Laurel City Council Meeting Summary – September 22, 2026

The Laurel City Council met at 6:30 PM in Council Chambers on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, with all eight council members participating. The council approved the September 14, 2026 minutes, acknowledged correspondence, disposed of the consent calendar, received board and commission reports, heard audience comments, and voted 8-0 on two resolutions—one approving federal government affairs representation and one approving final plat review engineering services. A payroll item was removed from the consent calendar because the printed total was incorrect and was later approved with a corrected amount.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the September 14, 2026 City Council minutes by an 8-0 vote (motion by Council President Canopy, second by Council Member Wilkie).
• Acknowledged correspondence from Beartooth RC&D and resignation letters from Mary Nelson and Phyllis Bromgard, creating vacancies on the library board and the Tree/Park Board.
• Approved consent items 4 and 5 by an 8-0 vote (motion by Council Vice President Closey, second by Council Member Wilkie): claims entered through September 18, 2026, and the Clerk/Treasurer’s financial statements for August 2026.
• Consent item 6, approval of the Payroll Register for PPE 9/13/2026, was removed because the printed total was incorrect. The agenda listed it as $300,965.85; later in the meeting, the council approved the corrected payroll register totaling $302,912.72 by an 8-0 vote.

Reports of Boards and Commissions

• The council received minutes from the Budget/Finance Committee (September 8, 2026), Laurel Airport Authority (August 25, 2026), Tree/Park Board (September 3, 2026), Laurel Urban Renewal Agency (July 13, July 27, and September 14, 2026), Public Works Committee (August 17, 2026), and Emergency Services Committee (July 27 and August 24, 2026).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Elizabeth Gill (1200 Cedar Crest Circle) expressed concern that the city administrative officer holds an eight-year contract while the city charter allows only two years. She urged the council and staff to reevaluate the contract at its January renewal and suggested considering a city manager instead, saying those funds could be better allocated.
• Aaron, a resident, requested that public records from Laurel City Courts and the police department be released without a fee because he could not afford them, and submitted signed forms to the city clerk.
• Laura Kirschman (939 West Fourth Street) said the state has published its revised environmental final assessment on the House Bill 5 website, but that from her brief review it did not appear to respond to many comments, especially those submitted by the city.
• During public comment on Resolution R26-82, Elizabeth Gill said the proposed federal affairs representation could be highly beneficial to multiple city departments and noted federal appropriations could help offset part of the $67,000 cost.
• During community announcements, Gill announced a fun run on Friday at the high school and said her public comment, just shy of 14,000 pages, was composed of minutes and agendas from public works, emergency services, and city council meetings since September 2025, plus community comments; she did not feel it was an attack on the state.

Discussion Items

• Resolution No. R26-82 – Smith Garson Federal Government Affairs Representation: The council considered approving the Smith Garson proposal to represent Laurel before federal agencies and Congress. The presentation said the city faces a roughly $50 million water, sewer, and tower project and that representation could help secure grants, appropriations, and low-interest financing. The presentation also noted the city’s water tank is more than 50 years old. The proposed cost was $67,500 prorated through the end of the fiscal year, with an annualized rate of about $84,000; the agreement could be cancelled with 30 days’ notice. The presenter said the primary contact would be Dr. John Seck, a Helena-based representative with legislative and gubernatorial relationships, and that two reference clients rated Smith Garson as excellent—one with the firm for 40 years and one for 10 years. The presenter also said no city of Laurel’s size was among the firm’s clients. Councilmembers expressed support for moving forward. Before voting, Council President Canopy disclosed that he had spoken with Council Member McKay about the decision. Canopy said the contract could be reviewed after 30, 60, or 90 days and suggested the city might eventually partner with Park City or Billings. Council Member McKay said $70,000–$80,000 was not exorbitant compared with typical lobbyist costs, and Council Member Wilkie said the city had been kicking the issue down the road too long and needed help securing funding. Council Vice President Closey asked about local lobbying and grant-writing capacity; the presenter responded that Dr. Seck is assigned to the city, Morrison Marley has offered to write grants, and about $40,000 in additional budget is available for grant-writing expenses. Motion by Council Member McKay, second by Council Member Wilkie; approved 8-0.
• Resolution No. R26-83 – KLJ Engineering Agreement for Cherry Hill Subdivision 4th Filing: The council approved an agreement with KLJ Engineering LLC for final plat review of Cherry Hill Subdivision 4th Filing. The stated purpose was to cure a conflict of interest because the city’s current engineer, Morrison Marley, also serves as engineer for RJ Civil, the developer, and should not review its own work. No public comment was offered. Motion by Council Member Naylor, second by Council President Canopy; approved 8-0.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the September 14, 2026 minutes and the August 2026 financial reports as part of the consent calendar.
• Corrected and approved the Payroll Register for PPE 9/13/2026 in the amount of $302,912.72.
• Approved Resolution R26-82 (Smith Garson federal affairs representation) by an 8-0 vote.
• Approved Resolution R26-83 (KLJ engineering services for Cherry Hill Subdivision 4th Filing) by an 8-0 vote.
• The mayor announced two special council meetings on Thursday to consider repairing seven blocks of city streets before winter and a cemetery road overlay. The street work includes West 7th between First and Second Avenues, plus six blocks on Pennsylvania and Wyoming between First and Sixth Streets, with base work, fabric installation, and repaving using gas tax funds.

Mayor Updates, Council Discussion, and Announcements

• Mayor Updates: Bids for the street work closed at 1:00 PM that day; one company submitted a bid below earlier estimates, allowing the project to be brought forward at Thursday’s special meeting. The cemetery road overlay was also scheduled for a second special meeting on Thursday.
• Council Member McKay reminded the public of the Emergency Services Committee meeting on Monday, September 28 at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers.
• Council Vice President Closey reminded everyone that there is no city council meeting next week because it is the fifth Tuesday of the month.
• Council Member Edgman said he would be unable to attend Thursday’s special meeting.