The Council of Commissioners met on August 28, 2025, to address a light agenda centered on the fiscal year 2026 budget, including proposed rate increases for Metro Sewer and solid waste collection, and to consider several property and communications items. The meeting featured a detailed budget amendment presentation by Finance Director Karen Hassler and saw one formal vote on a land communication.
Can I please ask the commissioners to all check in? Commissioner Fisher, Commissioner Healy. Okay. Would the clerk do a roll call, please? One presiding ten present, one absent. Okay. Please let the record reflect that Commissioner Anderson is excused from tonight's meeting. Moving on to the prayer and the pledge, I would ask Commissioner Walker to lead us in that. Moving on on the agenda, I'll move to public comment on any items that are on tonight's agenda. If there's a member of the public that would like to speak on any item that is on tonight's agenda, now would be the time to do so. I would ask that you keep your comments to three minutes or less, and I do have the timer up here to indicate that. If there's any member of the public, now would be your your opportunity. Okay. Seeing none, I'll move on to report of the chair. Uh the one thing that I have to report is uh Mike Smith from the Montana Standard contacted me today, and they are looking for updated photos of the commissioners. And so they are going to have a photographer come up to the council floor next on September 10th before the meeting. If the commissioner is willing to, um, they will they will take your picture and you will have a new photograph of yourself. So I just wanted to announce that they will be up here to take um pictures if you are willing and able to do so. Uh moving on to section one bid openings, public hearings and/or presentations. Uh the presentation for tonight, communication number 2025-386. Julie Bushmaker, Butte Silver Bow Public Library Chairperson requesting Council of Commissioners' authorization to schedule a presentation on August 27th, 2025 to have Steph Johnson, Butte Silver Bow Library Director give an update on the annual report for the Butte Silver Bow Public Library. They did ask that we move this presentation to be September the 24th. So that presentation will not be happening tonight, but we will add it to a future agenda on the 24th of September. Moving on to public hearings, we do have three of them. These are a continuation that we've had the last several weeks. Um they are number one, communication 2025 370. Karen Hassler, or Finance and Budget Director requesting Council of Commissioners' authorization to schedule a presentation on August 6, 2025 agenda to make a presentation on the fiscal year 2026 budget. I would ask the county attorney if we did have publications for these public hearings. Chairman Morgan, yes, we had uh approved the publication. Okay. So that is for communication number 370, 371, and 372. So at this time I will open the public hearing unless there is a staff report update from Miss Hassler on this communication. Thank you, Chairman Morgan. Um, members of council for the record, I'm Karen Hassler, Finance and Budget Director for Butte Silver Bow. Um real report. I do have some updated amendments to the budget along with the resource and requirement schedule that we can discuss later. Um but as far as the public hearing goes, we're still discussing the Metro sewer proposed increase of three percent this evening as well as the landfill um solid waste collection fee increase of 20 percent. Okay. Thank you. So at this time, unless there's any questions, I would ask for any proponents on communication 370. Second call for proponents. Third and final call for proponents. If you'd please state your name and address for the record. Ready for us, 2000 Roberts Avenue. I am a proponent of this. Thank you. Thank you. Third and final call for the proponents. Seeing none, I'll ask for opponents. Second call for opponents, third and final call for opponents.