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Fergus County commissioners approve labor deal, permits, fees and board appointments
Summary
At their Sept. 25 meeting, Fergus County commissioners approved a collective bargaining agreement with deputies, multiple floodplain permits, an updated planning fee schedule, two resolutions and appointments to the planning and TIFF boards; vote tallies were not specified in the transcript.
Fergus County commissioners on Sept. 25 approved a series of routine actions including a collective bargaining agreement for sheriff's office employees, multiple floodplain permits, updates to the county planning office fee schedule and several board appointments.
The body voted to accept a collective bargaining agreement between the Fergus County Sheriff's Office and Teamsters Local No. 2. Commissioners said the agreement keeps wages tied to the sheriff's pay scale, adds modest increases to clothing and equipment allowances, raised the night differential by $0.50 and provided a 1% increase for sergeants and lieutenants to preserve supervisory differentials. The motion to approve was moved and seconded and carried; the transcript does not record individual vote tallies.
Commissioners also removed and approved the conditional letter for the South McDonald Creek minor subdivision after staff and the applicant demonstrated utility availability and addressed previously noted variances. Earlier in the meeting the board approved multiple floodplain permits presented on the agenda, including the Honeydew Lane permit and permit 04205; staff described those items as straightforward and said permits validate work already completed when appropriate elevation certificates are on file.
The board adopted Resolution 18, 2025, authorizing participation in the Montana Board of Investments short-term investment pool so the county treasurer can reconcile statements and access pooled accounting statements. Separately, Resolution 19, 2025, appointing a special deputy county attorney was approved; commissioners said such outside appointments are used periodically to avoid conflicts of interest, though the transcript did not record the underlying case name.
The Fergus County Planning Office fee schedule was updated to add a consulting fee structure and to adjust several review fees. Staff described the new consulting options as: basic land-use consultation (30 minutes, $50), subdivision consultation (one hour, $100), and floodplain consulting ($100 per hour). The county also adjusted certificate-of-survey review arrangements, reducing outside consultant charges by using in-house review and lowering the vendor fee to $400.
On appointments, the commission confirmed Deanna Robbins to a planning board seat (replacing Sunny Komas on the conservation district position) and appointed Megan Bartell to the county's Tax Increment Finance (TIFF) Board after interviews and recommendation by the interview committee.
Most motions were moved, seconded and approved during the meeting; the transcript records that votes were taken with "all in favor" but does not provide roll-call tallies or named vote records. Commissioners closed the meeting after confirming upcoming meeting dates.
