Butte Silver Bow Council Meeting Summary - November 5, 2025
Butte Silver Bow Council of Commissioners Regular Meeting - November 5, 2025
The Butte Silver Bow Council of Commissioners held its regular meeting on November 5, 2025, with 11 commissioners present and Commissioner Healy absent. The meeting included standard approvals of minutes, public hearings on budget amendments and grants, the appointment of an interim coroner, discussion of several development agreements and land sales, and an emergency resolution to fund SNAP benefits. Key procedural discussions focused on adherence to policy for late applications and transparency in entity changes during property sales.
Consent Calendar
- The October 15, 2025 meeting minutes were approved unanimously (11 Aye, 0 Nay).
- The general consent agenda (items A1-A4 and B1-B27) was approved, with specific items segregated for individual discussion:
- Comm 2025-522 (DUI Court services)
- Comm 2025-529 (Harrison Avenue South URD Development Agreement)
- Comm 2025-531 (Crew Companies/Riley Global Solutions Property Amendment)
- Comm 2025-542 (Steve Maloney land purchase request)
- Comm 2025-544 (Carrolls land purchase)
- Comm 2025-546 (Data center inquiry)
Public Comments & Testimony
- Ready Frost (2000 Roberts Avenue): Expressed support for the fire department budget amendment and support for sole-sourcing blower motor parts as a Montana business.
- Ready Frost (2000 Roberts Avenue): Expressed support for the Skyline Park tree planting grant.
Discussion Items
Interim Coroner Interviews
- Candidates Interviewed: Kimberly Buyers, Kelton Bills, Marcy Cameron, Kaylee Casebolt, Tessa Grimes, Kellyanne Hoven, and Curtis Winscott. Candidates Bonnie Kaufman, Michael Hanley, Kylie Reese, and Alex Michael Smith were absent.
- Positions and Responses:
- Marcy Cameron: Expressed strong confidence in her readiness, citing acting as deputy coroner since 1998, and proposed increasing transparency via FAQs to alleviate community confusion. She expressed support for maintaining strict confidentiality and tracking her own training logs to ensure compliance.
- Kellyanne Hoven: Expressed her suitability based on 14 years as a registered nurse, highlighting experience with grieving families and end-of-life situations. She stated she would follow statutory training and is comfortable with 24/7 on-call demands.
- Jason Parrish: Expressed readiness based on a background in emergency medicine, Army combat medic experience, and mortuary affairs training. He proposed utilizing IT security measures to protect confidential data and maintain a tight chain of custody.
- Curtis Winscott: Expressed comfort with the role due to 10+ years in healthcare handling deaths. He stated he would follow regulations "to the T" and maintain confidentiality strictly on a need-to-know basis.
- Other Candidates: Expressed basic understanding of duties involving law enforcement collaboration and evidence gathering. Tessa Grimes and Kelly Casebolt highlighted experience in social work or detention centers respectively. Kelton Bills, a correctional officer, expressed limited familiarity with specific training requirements but affirmed willingness to learn.
- Outcome: Commissioners voted to narrow the field to Kellyanne Hoven and Jason Parrish (top two). A second vote was held to select the final interim appointee.
Resolution 2025-67 (SNAP Benefits Emergency Proclamation)
- Chief Executive Gallagher: Stated the resolution is necessary to support community members losing SNAP benefits, directing funds from reserves (equivalent to two mills, $183,974.00) to the food bank and Rescue Mission. He stated the measure is not a tax on taxpayers but a use of existing reserve funds.
- Commissioner Shea: Expressed full support for the initiative, commending the leadership on focusing on food security and community wellness.
Communication 2025-529 (Harrison Avenue South URD - TFF Enterprises Monteriors)
- Commissioner O'Leary: Expressed strong opposition to approving the agreement due to the project being completed after the fact, arguing that it sets a negative precedent and violates standard application procedures where projects must be approved before work begins.
- Director Burns: Stated that the project involved a difficult parcel and a miscommunication regarding the application timing; the developers relied on the assistance. She noted the URD board vetted the project as a one-time exception and that projects do not receive funds until completion.
- Commissioner Fisher: Expressed support, emphasizing that the project is complete and beneficial, and argued against being negative when the community needs development.
- Outcome: Commissioner O'Leary cast a no vote to uphold procedural standards; the motion passed 10 Aye, 1 Nay.
Communication 2025-531 (Property Transfer - Crew Companies to Riley Global Solutions LLC)
- Commissioner Shea: Expressed opposition to the last-minute entity switch, stating it undermines public transparency and proper procedure, and initially moved to deny the request.
- Commissioner O'Leary: Expressed opposition, arguing that the public has a right to know the specific entity purchasing public land before a vote and that high expectations should be set for all business dealings.
- Commissioner Boyle: Expressed support for the deal, arguing against throwing up roadblocks for businesses and assuming the entities are trustworthy.
- Commissioner Thatcher: Expressed support for the deal, prioritizing development momentum over procedural perfection, provided the action is not illegal.
- County Attorney Enruth: Stated that while selling to an LLC is legal and common, the specific contract was not assignable from the start; changing the buyer at the third reading creates a procedural gap regarding public vetting of the new LLC.
