Council tables budget resolutions after notice errors; staff warn about urgent wastewater SCADA needs

The Stevensville Town Council on Aug. 28 tabled motions to adopt the fiscal 2025–26 budget and to amend the 2024–25 budget after confirming the required newspaper notice had not run as published; staff cautioned the council that critical wastewater control-system work is time-sensitive. A member of the public objected during the public hearing, saying the packet listed the 2025–26 budget but the notice and packet language were inconsistent and that discussing the wrong budget could violate Montana Code Annotated sections cited in the comment (MCA 7-6-4021 and 7-1-4127). Town clerk Janelle and staff checked and said the discrepancy was a clerical error in the packet upload, and that the intended item was the 2025–26 preliminary budget. However, councilors and members of the public noted the legal-notice publication schedule; the clerk confirmed notices were scheduled for Aug. 13 and Aug. 27, but attendees said they could not find the notice in the newspaper's physical copy. MCA guidance read at the meeting (7-1-4127) says that if a newspaper fails to publish a second notice, the municipality meets the requirement if the municipality submitted the information on time and posted the notice in three designated public places and on an active municipal website at least six days before the hearing. The clerk reported the municipality's web posting and public postings met statutory backup requirements, but several attendees sought explicit confirmation that the newspaper publication requirement had been met. Because of the publication dispute and the legal importance of correct notice, council members moved to table two items: Resolution 5-74 (adopting the budget and wages for FY 2025–26) and Resolution 5-73 (amending the FY 2024–25 budget). Councilors made and seconded motions to table; after discussion the items were tabled to allow correct public notice and follow-up. The motion to table Resolution 5-74 was introduced by Council member Smith and seconded by Council member Brown. Staff also warned of an urgent equipment need: the wastewater treatment plant's SCADA/server system has been failing and requires a specific specification computer and likely a bid or contract to replace. Public works staff said they cannot order the properly specified system until the budget is approved; an IT build has been prepared but procurement depends on council approval. One staff member said the system was "down" often and that operators were "rebooting 3–4 times a day." Council discussed the possibility of a special meeting to adopt the budget or handle an emergency procurement but noted statutory posting and publication timeframes for special meetings and public notices. Next steps: Councilors instructed staff to correct the newspaper notice and reschedule the budget action after meeting the statutory publication requirements. The transcript does not record a subsequent special meeting to resolve the SCADA procurement; staff and council indicated they would pursue timely follow-up given system reliability concerns.