[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6543660,"mediaKeyId","3426150-50818c571df6043c868f711d2da6e0bc","parentId",3426150,"title","Commission approves parks advisory bylaws, minutes and three sets of claims","audioSeconds",23,"startMs",4231950,"endMs",4255660,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3426150-50818c571df6043c868f711d2da6e0bc&start=4231&end=4255","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3426150-50818c571df6043c868f711d2da6e0bc/thumbnail_4231950.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6543660/Broadwater-County/Montana/Commission-approves-parks-advisory-bylaws-minutes-and-three-sets-of-claims","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6543660-dd32caf740de02d5b77ccc5ef2e1cc36/orig.mp4?Expires=1771189442&Signature=I~Po0iAvLIzx~Gy96O-8KqoLd4pChlJATXQ2PQnDXYbSH5FdyUz2LUJ851vOF6Oiuec-0yY6u~ze0rMQtyoTCJNmj6Qqhax5qGHXtcSf66TsJiP75rxMZF4cAWSaXCUlBWPew5xzEdRvBOW8U-SaT2BnFP0hmjlWMaC~ZZVYm5eRYNe~iYCKVVe-9WG5j9eJwafQ-o5gU33WVereq3SgJvA9KD89iChMLfyR9KUkwrfe3nRyt4vtNZS5IdGr1MrNU4~XDx5QEiYo-QuML0pwoSf0w82JfEWd~PDZBqXJQJNaV~Br-qJnIyOAfEFqVGS37z5HZ6skgkF9-hcUmQlNVQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Broadwater County, MT","date","2025-05-21T00:00:00Z","article","The Broadwater County Commission took several formal votes during the May meeting.

Parks and Recreation advisory board bylaws: Commissioners moved and seconded a motion to approve the Broadwater County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board bylaws. There was no public comment. The commission voted by voice; the chair called for those in favor and the meeting record shows unanimous approval. The motion passed.

Approval of minutes: Commissioners moved and seconded to approve the minutes from May 14. There was no public comment; the motion passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition.

Claims and payroll: The commission approved three sets of claims by separate motions and second(s): payroll in the amount of $284,327.16; claims totaling $33,164.72; and claims totaling $24,944.15. Each motion drew a second; there was no public comment and each passed by voice vote. The meeting record shows the motions passed.

Motions were made and seconded on the record for each item; the transcript does not provide the full names of the members who moved or seconded each motion, and the roll call recorded only collective voice votes (ayes) rather than individual recorded roll‑call tallies.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Commission Meeting 2025 May 21","oneSentenceSummary","The Broadwater County Commission approved Parks and Recreation advisory board bylaws, minutes from May 14 and three sets of claims (payroll and two vendor claim lists) by voice vote; all motions passed unanimously on recorded 'aye' responses at the meeting.","taxTitle","Broadwater County, Montana","taxId",76384,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6543665,"Broadwater County reviews draft solid‑waste business assessment policy; public hearing language and county building charges debated",1146,2910120,4056200,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3426150-50818c571df6043c868f711d2da6e0bc&start=2910&end=4056","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3426150-50818c571df6043c868f711d2da6e0bc/thumbnail_2910120.jpg","/articles/6543665/Broadwater-County/Montana/Broadwater-County-reviews-draft-solidwaste-business-assessment-policy-public-hearing-language-and-county-building-charges-debated","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6543665-b711ea92017ebd81d29b6d781c14e2c5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771189442&Signature=MDL4s3shJwhq2fseD~~wfmKHbqchIUYtriRv9SvCgLg8sXJSqcHzB3HStKKl1ZZoCSDB1UVzLWu41v8OdkTEnm52j0i10gPzDLdub5pVEzsIQK1FYqcQINVNp2ZepGQ6NZRvQ3r1Qhr6GueAYUaS7HEzVAabxaNADCUfSKvMAgZd7zQCGvvqtoMdJueyo0TjRYZ3D8CAZw1dcsVp~K7YHbNXjC9xvzbwFGx403IIDgIN9boVR8LhZq6PsStcn-sEp4R8uVdRFWP6p05hdFxjxGfas0nu06AnA323N8jwy6yFGwxKyhw9GERrj~iAZqVe1p-yeBJa6nIC9WomlUoX1w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","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.","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.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6543670,"County administrative officer: Broadwater County faces tight 2026 budget despite $176,000 in new revenue",409,2116800,2526050,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3426150-50818c571df6043c868f711d2da6e0bc&start=2116&end=2526","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3426150-50818c571df6043c868f711d2da6e0bc/thumbnail_2116800.jpg","/articles/6543670/Broadwater-County/Montana/County-administrative-officer-Broadwater-County-faces-tight-2026-budget-despite-176000-in-new-revenue","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6543670-aad47b0059ebe298570e49207ad181a2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771189442&Signature=UBe4~YpwNL2mo6Q2Vqf8hZatgFrJ20QfsdsyFXoXy4gZPLEPbHdKNx0iErGdSmNWJ7gsfNnbUDkHPvoGzLRcu3y4K6B53a5j1TSKLguMZ0TMPD-4BzTALCVHdsKwEvicnf1YuqrEVJglcZ40xSGViA424GlG8ogstLvONYR2KTR2jXq5a50a1fNIwfOky1L~xD-dmQF307EXzpyjH0TVAXt~uJkI2f4eQ-u6yYR6tqx5KWTmBrhogXrwlSLQghb5y9UPpavh4Gwdkxd91qeEthm1GzbCICCGE8KGU-waWzSLjsfXPrN7A7wl9ZrRQEyCoq9161DhAHQlNB8c4yQaRA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Bill Jerockey, the county administrative officer, gave a preliminary overview of Broadwater County’s 2026 budget process and warned commissioners that the county is entering a “tight budget situation” for fiscal year 2026 despite a modest increase in revenue.

