Butte Silver Bow Council of Commissioners Committee of the Whole Meeting - August 27, 2026
Butte Silver Bow Council of Commissioners Committee of the Whole Meeting - August 27, 2026
The Butte Silver Bow Council of Commissioners met on August 27, 2026, for a Committee of the Whole meeting. Commissioner Boyle was excused. The meeting included public hearings on the fiscal year 2027 budget, Metro Sewer rates, and the Tourism Improvement District (TBID); a bid opening; a presentation from the public library; and several communications, including a discussion on community enrichment complaints.
Public Hearings
- Communication 2026-366 (Budget adoption): Finance Director Karen Hassler presented the final FY27 budget of $168,269,621, a reduction of 9.55 mills from FY26 to 360.45 mills. No public comment was offered. The public hearing remains open until the adoption vote on September 2, 2026.
- Communication 2026-367 (Metro Sewer rates): A continuation of the public hearing to establish user rates, with no public comment. The hearing remains open.
- Communication 2026-413 (TBID budget and work plan): Kelly Hazlitt, TBID executive secretary, clarified that the proposed $2 assessment aligns with other Montana cities and that property tax relief is $740. No public comment was received, and the public hearing was closed.
Bid Openings
- Communication 2026-409 (CIPP for Metro Sewer): Two bids were received: Stittu Form ($545,743) and Vortex Services ($522,995). The project covers 9,025 feet of pipe. A motion to refer the bids back to Public Works for recommendation passed 11-0.
Presentations
- Butte Silver Bow Public Library Annual Report: Director Steph Johnson reported a gate count of 60,000, 557 programs, 73,000 physical items, and 78,979 digital items. Collection budgets for libraries serving populations over 25,000 show Butte at $2 per capita (compared to Billings, Missoula, Flathead, Bozeman). Facility upgrades include an LED lighting system and high-efficiency boiler, returning 15% of the utilities budget; a solar project is expected to save 11–14% annually. The South Branch reopened at the Don Peoples Complex. Commissioners praised the library's services. Motion to file the communication passed 11-0.
Discussion Items
- Communication 2026-410 (Legal review of parking services contracts): Commissioner Russell Leary reported receiving a response from the county attorney's office and plans to introduce a new communication for clarifications. A motion to hold the item in committee of the whole passed 11-0.
- Communication 2026-417 (Community enrichment complaint by Rich Ruggles): Director David Geary reported that since March 2026, the department received 497 complaints (excluding parking), with 136 active cases. He described enforcement challenges, including due process requirements and repeat violations. Ms. Ruggles spoke about ongoing neighborhood blight, including abandoned vehicles and uncut weeds, and expressed frustration with the response time. Commissioner Callahan suggested stricter ordinances. After discussion, a motion to place the communication on file passed 10-1.
- Communication 2026-424 (Emergency agreement with USDA Forest Service): Revised agreement approved. Motion to concur and file passed 11-0.
Key Outcomes
- The budget public hearing (2026-366) and Metro Sewer rate hearing (2026-367) remain open until the September 2 adoption vote.
- Bid opening 2026-409 was referred to Public Works for further recommendation.
- Library annual report (2026-381), TBID hearing (2026-413), and emergency agreement (2026-424) were placed on file.
- Parking services contract review (2026-410) was held in committee of the whole for further action.
- Community enrichment complaint (2026-417) was placed on file with a note that the department may present a demonstration of the GovWell software to the council.
- Land sale requests (2026-384, 2026-411) were held in abeyance pending land sales committee reports.
Meeting Transcript
I'll bring the Beauty Silver Bowl, Council of Commissioners, Committee of the Whole meeting to order for Wednesday, August twenty sixth, twenty twenty six. Please let the record reflect that Commissioner Boyle is excused tonight. Commissioner Walker, would you please lead us in the prayer on the pledge? Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. Undergone indivisible with liberty and justice for all. If there's any member of the public that would like to speak. Okay. Seeing none, uh report of the chair. I'm I don't have anything to report on tonight, so I'll move right into section one, bid openings, public hearings, and/or presentations. We do have what appears to be three public hearings. Uh communication 2026-366, communication 2026-367, and communication 2026-413. County Attorney Enruth, do we have proof of publication on those three items? Chairman Morgan, we have proof of publication on both of Director Hassler's, which was previously given to council, and we have received proof of publication uh with regards to Kelly Hazlitt's public hearing tonight. Thank you so much. Uh number one, communication 2026-366. Karen Hassler, Finance and Budget Director, requesting council of commissioners permission to schedule a public hearing on August 5th, 26th for the adoption of the fiscal year 27 final budget and establish the user rates for stormwater system, solid waste disposal and lighting and fire hydrant districts. This is a continuation of previous public hearings. Uh Director Hassler, do you have anything to add? Uh thank you, Chairman Morgan, members of council. Um this evening we do not have any additional amendments or changes to the budget from last week, so there are no new sheets on your uh desk tonight. Um the final budget as it is uh this evening is 168 million, two hundred and sixty-nine thousand six hundred and twenty-one dollars. Again, we um have a balanced budget uh three hundred and sixty point four five mils, which is a reduction of nine point five five mils from the fiscal year twenty-six budget. Okay, um the question uh director Hassler, just so everybody's aware. Next Wednesday evening we will be fully adopting or voting on the on the passage of the butt budget. Is that correct? Uh Chairman Morgan, yes, that is correct. Okay. Thank you. Do any of the other commissioners have any questions for Director Hassler? Okay. Seeing none, I'll open up the public hearing for communication 2026-366. I would ask for any proponents. Second call for proponents. Third and final call for proponents. Okay, I'll move on to opponents. If there's any member of the public that would like to speak in opposition of this communication, now would be our opportunity. Second call for opponents. Third and final call for opponents. Okay. We'll continue to keep this public hearing open for for next week. Moving on to communication 26367, Karen Hassler, Finance and Budget Director requesting Council of Commissioners' permission to schedule a public hearing on August 12th, 26 to establish user rates for Metro Sewer. Public hearing will begin on August 12th, 26th and continued until the Council of Commissioners set a date to adopt the fiscal year 27 final budget and fix the rate. Um multifamily residential properties and commercial properties vary on the number of units assessed, and the schedule of base units can be found in Butte Silverbow Ordinance 13.08.040. Thank you, Director Hasser. Is there any questions from the commissioners? All right. Seeing none, I'll I'll open the uh public hearing for communication 26367 for proponents. Second call for proponents.
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