- Outcome: After debate, the motion to concur (approve) passed with a vote of 9 Aye, 2 Nay (Commissioners Shea and O'Leary voted nay). Resolution 2025-64 was amended to reflect the actual purchaser (Riley Global Solutions LLC) and the amendment date.
Other Segregated Items
- Communication 2025-522: The council voted 11 Aye, 0 Nay to approve the agreement with CCCS for DUI court services at $2,200/month.
- Communication 2025-542: The council voted 10 Aye, 1 Nay to hold the request in committee of the whole to allow Steve Maloney to speak, as he was currently in Ireland.
- Communication 2025-544: The council voted 11 Aye, 0 Nay to approve the land sale to the Carrolls at the DOR assessed value of $1,329.00.
- Communication 2025-546: The council voted 11 Aye, 0 Nay to refer the inquiry regarding data centers to the Montana Connections TED Board and hold the item in committee of the whole for a presentation on November 12.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution 2025-67: Approved unanimously (11 Aye) to appropriate $183,974.00 from reserve funds to support SNAP benefits.
- Interim Coroner: Jason Parrish was appointed interim coroner (10 Aye for Parrish, 1 Nay for Hooven in the second round) to serve until the conclusion of the November 2026 election.
- Development Agreements: Approved TFF Enterprises Monteriors agreement (10-1) and Riley Global Solutions land sale (9-2), with specific amendments to the resolution and policy discussions recorded.
- Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned after all items were processed.
Meeting Transcript
I'd like to call the Butte Silver Boat Council of Commissioners regular meeting for Wednesday, November 5th, 2025 to order. Clerk, could we please have roll call? 11 present one absent. Eleven present one absence. Please note that Commissioner Healy is absent from tonight's agenda. Um Commissioner Walker, could you lead us in the prayer in the pledge? Next, we'll move on to any public comment on any item on tonight's agenda. If you'd like to speak on any item on tonight's agenda, please come forward, say your name, address, and the item that you would like to speak about. Seeing none, I will uh move to the approval of the minutes of the October 15th, 2025 meeting minutes. Commissioner Morgan. Thank you, Mr. Chief Executive. At this time I'll make a motion that we approve the minutes of the October 15th, 2025 meeting. We have a motion and a second to approve the October 15th, 2025 meeting minutes. Is there anything on the question? Could Commissioners please vote? And would anyone like to change their vote? Clerk, please cook record the vote. Eleven A zero nay. Eleven Ye Zero Nay. Motion passes. Next we'll move on to the chief executive's report. I'll try to make a brief. Um there's been a lot that's going on in the last day or two. Um as many people may have seen that uh uh the EPA administrator Zeldon was in town yesterday. Um it was a uh quick stop over that he came in. Um the EPA let us know that he was coming to visit, but never gave us an agenda and never gave us really times of what was going to happen until his arrival. So I found out really that morning where we were meeting and what was going to be done. There wasn't very much time for uh for a lot of conversation. I did express the uh the challenges of of the change of of the lead level and uh the concerns of the community and uh how you know from different administrations it's it's gone back and forth and so that there's a big concern about that and hope that we could get have some more answers to that. Um there was conversation that um sometime in January they may have a plan coming forward, um, a proposed plan, and so um we'll see if that's happened, but more of his visit was just seeing the sites and getting an update from EPA staff that was on the ground here. So we didn't get a lot of uh of actual FaceTime with them other than touring sites with uh with his uh entourage and uh all the people that were involved with that as well. And then also as as many seeing today did a proclamation of emergency on uh the snap benefits and just wanted to just give a quick overview why we did this. And um I think everybody understands the the significance of the to the community, what losing snap benefits can do to many community members. And um, I think everybody understands the the significance of the to the community what losing SNAP benefits can do to many community members and um for for some people they think that this is a handle, but there's a lot of people on SNAP benefits that are hardworking individuals with with kids with families, uh disabled people that that are losing those benefits. And um, you know, I'm not gonna go get into the federal politics or state politics on this all, but I um working with our community action team, it was contingent on us to say it's important for us to support our local community, and so um as chief executive, it was uh my directive to to do emergency emergency proclamation to um to ask tonight the resolution to assess what's equivalent of two mills. Okay, it it it will not be assessed to anybody taxpayers. It's we will be drawn from our reserve uh funds, and that's why we have reserve um to for times just like this where we can help the community and and help people in need, and so um those those benefits will be used to help support those in need in the community, the food bank, uh it could be um the the Butte Rescue Mission and then those that are putting pantries up just in the community, and so that's the reason that we're doing this. Um it's something that Butte always does. I think Bud's gonna come out and support whether you know local government did this, but I thought it was important that local government took the lead and said it's important to us and our community to do this. And so that was why I took the action that I did today. So with that, I know we have a long agenda. So we're going we're gonna move forward and uh we're gonna go through section one uh bid openings public hearings, and then after we get through that section one, we are going to move section three ahead of section one. Oh, we have one item not addressed on tonight's agenda that I just talked about. Um Commissioner Morgan. Thank you, Mr. Chief Executive. On the section of items not addressed on the agenda due to what you just stated. Um in accordance with the provisions of Rule Six of the Rules of Order of the Council of Commissioners of the City and County of Butte Silver Bow, State of Montana. The council hereby finds an emergency condition exists which requires that the council rules be suspended to allow for resolution number 2025-67 to be added to tonight's agenda.
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