Jerockey (introduced on the agenda as the county administrative officer) said departments submitted most operation and maintenance budgets by the May 6 deadline but a handful remained overdue. He told the commission there is roughly $176,000 in additional revenue available for next year, driven primarily by floating‑mill property tax collections and a small increase in the state entitlement share. Jerockey said most of that $176,000 will be used for the 2.5% cost‑of‑living adjustment the commission approved last week.

Explaining floating‑mill revenue, Jerockey described it as the product of taxable value increases combined with the number of floating mills; he contrasted the large‑appearing growth in property value with a statutory cap on how much the county budget may increase in a fiscal year. “The statute that we’re working under for this year is, half of the rate of inflation averaged over the past 3 years,” he said, and added that the cap limits how much extra revenue the county may appropriate even when assessed value rises.

Jerockey gave figures: floating‑mill revenue for FY25 was about $2.4 million and the county projects roughly $2.56 million for FY26, a difference of about $169,000; the state entitlement increase is roughly $7,306, for a combined increase near $176,000. He framed that amount as about 1.8% of a typical $10 million county budget and said the county will be “looking for efficiencies” and fine‑tuning preliminary budgets ahead of the June budget adoption.

Jerockey and commissioners discussed the county’s desire for more commercial and industrial tax base to diversify revenues. He also flagged that the public safety department will be significantly affected by the loss of a public safety levy and that the overall county budget volume will be reduced as revenues and expenses are adjusted.

Commissioners asked for a clearer public explanation of the floating‑mill concept; Jerockey said he will provide additional detail in the next meeting and noted the commission will return to a more comprehensive preliminary budget discussion on May 28 (the chair later scheduled a fuller presentation the following week). No formal action was taken at the meeting.","Bill Jerockey (County Administrative Officer) previewed the FY2026 preliminary operating budgets, explaining that about $176,000 in new revenue — mostly floating‑mill property tax and a small state entitlement increase — will largely be absorbed by a 2.5% cost‑of‑living adjustment the commission approved.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6543675,"Broadwater County DUI task force presents 2026 plan, budget and new child‑passenger law changes",1654,125610,1780560,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3426150-50818c571df6043c868f711d2da6e0bc&start=125&end=1780","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3426150-50818c571df6043c868f711d2da6e0bc/thumbnail_125610.jpg","/articles/6543675/Broadwater-County/Montana/Broadwater-County-DUI-task-force-presents-2026-plan-budget-and-new-childpassenger-law-changes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6543675-1b6c80bdd3f7aee66b60630bac48fa57/orig.mp4?Expires=1771189442&Signature=HDVxpaU5HI4uCyQ1dR9f4B3dIHoJgh2b40xpv4VTBScVfPY4NtEMwxZbO-btAOGrwFuR4b~HiorcULQ-6H4ctvxVUq3POhkvUuaYYqGCWJVCTJ3YeQXE8tmnjaEPTQ47wpfnlL8z-BMDyAvtiw5n227okvPqfgPjCCFi1AcOJIJCN0mureKx4I3rDv~2iDNf2s54nVUug-LueHhZZwR5Sus7rE6Pm9nRanzgKCM70LODN8DXXzKucWNeBESR9cBH~T6gLQ~dF8HtasKtrtac0S3q-6GGdWDOTBr7cOOnc5gNd-nA-913LCK6qqL~WvKzZJAzMBAaEG53HHgaZtFsRQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tracy Kiesel presented the Broadwater County DUI Task Force annual plan, budget and meeting calendar to the Broadwater County Commission, saying the task force’s revenue is “strictly from DUI reinstatement fees” and noting a larger‑than‑expected payment from a state fee pool created by House Bill 132.

