Commissioners order procedure to seek abatement of scale-house tax, direct bids for weed-control contracting

Treasure County commissioners voted Feb. 20 to begin the legal procedure to seek abatement of taxes levied on the county’s Myers scale house and to pursue bids for weed-control services after extended discussion of budget, equipment and past recordkeeping.

The commission debated whether the county’s recent tax bill applied to the scale building or to the property. Speaker 3 (Committee member) moved “that we start the procedure ... to abate these taxes.” The motion was seconded by the Chair and approved by voice vote; the board asked staff to draft precise wording and bring it to the next meeting for formal action.

Why it matters: The scale has been used by local producers and is tied to county operations and maintenance costs; commissioners described prior informal contributions and long-term maintenance needs. Commissioners also expressed concern about accuracy of records, past spending of expected grant money, and whether the county should keep the equipment, pursue a tax exemption going forward, or shift operation responsibility to a user group.

Commission discussion centered on two linked operational questions: whether to retain and maintain the county scale and how to deliver weed-control services. Several commissioners described missing or outdated data-loggers and mapping hardware on a county laptop, and argued for getting bids before committing to a contract or hiring a new in-house employee. “We need to get Vince here and see what he can do,” one commissioner said, referring to a local contractor who holds a state spraying contract for nearby counties; another noted the importance of an ownership map and electronic tracking as part of any bid package.

The commissioners agreed on next steps: staff will assemble cost estimates and bid specifications for both (1) contracting weed-control services that include mapping and reporting, and (2) equipping county crews to perform the work; staff will also prepare the abatement resolution language for the Myers scale-house tax for consideration at the next regular meeting.

Notes on process and votes: The motion to begin tax abatement procedures was made by Committee member (first referenced SEG 013) and seconded by the Chair (first referenced SEG 002); the board approved the motion by voice vote (individual roll-call votes were not specified in the transcript).