Cut Bank council approves routine resolutions, debates sidewalk special fund, rooster restriction and social-media policy

The Cut Bank City Council met in a July work session and approved several routine resolutions while spending substantial time clarifying how the city’s special sidewalk fund operates, considering an explicit prohibition on roosters in the domestic-fowl ordinance, and discussing a formal social-media policy for city accounts and staff.

Whitney, speaking in the work session, summarized the sidewalk rules and the purpose of the special fund: “Just wanted to update every we've gotten a lot of questions about this special sidewalk fund, and there was some confusion about the ordinances that we were operating under.” She told the council there are two separate ordinances: 8-1-4, which addresses repair of dangerous or impassable sidewalks and assigns responsibility to property owners, and 8-2-1, which establishes a special sidewalk fund that applies only when the council orders new sidewalk construction. Under the latter, property owners may be assessed costs when the council orders work.

The discussion focused on who the fund serves and how it would be administered. Council members and staff debated whether the fund should be structured to provide loans or direct payments to homeowners who lack financing, and whether unpaid amounts should become liens or be added to tax rolls. Staff noted the ordinance dates to about 2006 and that the city has few records of council-ordered new sidewalks outside special districts since the Safe Routes to School grant work years earlier. Council members also raised equity and enforcement concerns: notifying owners, how to prioritize sidewalks near parks and schools, and whether the fund’s written language needs amendment to match the original intent.

During public comment, resident Verne Palmer, 20 Fourth Street, said a recent newspaper item led several residents to believe the city would front sidewalk costs and that at least six people had approached him under that impression: “They thought they could get the money from the city, then pay the city back.” Councilmembers and staff responded that no final decisions had been made and that the discussion was intended to clarify options before any formal resolution or program design.

On animal control, council members discussed the domestic-fowl ordinance (code cited in the session as 6-3-2). The ordinance currently prohibits domestic fowl from trespassing and allows nuisance-animal enforcement for noise; it does not specifically ban roosters. Multiple council members and members of the public urged adding an explicit prohibition on roosters to ease enforcement, while others noted the nuisance-animal provisions can be applied where ongoing noise causes disturbance. Staff said revising the ordinance would require drafting language and bringing it back to council for formal action.

Council also discussed adopting a clearer social-media policy for official city accounts. One councilmember argued city pages should be “nonpartisan, inclusive, and service oriented,” and staff confirmed an employee social-media policy exists but that the city’s public pages would benefit from formal guidelines and legal review to avoid First Amendment conflicts. Staff recommended consulting local government services for model policies and returning a draft to council.

On motions and resolutions, the council approved the consent agenda (minutes from July 7, payroll summary for 07/17/2025 of $112,068.79, and claims through 07/17/2025 totaling $304,373.32). The council moved to approve a multi-year audit contract with Scott & Associates through 06/30/2027 after staff noted difficulty finding auditors and possible cost increases. The council passed Resolution 2025-07 authorizing signatures for the Citibank operating account, approved Resolution 2025-08 adopting the Central Montana Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan 2024–2029, and approved Resolution 2025-09 calling the municipal general election; all were carried by voice votes.

Other items touched on during the session included regular department reports (building and police), grant and port-authority grant-cycle planning, and a brief public-health note encouraging MMR vaccinations after recent measles reports in the region. The meeting concluded after additional public comments about airport authority membership and composting options.

Next steps: staff will draft recommended ordinance language if council wants to pursue a rooster ban, return with options to define eligibility and administration of any sidewalk special-fund program, and prepare a draft social-media policy for council review. Routine resolutions approved at the session take effect according to their stated processes.