Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Solid Waste topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Broadwater County reviews draft solid‑waste business assessment policy; public hearing language and county building charges debated
Summary
Public Works Director T.J. Gravely presented a draft resolution and fee schedule to classify businesses and assign solid‑waste assessment units; commissioners and staff discussed how county buildings will be assessed and were told the proposal returns for decision next week with an earlier public hearing notice in the draft resolution.
T.J. Gravely, Broadwater County Public Works Director, presented a draft resolution and proposed business assessment fee schedule for the Broadwater County Solid Waste District and asked commissioners to consider classifications and assessment counts for businesses, institutions and county facilities.
Gravely identified the process as an eight‑month effort to “make everything fair and transparent for the public for businesses” and read the draft resolution into the record. The resolution text, as read aloud, cited Montana Code Annotated provisions (including “07/13231 MCA” and references to sections 07‑20‑11 and 07‑13‑209 as read in the draft) and stated that a public hearing would be held; the draft contained several date references (the text included a May 28 hearing date and also included language saying a hearing “was held” May 25 in the draft reading).
The proposed schedule classifies assessment units and applies them to property types. Key items in the draft included: one assessment per single dwelling unit; a minimum of two assessments per business; hotels, motels and bed‑and‑breakfasts charged one assessment per five rooms; schools charged one assessment per 35 students; and campgrounds charged one assessment per parcel or one per five spaces for commercial campgrounds. The draft also sets graduated assessment counts for storage warehouses and lists many business types assigned one, two, three, four or ten assessment units in the attached schedule.
Gravely said the Solid Waste enterprise has been in deficit and “what we wanna do is define… these businesses moving forward” so the district can recoup costs. He told commissioners the department is not a free service and that the Solid Waste operation must be run “like a private business.”
Commissioners discussed how to treat county‑owned buildings. Gravely proposed that the sheriff’s office be charged one assessment, the jail three assessments (because the jail generates considerably more waste), the courthouse four assessments, the Flynn Building and road shop half an assessment each, and public health one assessment. He noted previous practice did not consistently charge per residential unit for multi‑unit buildings and said the draft attempts to close that gap.
Commissioners and staff clarified operational points: Tri‑County (private/third‑party hauler) picks up city collection and delivers it to the county transfer station; the county covers fuel, wear‑and‑tear and tipping fees when hauling to Lewis and Clark County; canister/transfer sites are now staffed; and the public was urged to contact Public Works with questions. Gravely said the item would return for a decision next week and encouraged people with questions to raise them before the vote.
No vote on the resolution occurred at this meeting; Gravely said a public hearing and final action will be scheduled and the draft will be revised to address comments from commissioners and the public.