Kiesel, identified herself as Tracy Kiesel and spelled her last name for the record. She told commissioners the task force budget for the current fiscal year was projected at $15,200 and that the group receives $100 of a $200 driver‑license reinstatement fee paid by people whose licenses were suspended for DUI. She said the task force expects to have spent about $6,600 of the projected $15,000 by June 30 and therefore will carry over more funds into fiscal 2026. Kiesel also said the task force anticipates spending about $17,400 in fiscal 2026 while still leaving a rollover balance.

The task force reported an unexpected increase in one line of revenue. Kiesel said the county received “just over 4,000” dollars from a statewide pool created by House Bill 132, compared with an earlier projection of roughly $250. She described HB 132 as directing reinstatement fees from counties without established DUI task forces into a pool that is redistributed to counties that do have approved task forces.

Kiesel reviewed the task force’s priority areas: supporting enforcement (overtime shifts and equipment), training (including advanced roadside impaired driving enforcement and drug recognition experts), public education and child passenger safety. She said the task force helped fund in‑car cameras for the sheriff’s office in a prior year and that funds can be used for “special projects” such as community sign programs.

Kiesel summarized statewide and county crash data included in the plan. She said Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) data for Broadwater County from 2014–2023 show six alcohol‑impaired fatalities in the county during that period (three male, three female) and that roughly two‑thirds of those fatal crashes occurred on weekend nights. She also reported MDT data indicating a portion of drivers in fatal crashes had prior DUIs in the five years before the crash.

Kiesel noted prevention work and a recent state law change on child passenger safety. “Governor Gianforte signed a new bill last week enhancing our car seat law in Montana,” she said, and described the staged requirements that will take effect Oct. 1: rear‑facing through age 2, forward‑facing in a harness for ages 2–4, and booster seats for children 4 and above until age 9 (Kiesel said many parents keep children in earlier stages longer per best practices).

Kiesel described outreach programs the task force supports, including the group’s annual alcohol‑free Super Bowl party for middle and high school students (36 middle‑school and 30 high‑school students attended this year, she said). She also said the task force runs training and community awareness events and coordinates with local certified child passenger safety technicians, naming Johnny Spurlock at the sheriff’s office and a Bozeman Fire Department technician who lives in Townsend.

The commission did not take formal action on the plan at the meeting; Kiesel brought two signature pages that she said the commission could sign if members were “inclined to approve it today.” Commissioners asked clarifying questions about revenues and participation in a youth prevention survey; Kiesel said Broadwater County’s participation in the statewide student Prevention Needs Assessment appeared to be missing from the posted results and that she would follow up.

Kiesel closed by asking the commission to refer any community projects that fit the task force’s mission. The commission did not vote on the plan during the meeting.","Tracy Kiesel presented the Broadwater County DUI Task Force annual plan and budget, reporting extra revenue from reinstatement‑fee pooling under House Bill 132, projected carryover into fiscal 2026 and statewide child‑passenger safety law changes signed by Gov. Gianforte.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commission approves parks advisory bylaws, minutes and three sets of claims

Broadwater County reviews draft solid‑waste business assessment policy; public hearing language and county building charges debated

County administrative officer: Broadwater County faces tight 2026 budget despite $176,000 in new revenue

Broadwater County DUI task force presents 2026 plan, budget and new child‑passenger law changes