cleanup as a Superfund site.
• The council agreed to hold a public hearing on Jan. 5 over potential re- visions to the city’s fire code.