The Butte Silver Bow Council of Commissioners met on August 13, 2025, with 9 of 11 commissioners present (Commissioners Fisher and Mankins excused). The meeting covered a range of topics including a drinking water contamination emergency, rate increases for sewer and solid waste services, the fiscal year 2026 budget, an animal control complaint, use of a parking garage for recreation, and a proposal to sell the 305 West Mercury Business Development Center.
Can Commissioners please check in? Yeah. Two hours without guilties on all three. I'll bring the Butte Silver Bow Council of Commissioners meeting to order for Wednesday, August 13th, 2025. Can we please have a roll call? One presiding, nine present, two absent. Okay, thank you. Please let the record reflect Commissioner Fisher and Commissioner Mankins are excused from tonight's meeting. Commissioner Walker, would you please lead us in the prayer and the pledge? Next item on tonight's agenda is any public comment on any items on the agenda. If there's any member of the public that would like to speak on any items on the agenda now would be your opportunity. Welcome. Please state your name and address for the record and the communication that you're going to talk about. We do ask that you keep it within three minutes. My name is Mitzi Rosillion. I live at 815 West Granite, and I'm commenting on communication 2025 420, which is a communication regarding 305 West Mercury. I am a tenant at 305 West Mercury, and I have been for 13 years. When here hearing about this request for proposals to purchase, I was concerned because the tenants had been told by staff a year and a half ago when there was no longer going to be any on-site management, that the tenants would have the opportunity to discuss with staff any major changes that were going to happen in the operation and management of the facility. Since we were not given that opportunity, I'm here to give you my thoughts and my concerns in this particular venue. First, I'm my concern has to do with me being a Butte Silverbow property man um taxpayer, not only for personal property, but also including the property taxes that my business in the incubator pays on the space that it rents from Butte Silverbow. It's my opinion that the market analysis of the property is flawed, and um be because it's based on current rents paid and comps, of which I think there are few comps in this community, giving the size of this particular facility and its condition. The minimum bid should be set much higher, I believe. As a longtime renter, I have paid um a very modest wage that has had only one increase in the last two years, and it's considerably under the rent that would have been required elsewhere in this community to the tune of half or maybe even less than that of what it would be in another facility in our community. So I think because it's based on current the market analysis or the market analysis was spent on based partially on current rents, that is a false um con comparison. During this property, for example, uh during this time I have a residential property that I um co-own, and one of the units has gone up almost half in the same period of time. But there's no such thing has happened with the tenants at our particular building. Given that the market analysis is not based on comparable office space prices in our town, I believe. It's my opinion that the base for the property should be double what it currently is suggested in the RFP, namely it should be one million dollars. Further, because Butte Silverbow replaced the entire heating system in the building eight years ago to the tune of one million dollars. It is not unreasonable for the taxpayers to expect to receive a higher price. Second, the four criteria listed to be considered in the proposal of evaluation, maybe noble, but I cannot imagine how those goals will be made part of a deed of transfer or enforced in any way whatsoever. So regarding the current leases, I believe all the leases that are currently in effect are for one year. I know that my lease expires in April. So should the new owner decide to essentially vacate the entire building, and I'm not saying they would, but there's no way we can tell. And as someone who has a lot of stuff, um, I'm telling you, other people in the building have a lot of stuff. And so that um clause is really does not do any direct benefit to the tenants going forward, in my opinion. Um regarding the encouragement of small business development, I would say that Butte Silverbow has done nothing in regard in that regard except for charging the small amount for rent and having a copy machine in the building for over the past 13 years. And if we're expecting the new owner to do this, seems disingenuous when Butte Silverbow has not done it itself. Ms. Rosillion, I just if you could um I'll just skip to the part about I want you to know something about some of the tenants that are in the building right now. I believe there are 15 mental health counselors in the building, Silverboat Developmental Disabilities Office, and Commercial Kitchen, the County Extension Office, Coroner's Office, and three or four offices that are occupied by state agencies. At a time and society when we should be and are now encouraging access to mental health care and supporting those with developmental disabilities by selling this property. We may be taking we may be taking away those opportunities depending on who purchased the building, how much the rent will be raised, and um the current tenants' appetite for disruption. Perhaps it's just a small part of the story, but I trust you will consider this when you deliberate issuing the RFP for the sale 305 West Mercury. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Rosillion. Is there any other member of the public that would like to speak on any item on tonight's agenda? Welcome. Please state your name and address for the record and the communication that you refer are referring to.