Council Working to Better Communicate with Residents on Town Issues

The monthly Town Council meeting had more resident attendance than usual on Monday, November 18th. Over a dozen residents filled the Town Hall; usual attendance for the monthly meetings hovers around four or five audience members.

Instead of Mayor Mary Janacaro-Hensleigh’s usual report, the Mayor turned the floor over to Councilman Bill Lanes, who addressed town issues voiced via social media.

“There’s been much discussion on social media regarding Town matters. Seldom have the loudest voices online come to public meetings, called the Town Office, Mayor, or a person on the Town Council. The facts are simple. Town Meetings are public, and nothing secretive has occurred,” Lanes said. Lanes noted that “the burden of responsibility lies on each of us as residents, so please get involved, volunteer, serve on a committee, run for office, attend meetings, and speak up during public comment.”

Lanes continued, adding that the top five concerns voiced on social media were water quality, animal control issues, law enforcement presence, Town spending and budgets, and the Town Hall’s office hours.

Lanes then described the newly installed security camera system in detail. The Town Council approved it at the June 2024 meeting but recently discussed it online.

Security cameras are located on town property: the Rec Complex, the Town Hall, the Public Works building, the swimming pool, Legion Park, and the sewer lagoon and well houses. Again, the June 2024 meeting approved the $56,000 cost of the system.

Public Works Director Kory Klapan noted that quotes were also requested from security services in Butte and Bozeman. The cost, Klapan said, is primarily in licensing the cameras. Butte and Bozeman’s quotes came in at $17,000 for a three-year bid, while Pine Cove Consulting’s bid was $35,000 for a 10-year licensing package for 13 cameras, with the remainder of the bid going toward the purchase and installation of the cameras.

“The $56,000 is not a per-year expense or for just the purchase and installation - the cost lies in the licensing,” Klapan said. It was also mentioned that these cameras are on an alert system, which those departments maintain the cameras affect (i.e. Pool manager Kelley Seccomb accesses the cameras at the pool in the event of an incident.)

Lanes said the decision to install cameras was based on protecting taxpayer properties from theft and vandalism, safety on Town properties, and protecting the town’s youth. The video footage can be accessed in the event of a crime, accident, or other incident. No audio is recorded and all footage is stored via the cloud.

Funding for the security cameras was secured through the Whitehall Tax Increment Fund (TIF), except for the cameras at the sewer lagoon, which came out of the water/sewer fund. At the June 17, 2024 Town Council meeting, a discussion was held with little or no input from the public and was approved by the Council.

“This action was taken with full transparency, unlike the past administration that secretly installed cameras, which led to a serious lawsuit,” Lanes concluded.

Klapan commented on the recent chlorination of the town’s water due to bacteria found in a water sample test. The DEQ procedure was followed, and new samples were scheduled to be taken on Tuesday, November 19. Klapan added that very few towns in Montana do not chlorinate their water, and once the town’s new water treatment facility is installed, Whitehall will chlorinate its water full-time.

Klapan also addressed the recent concrete installation in front of the Public Works building and the building renovations (roof, concrete, front awning). The town garnered a $105,000 SLIPA grant, which was dedicated to building maintenance only. This grant was also used for the Whitehall Country Store and new rollup doors at the Public Works building.

CONSENT AGENDA:

• Conditional non-residential 32 sq. ft sign - approved, David Fike

• Fresh Look Staining & Painting - business license approved

• TIF $4,000 - approved, Town of Whitehall concrete slab

• TIF $10,000 - approved, Town of Whitehall solar speeding signs

• Study Commission appointees Tiffany McCue, Linda Jung (ex officio), and Rhea Armstrong will join Jim Buterbaugh.

• Judge Anderson’s resignation was approved.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

• Maxine Samuelson noted that agenda can be self-posted at the post office if workers are not available; when available, the workers will put them behind the glass display.

• Nicole Murray requested the Town look into a crosswalk by Legion Park, a 4-way stop at the Library (First and Whitehall Streets), and a barricade by Legion Park for pickup and dropoff. Klapan noted that this was not the Town’s property but the MT Department of Transportation’s and gave Murray contact information to reach the state.

• Seccomb mentioned that cameras at the pool are a “necessity,” especially when vandalism happens mainly after hours, and the cameras will help her find the culprits.

• Nancy Wheeler asked where the update on the infant-at-work policy was, as this was discussed at a closed session meeting earlier this month.

• Connie Hamilton mentioned that Centurion Way needed better/more traffic signage.

• Dawn Cantrell asked whether the new ordinances scheduled for their first readings in December could be sped up, as they pertain to the property she will be renovating by the first of the year.

OTHER NEWS:

• Hearings for first readings of Ordinances 2024-5 and 2024-6 will be held at 6:30 PM, prior to the month Town Council meeting on December 16th. 2024-5 addresses regulating the use of campers and RVs within the town limits, establishing permit requirements and time limitations for temporary living, and providing penalties for violations. 2024-6 addresses regulating the occupancy of vehicles and temporary shelters within the city limits of Whitehall, Montana.

• Hearings for the first reading of Ordinance 2024-7 will be held at the February meeting. 2024-7 addresses replacing and updating the town’s animal ordinances. The Council noted that this ordinance is over 20 pages long and asked that interested individuals contact the Town Clerk to receive a printed or emailed copy to inform themselves before the initial hearing.

• On February 1st, the town hall will resume its office hours of 8 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Thursday.

• The next meeting of the Whitehall Town Council will be held at 7 PM on Monday, December 16th, in the Town Hall Chambers.