Finance and Budget Committee Meeting - March 19, 2026
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Finance and Budget Committee Meeting - March 19, 2026
The Finance and Budget Committee met on March 19, 2026, with Commissioners Thatcher, O'Neill, O'Leary, Walker, Boyle, and Shay present. The committee reviewed the expenditure list and proposed budget transfers.
Discussion Items
- Expenditure List Review: Commissioner Shay inquired about sponsorships for annual auctions and dinner tables, noting some claims from 2023 that had not been presented previously. Commissioner Walker questioned an expenditure for driving range balls ($3,500) charged to solid waste disposal. Staff explained that the driving range is built on the old landfill, and the landfill enterprise fund is responsible for maintenance and receives the associated revenue. Commissioner Leary followed up on the inter-departmental arrangement. Commissioner O'Neill asked about an earmarked alcohol fund distribution of $19,064.90, which staff explained is a state quarterly distribution allocated by council to Butte Cares and the CCCS SMART program.
- Motion to Approve: Commissioner O'Leary moved to approve the expenditure list as of March 18, 2026, in the amount of $391,155.21. The motion passed unanimously.
- Budget Transfers: The committee reviewed nine budget transfers:
- General fund: $500 for duplicating courthouse blueprints.
- $1,400 for longevity not budgeted and tool allowance.
- $40,843 for roads maintenance (longevity, emulsion for Dura Patcher).
- $500 for central equipment (longevity).
- $3,000 to replace a landfill printer.
- $2,000 for a flatbed for sanding truck (road fund).
- $780 for a new computer monitor for Director Hassler.
- $4,400 for parking garage window replacement.
- $6,189 for district court subscriptions and postage.
- $5,000 for health department microscope and Copal Machine equipment.
- $568 for COVID vaccine advertising.
- Commissioner O'Leary asked about the landfill printer replacement and potential maintenance contract; staff clarified it typically includes a maintenance agreement.
Key Outcomes
- The expenditure list totaling $391,155.21 was approved unanimously.
- All budget transfers were reviewed; no further questions were raised.
- The committee adjourned by motion.
Meeting Transcript
I'm gonna call the finance and budget committee meeting to order for Wednesday, March eighteenth, twenty twenty-sixth. Uh Commissioner Thatcher, O'Neill, O'Leary, Walker, Boyle, and Shay are all present. Um we will go over the expenditure list. Commissioner Shay, do you have any questions? Um, for sponsorships for annual auctions and dinner tables. Um could I could I just look at the claims? Um, so no, this one isn't the first one, I think. Um, does have some old from twenty twenty-three that were not presented. I mean, they could have been presented in twenty twenty-three, but they haven't contacted us recently for payment, so until um this year, and so we did ask that any time we had anything else, family um to let us know immediately or not to let it um drag out for years as our budget boards and two each year. This is the second education. Um, Commissioner Boyle, do you have any questions? Commissioner Larry. Uh why one is four fifty and one's eight fifty. Any other questions, Commissioner Larry? No other questions, thank you. Commissioner Walker. Uh yes, page sixty-eight of seventy-six. Driving range balls, three thousand five hundred solid waste disposal, public works. So actually, that is a great question, Commissioner Um Walker. The reason that the solid waste is charged for the driving range is because that driving range is built on the old landfill, and they are um charged with maintaining that property in perpetuity. And so they have sampling out there, they have the driving range, they're responsible for the ball machine and the labor, and they also get the revenue though that is derived from the driving range. It all goes back into the landfills um enterprise fund. Thank you. Commissioner Leary. Thank you, Chair Thatcher. Um just to follow up on that same question. Is the is the parks and rec required to maintain that space and then how how does the the money interplay there? Uh thank you, Commissioner Leary. No, that space, um, Copper Mountain Park is maintained by the parks department, but the driving range is maintained by the landfill. That's part of their postclosure liability for um it being the former site of the the landfill before they moved out to um Rocker. They hire um a summer staff to go out and they have a golf cart with ball picker, and they go out and you know, clean the range and pick up the balls, and um that is the the responsibility of this person that is out there that is paid out of the landfill. Anything else, Mr. Walker? Commissioner O'Neill. Thank you, madam chair. I do have a question on page thirty, claim seventy-three seventeen. Um earmarked alcohol fund distribution. Like nineteen thousand sixty-four ninety. I guess I'm just curious what that is. Um Commissioner O'Neill, this is a distribution of funds that comes from the state of Montana. Um we get it quarterly, it's roughly twenty-three thousand dollars in change. Um there were several entities that came up to council and made presentations, and the council um determined which entities received what portion of the funding. And so when the funding comes through to us, we just turn around and distribute it by that percentage that was approved by council back to the entities. And I think it's to bute cares into the CCCS, which is the SMART program. Any other questions, Commissioner O'Neill? Okay. Um there are no other questions. I don't retain a motion. I would like to make a motion that we're reviewed and approve the expenditure list as of Wednesday, March 18th, 2026, and the amount of $391,155 and $21 cents. All those in favor?
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